In this activity students will create a spider map that highlights what they have learned about the Aztec civilization. Their storyboards will include the location, environment, and natural resources available, and how these were used as food and to create tools, clothing, and buildings. Students can also include any Aztec cultural or religious practices, Aztec achievements, government, social structure or any other interesting information that they learned. Students can use the template provided but can also add or delete cells and change the headings as necessary. Students will then include a description and an illustration with appropriate scenes, characters and items. This can serve as a great activity to do as a pre-assessment or after the unit to see what students have learned.
Teachers may wish for students to work together on this lesson which is possible with Storyboard That's Real Time Collaboration feature! With Real Time Collaboration, students can work on the same storyboard at the same time which is perfect for this lesson! As teachers know, collaborating on assignments allows students to think on a deeper level while increasing their communication and problem-solving skills. Collaboration can also help cut down on the time it takes to complete a storyboard. While there is no set limit to the number of users who can work on a storyboard at once, we recommend five users or fewer for optimal performance. All of our assignments default to individual. To make this lesson collaborative, teachers must enable collaboration for the assignment within the "Edit Assignment" tab.
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Due Date:
Objective: Create a spider map that describes the lives and traditions of the Aztec.
Student Instructions:
Requirements: Location, environment (physical features and climate), natural resources, useful tools and items made from the natural resources, including clothing and buildings, achievements and cultural practices.
Give a thorough overview of the Aztec civilization to start. Talk about their geographic location, significant cities (particularly Tenochtitlán), era, and position in Mesoamerican history. Give a brief introduction about co-existing civilizations during this time period and the connectivity between different civilizations.
Teach the students how to develop logical research outlines. This aids in the clear and logical organization of their results. Students can decide on their own the objectives of their research and what they aim to achieve from them, and then according to their goals, they can devise a work plan and methodology.
As a part of their investigation and research, students can also explore the different aspects of civilizations and compare them. For instance, the comparison between the clothing worn by the Mayans and the Aztecs. Was there any significance related to the colors or the fabrics both civilizations used?
Students can check out different reviews and books written by historians that explain their own analysis of the Aztec Civilizations. These narratives can contain data that could be collected from experts and native people. Encourage the students to explore this civilization through different perspectives and accumulate more information.
Encourage the students to synthesize all the information that they have collected so far and segment the information to give it a structure for compilation. Students can share this with their friends and class fellows for additional knowledge.
The Aztec civilization was based principally in the Valley of Mexico, in the center of modern-day Mexico. Tenochtitlán, their capital city, was located on an island in Lake Texcoco. This civilization was located towards the East of the Mayan Civilization and was also the victim of the Spanish conquest of 1521.
The capital Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, and Tlacopan were the three principal cities of the Aztec civilization. The Triple Alliance, which was composed of these cities, served as the Aztec Empire's political and military skeleton. They shared a language, Nahuatl, which is still spoken today.
The Aztecs were expert farmers who created cutting-edge farming methods like chinampas (floating gardens) to raise crops. They also accomplished remarkable engineering marvels like building aqueducts and causeways.