Activity Overview
There are many interesting Mayan cities, sites, religious practices, and leaders that students could research for a poster project. This poster focuses on the famous Mayan city Chichen Itza. Students will research this fascinating city and find at least four facts to fill in the bubbles. Then they can use the artwork provided to create a scene! Their finished posters could be presented digitally, printed out to add to a portfolio or hung around the room.
There are many poster templates to pick from if students wish to start with a different layout or complete their poster on a different topic. Teachers can add multiple templates to the example to provide some structure, or direct students to the template page to pick for themselves. They can also edit the existing template and add or remove art as desired for different scaffolding.
Template and Class Instructions
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Due Date:
Objective: Research the fascinating city of Chichen Itza. Fill in the poster with at least four interesting facts and create a decorative scene!
Student Instructions:
- Choose a person, city, or religious practice,.
- Using school resources, conduct some research and learn more about Chichen Itza.
- On the poster, include four important facts such as where it is located, when it was built, major sites.
- Use the characters, items and animals provided to create a scene at Chichen Itza! You may change the size, poses and colors. You may also search for more assets using the search bar.
Requirements: Four facts and a scene that includes at least 5 assets.
Lesson Plan Reference
- [ELA-Literacy/W/4/4] Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3 above.)
- [ELA-Literacy/W/4/6] With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of one page in a single sitting.
- [ELA-Literacy/W/4/7] Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.
- [ELA-Literacy/RL/4/4] Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including those that allude to significant characters found in mythology (e.g., Herculean).
- [ELA-Literacy/RI/4/4] Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area.
- [ELA-Literacy/RI/4/5] Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text or part of a text.
- [ELA-LITERACY/CCRA/W/4] Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
- [ELA-LITERACY/WHST/6-8/2/B] Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.
Rubric
(You can also create your own on Quick Rubric.)
| Proficient 33 Points | Emerging 22 Points | Needs Improvement 11 Points | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Text | The text on the poster includes important facts, is accurate and is pertinent to the topic demonstrating a solid understanding of the subject. | The text on the poster includes some important facts, is mostly accurate and is pertinent to the topic demonstrating an emerging understanding of the subject. | The text on the poster does not include enough important facts. The information is not accurate or is not pertinent to the topic. |
| Artistic Depictions | The art chosen enhances the poster by symbolizing or illustrating important facts. Time and care is taken to ensure that the design is neat, eye-catching, and creative. | The art chosen is mostly accurate, but there may be some liberties taken that distract from the assignment. The design constructions are neat, and meet basic expectations. | The art chosen is too limited. The design appears rushed and incomplete. |
| English Conventions | Ideas are organized. There are few or no grammatical, mechanical, or spelling errors. | Ideas are mostly organized. There are some grammatical, mechanical, or spelling errors. | Storyboard text is difficult to understand. |
How To Help Students Collect Interesting Facts on the Mayan Civilization
Discuss “Interesting Facts”
Discuss with students their concept of interesting facts. Some students might find the agricultural and irrigation innovations made by the Mayans to be interesting while others can find it boring. Tell the students that the interesting facts are the ones that seem strange or uncanny at this time and the ones that correlate with their interests.
Arrange and Encourage Library Surfing
Encourage students to use academic libraries and public libraries for physical materials and to use online scholarly databases like JSTOR and Google Scholar for scholarly papers and publications. Teachers can arrange library visits for students and encourage them to visit on their own time to collect information from resources that are not available online.
Trustworthy Online Research Sources
Provide students with a list of trusted websites, including those run by universities, the Smithsonian Institution, and National Geographic, while advising them against using Wikipedia or other sources without any credibility for their academic work. Ask students to search for things that they find the most intriguing or interesting.
Make Fact Sheets
Tell the students to make fact sheets or note cards for whatever intriguing information they come across. Each card has to have the information, where it came from, and a succinct explanation. Students can save these sheets for later so that they have all the interesting information and their credible sources in one place for use later.
Share Interesting Information
Ask the students to share all the interesting facts that they found out about the Mayan Civilization with their class fellows in engaging and innovative ways. They can prepare a chart with drawings of the facts or make digital illustrations to present their findings.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mayan Civilization Research Activity
What impact did environmental variables have on Mayan culture?
Environmental considerations were a major influence on Mayan civilization. For agriculture, they adapted to a variety of topographies and religious rituals often making use of natural elements like cenotes.
What are some interesting facts about the Mayan civilization?
Some interesting facts about the Mayan civilization include the Tzolk'in, a 260-day ceremonial calendar, and the Haab, a 365-day solar calendar, which were only two of the Mayans' many calendars. They had the ability to correctly forecast celestial occurrences like eclipses. Known for their exquisite ceramics, sculptures, and paintings, the Maya were accomplished artisans. They frequently portrayed images from daily life, religious rituals, and historical events in their artwork. The colorful clothing worn by the Maya was composed of cotton or other natural fibers. Along with jewellery, tattoos, and body paint, they also decorated themselves.
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