Unit Plan
Partnership for Educating Colorado Students

Mayan Mathematics and Architecture

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Take young scholars on a trip through history with this unit on the mathematics and architecture of the Mayan civilization. Starting with a introduction to their base twenty number system and the symbols they used, this eight-lesson unit...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Mayan Empire

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students study vocabulary associated with the Mayan Empire; its art, daily life, inventions, and religious beliefs. They examine why the Mayan culture is considered to be one of the most advanced of the ancient civilizations by...
Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

Engaging Students with the History of Time

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Researching the history of calendars and time-keeping devices can help students make sense of time measurement.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: Bringing Back the Sun: The Story of Jaguar Inspiring Student Stories

For Teachers K - 5th
What on earth is that jar for? It was an ancient incense burner used by the Maya, that was inspired by the myth of the sun god. Young analysts hear the story of the Mayan sun god, analyze the story through the artistry in the jar, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Old Mayan Mural

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students read a story called Scientists Discover Oldest Mayan Mural and answer vocabulary and comprehension questions about it. In this current events Mayan mural lesson plan, students respond to literature by answering questions,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bags, Baskets, Bundles, Gourds, and Nets: Ancient and Imaginative Ways for Making, Storing, and Carrying Things

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students explore Mayan culture. In this Mayan world cultures instructional activity, students identify 5 methods by which the Mayan people carried things. Students view several drawings and photographs of these items, then describe how...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Primary Understanding and Use of Place Value

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Explore place value and regrouping with your class. They develop awareness of several ancient number systems and how they differ from the base ten system commonly used today. They play "Chip Trading" with partners to practice addition...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sport as Social Ritual

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Young scholars become familiar with the sport that became a social ritual in ancient American cultures, examining its importance. They gain an understanding of how contemporary sports have acquired importance within modern American culture.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Maya Math: From Zero to Nineteen

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students explore counting methods of the ancient Maya, and practice identifying Maya number glyphs.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Me Oh Maya

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Learners compare basketball to Mayan ring-ball. They write a newspaper article that may have been published during Mayan times.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Maya Math: Addition and Subtraction

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners examine how ancient Maya counted, and practice addition and subtraction using Maya number glyphs.
Workbook
Smithsonian Institution

Ceramica de los Ancestros

For Students 3rd - 6th
Scholars join a field expedition team to unearth a plethora of treasures from Central America. Artifacts listed in alphabetical order come with an informational blurb and a picture designed for participants to color. Activity pages...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Oklahoma Stone Soup

For Teachers K - 8th Standards
Class members complete activities related to the story "Oklahoma Stone Soup." First, pupils read, discuss, and answer questions about the story. Next, to incorporate math into the lesson plan, learners make stone soup using a variety of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Horse Character: Ceramics Lesson

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Animals oftentimes elicit various characteristics which make them symbolic or representative of human feeling, action, or emotion. The class creates horse characters out of clay to show character action and symbolism. This is a great...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Political Legends and Map Symbols

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students identify the legend and map symbols. In this map skills lesson, students use a world map to find various locations using a map key.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Ball games

For Students 3rd - 5th
In this ball games worksheet, students read a passage about ball games and answer multiple choice questions about it. Students complete 5 multiple choice questions about ball games.
Interactive
Curated OER

Dig Magazine Archeology Quiz #109

For Students 4th - 5th
In this Dig Magazine archeology quiz, students answer 12 multiple choice questions complementing the March 2010 issue. Page contains answer and additional resources link.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Egyptian Inspiration Web

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students conduct Internet research to discover information about scientific, technological, cultural and intellectual achievements in Egypt, along with Egyptian family life. Students create Inspiration webs of their findings.
Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

My 2011 Resolution: Investigate Mathematics of Calendars and Fitness

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Ring in the new year with interdisciplinary units related to the development of calendars and getting fit.
Interactive
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Writings of the Ancient Maya

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students are introduced to the ancient Mayan civilization through their writings. They explore a social studies focus on the destruction of many Mayan writings by the Spanish and what archaeologists have learned from the writings that...
Handout
Other

Houghton Mifflin: Mayan Mathematics

For Students 4th - 8th
This site explains the mathematical system of the Mayans. It gives the represenation they used for numbers and how they did addition and subtraction.
Website
Other

Mayan Kids

For Students 3rd - 5th
Explore the history, beliefs, people, and culture of the ancient Maya in this enchanting website. It includes games, clip art, and a glossary of terms.
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Aztecs, Incas, and Mayans the Aztec Empire

For Students 4th - 6th Standards
[Free Registration/Login Required] This nonfiction passage provides information about the ancient Aztec Empire, including the significance of Montezuma and Tenochtitlan. This passage reinforces essential reading comprehension skills....
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Aztecs, Incas, and Mayans Cuzco: City of Gold

For Teachers 4th - 6th
[Free Registration/Login Required] This nonfiction passage describes the ancient city of Cuzco, the center of activity during the Inca Empire. This passage reinforces essential reading comprehension skills. Opportunities for vocabulary...