Penn Museum
Ancient History Math Mystery
Through several organized and attractive worksheets, your learners will make a deduction about tally marks and hieroglyphics to determine what they represent in the ancient numeral system. This is a well-designed, interdisciplinary...
Penn Museum
Maya Ball
Sure the ancient Mayan civilization had an advanced calendar and mathematical system, but did you know that they also played a great team sport like basketball? Invite your learners to discover the great ballcourt at Chichen Itza and...
Virginia Department of Education
World History and Geography to 1500 A.D.
Here's a great resource for your curriculum library. The 240-page packet, organized into units by topics, includes sample lesson plans, links to primary and secondary source documents, worksheets, activities, and sample assessments.
Curated OER
Lesson: Bringing Back the Sun: The Story of Jaguar Inspiring Student Stories
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...
Curated OER
Natural Resources and Ancient Cities
Students explain how the availability of natural resources has affected human settlement patterns. They recognize the interactions of human populations on environments and compare the growth of two ancient cities in relation to natural...
Curated OER
Be That As It Maya
Creative projects are a great way to engage your class and can be a fun way to assess mastery! Learners create brochures and postcards that might have been created by and for travelers to ancient Mayan cities. They read and discuss the...
Partnership for Educating Colorado Students
Mayan Mathematics and Architecture
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...
Curated OER
Mystic Lands: Maya: Messages in Stone
Students explore an ancient Mayan city. In this world history lesson, students watch a video about the ancient Mayan civilization, discussing information prior to and after watching the video. Students then come to understand more about...
Curated OER
The Ancient Maya
Students explore the culture of the Mayans through a variety of activities. For this lesson about Maya, students analyze pictures in books and on websites, produce scale models of Maya architecture, and create Maya mosaics. Students...
Core Knowledge Foundation
Early American Civilizations Tell It Again!™ Read-Aloud Anthology
Bridge subjects ancient history and English language arts together with a unit all about the Maya, Aztec, and Inca civilizations. Eleven lessons begin with a read-aloud followed by a whole-class discussion in preparation for practice by...
Curated OER
Lesson: The Gift of Giving
Giving gifts has been a part of the human experience since modern man walked the earth. Upper graders explore the culture of gift giving in Mayan times through an artistic analysis. They analyze gift giving and palace life as seen on an...
Curated OER
Understanding Mayan Culture
Students study an ancient culture in Mexico whose people were called the Mayans. They compare certain aspects of Mayan culture with Ancient Egypt. They discuss why some other ancient cultures (Egypt and China) were able to survive for...
Curated OER
What Were the Main Achievements of the Mayan Civilization?
Guided reading questions can keep kids focused. Here they read about Mayan Civilization and then answer 9 fill-in-the-blank questions. They must use evidence from their readings to support their answers. The worksheet includes 3...
Core Knowledge Foundation
Maya, Aztec, and Inca Civilizations
A 10-lesson unit explores the Maya, Aztec, and Inca civilizations. Over the course of two weeks, scholars read nonfiction excerpts, discuss their findings, and complete activities. An assessment equipped with multiple choice and matching...
Curated OER
Ancient Egypt
Learners discover details about ancient Egyptian funerals. In this ancient Egypt lesson, students compare and contrast modern funeral rites to those practiced by ancient Egyptians. Teachers may also access the suggested print and online...
Curated OER
Poverty Point Earthworks: Louisiana's Ancient Inhabitants
Students research the prehistoric earthworks site at Poverty Point, Louisiana. They compare the Louisiana artifacts and structure to the remains and knowledge of other ancient cultures. They present their research to the class.
Curated OER
Inside The Pyramids
High schoolers research the use of pyramids in different cultures. In this ancient civilizations lesson, students watch "Inside the Pyramids." High schoolers conduct further research on the topic and create...
Curated OER
El Misterio del los Mayas (The Mystery of the Mayas)
Young scholars, working in groups, research different aspects of the Mayan society of the classical period. They study the rise and fall of the civilization and present the information in multimedia presentations.
Curated OER
The Mayan Empire
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...
Curated OER
Will America Fall Apart Like the Maya?
High schoolers 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...
Core Knowledge Foundation
Unit 2: Early American Civilizations
Fifth graders explore early American civilizations in a four-week ELA unit. Every lesson offers an opportunity to read and discuss a selected passage followed by word work that covers vocabulary, grammar, and morphology. Learners write...
Curated OER
Engaging Students with the History of Time
Researching the history of calendars and time-keeping devices can help students make sense of time measurement.
Curated OER
Hanal Pixan
Students research the culture of Mexico. In this Mexican culture lesson, students view a PowerPoint presentation about the culture of Mexico and the students take notes. Students write an essay about what they have learned.
Curated OER
The Physics of the Planets: How 16th and 17th Century Physicist Helped Us Understand Our Solar System
Eighth graders draw the paths of the planets in the solar system. In this astronomy lesson, 8th graders calculate speed of objects using distance and time information. They research about the work of scientists in the 16th and 17th century.