The Americas Lesson Plans

Students study the relationship between peoples of ancient Africa and ancient MesoAmerica. They relate in written or oral form the African presence in the ancient Americas. They create their own Colossal Head of Olmec and display the final products around the school with paragraph descriptions.

Students explore the importance of corn to the survival of early civilizations of the Americas. Through research and discussion activities, they read and describe how corn was used as food and currency in early civilizations. They write a report documenting their research.

Students explore Latin American art. In this bi-lingual art history lesson, students view a vast collection of Latin American artwork to better conceptualize the depth and contributions Latin American artist have had throughout history. This lesson includes activities and a multitude of resources.

First graders explore Aztec culture to gain understanding of relationship between music, recreation, and culture. Seven lessons on one page.

Fifth graders examine reasons for exploration, the outcomes, and various explorers. In this age of exploration lesson, 5th graders create a flipbook with timeline and images to showcase their knowledge. 

Third graders travel through ansient America in these eleven lessons of the unit. They build an igloo with the Inuit, find out why corn was important to the desert dwellers, build homes in cliffs, bury treasure in mounds and discover how early man struggled t

Learners begin the lesson by identifying how and why the Native Americans came to North America. Using the internet, they examine how their culture spread throughout the continent and in groups they discuss the stereotypes between the Europeans and Native Americans. They end the lesson by discussing how Native Americans today are trying to preserve their culture.

Students examine the effects of Africa on MesoAmerica.

Students examine the early civilizations of Central and South America. After examining hand-crafted objects, they discuss the craftsmanship of the Inca and how they used geometric shapes and symbols in their art. They draft a design for a mask of their own using what they gathered about the Inca.

Students read excerpts from Columbus's letters and journals. They reflect on the motivations behind his explorations, his reactions to what he found, and the consequences of his endeavor.