Lesson Four: Daily Life (Research - 2 days)

1. Objectives

a. Students will develop an appreciation of the complex nature of the Maya culture, and how it compares
to our own.
b. Students will develop research and social skills.
c. Students will describe Maya clothing, fashion, recreation, food and family life.

2. Materials

Articles from Egyptians, Maya, Minoans:
a. What Price Beauty (fashion) pp. 50-51
b. The Maya Look (clothing) pp. 48-49
c. Pok-a-Tok (recreation) pp. 64-65
d. Excerpts from The Maya
e. Food (pp. 9, 24)
f. Families and Children (pp. 20-21)
g. Note-taking sheet (Appendix F)
h. Legal size white paper and large construction paper
i. Filmstrip "The Maya" -- Ancient Civilizations of the Americas

3. Prior Knowledge

a. An understanding that different cultures have unique characteristics (all grades) 4. Procedures
b.Review from KWL chart what students want to learn. Explain that in this lesson, each group of students will become an expert on one aspect of Maya daily life.Number the categories listed above on the board. Have a member from each group roll a die; the number rolled will determine which category that group will research.
c.Give to each group 4 copies of the appropriate handouts. (Each student should have a copy to use.) Instruct students that they will have the rest of the class period to read their material and come up with a way to present that information to the rest of the class. Presentations should include some sort of visual aid, and every member must take part in the presentation. (Students will continue work and additional research during project time and as homework if necessary.)
(Next class period)
d. Each group presents its information. The rest of the class should be taking notes (Appendix F) and asking questions. Participation as presenters and as audience should be evaluated.
e. Show filmstrip "The Maya" (Ancient Civilizations of the Americas) and have students add to their
note-taking as appropriate.

Activity: Students will create a flap book with information and illustrations on each category (use legal
size paper).

5. Modifications
a. Preview vocabulary and specific research topics. Assist students with selecting a topic (possibly a topic
with low level reading material or a topic which is easy to research and present).
b. Highlight text identifying important information from handout. Provide outline of key terms and main
idea for presentation. Provide a written outline of expectations and visual aid requirements. Provide
examples of visual aids and materials if necessary.
c.Allow students to take notes; however, provide a clear concise copy of notes. Adjust grading requirements
as needed.
d. Provide a clear and accurate example of flap book. Pre-fold and pre-label flap book if necessary. Provide a
typed list of sentences describing the daily life of the Mayas for students to cut, match, paste and illustrate
for each topic.

6. Evaluation
Students may be assessed on their group work, their participation in group presentation, their participation
as audience members, and on their flap books.