Maya Lesson Plans

Students recognize the relationships between Maya city-states during the classical period. They prepare news reports about major events of the period such as the capture of a rival king and his city-state.

Students create brochures and postcards that might have been created by and for travelers to ancient Mayan cities. They read and discuss the Times article, 'In Maya Ruins, Scholars See Evidence of Urban Sprawl.'

Students explore the culture of the Mayans through a variety of activities. In this lesson about Maya, students analyze pictures in books and on websites, produce scale models of Maya architecture, and create Maya mosaics. Students study Maya myths, analyze and create glyphs or pictures, role-play as warriors, write to a Maya pen-pal, and finally enjoy a Maya feast. Students develop a true understanding of the Maya people by the close of this lesson.

Students work in teams to research ancient Mayan civilization as they simulate working for the President of the United States. He is concerned that if a civilization as technologically advanced as the Maya's could disappear, could the U.S. do the same?

First graders study the animals in the Maya Forest Reserve. In this conservation lesson, 1st graders create a graph to compare the environment of animals to their own. They design a 3D model of these two environments.

Students research the culture of the Mayans. In this early civilizations lesson, students research selected Maya city-states including Tikal, Clakmul, Piedras Niegras, and Uaxactun. Students use their research findings to present news reports to their classmates.

Students read about the bags that the Maya people made and about how reusing bags can help save our environment. In this environment lesson plan, students read and discuss conservation and observe pictures.

Students make an ancient Maya travel guide. In this ancient Maya lesson, students use knowledge from previous lessons to design a travel guide. They include important information for a traveler who wants to visit an ancient Maya city. They describe how to get around, include pictures, and let the traveler know about art and architecture they might encounter.

Young scholars conduct research on artifacts from the ancient civilizations of the Mayas, the Aztecs, or the Incas using both print and non-print resources. They create two-dimensional or three-dimensional representations of their artifacts and present their artifact to the remainder of the class without sharing its identity. Classmates play "20 Questions" in order to identify each others artifacts.

Students recognize why pyramids are important to different cultures. They explore the differences and similarities among Egyptian, Maya, and Aztec pyramids and illustrate these similarities and differences by developing a page for a magazine.