ED688 Unit

Candidate Name: Mariah Brashar Host Teacher Name: Lindsey Huberty

School: Susitna Elementary School Grade Level: 4 # of Students: 29
Theme of Unit: Content Area:
4th Grade Literacy
Indigenous Peoples:
The Maya, Aztec, and Inca
Classroom Demographics: Our classroom is the only fourth grade non-combination classroom
at Susitna. We have 29 students, 16 girls and 15 boys. In our class, there are 11 English
Language Learners, seven students with Individualized Educational Plans (IEPs) who receive
services from Special Education teachers and aids, and ten students who qualify for Title 6
Native Education tutors. Of our 29 students, ten percent score within the 70th-80th percentile
on standardized tests across subject areas. Thirty percent score within the 50th -70th
percentile. Fifty percent score between the 10th and 40th percentile, and ten percent score
below the 10th percentile.
The majority of children in the classroom read well below grade level. The average
reading level for the class is 2nd-3rd grade. Most children also struggle with the mathematics
curriculum, some due to difficulty reading and understanding instructions.
There are also several students with significant behavioral issues who require frequent
redirection.

Alaska Content Standards:

Science Content Standard F
A student should understand the dynamic relationships among scientific, cultural, social, and
personal perspectives.
History Content Standard B
A student should understand historical themes through factual knowledge of time, places,
ideas, institutions, cultures, people, and events.
Art Content Standard A
3. Appropriately use new and traditional tools, techniques, and processes in the arts
Math Content Standard 4.NBT.1
Generalize place value understanding for multidigit whole numbers. Recognize that in a
multidigit whole number, a digit in one place represents ten times what it represents in the
place to its right. For example, recognize that 700 ÷ 70 = 10 by applying concepts of place
value and division.

Transfer Goal(s) - Unpacked Standards (Transferability)

Science: Students should be able to explain how science helps to shape the beliefs and
practices of culture
Social Studies: Students should know when, where and why events happened.
Arts: Students should be able to use elements from another culture to create art.
 Math: Students should understand place value
BIG IDEA of the Unit: Indigenous peoples of the Americas had highly developed civilizations,
government systems, and technological advancements.

STAGE 1 – Essential Questions and Enduring Understandings (Meaning)

Enduring Understanding(s) : Essential Questions to be Considered:
Students will understand that….
… a scientific discoveries add the cannon of How does scientific knowledge effect how we
human knowledge and can shape the way we live our lives?
do things in the modern age.
…examining a persons culture and help us How can examining a person’s culture help
understand the beliefs and customs that that you better understand the things they do?
person has and practices.
…artists can draw inspiration from different How does culture effect art?
cultures and that many practical objects and
things can also be forms of art. How does the system we use to do math
…there are many systems of mathematics and effect our mathematics?
they are not all the same.

STAGE ONE: STAGE TWO:

Objectives/Learning Targets (Acquisition) Assessment/Acceptable Evidence of
Learning
Knowledge: What students should know…. Assessment: Students will…

The Maya developed an advanced civilization …complete a graphic organizer that

which included a complex writing system,
highly organized religion, and an extensive
knowledge of astronomy, long prior to
European arrival in the Americas.
The Aztec developed an advanced civilization
which included a complex writing system
(similar to the Maya’s), highly organized
religion, and gigantic capital city, long prior to
European arrival in the Americas.
compares the three civilizations.
…create Maya Codexes.
…perform basic math operations with a base
20 system.
…compare Mesoamerica and South America
with Alaska.
…locate the modern-day areas in which the
Maya, Aztec, and Inca lived.
…complete a time line.

The Inca developed an advanced civilization

which spread over much of the west coast of
South America and created feats of engineering
that remain today.
 The Spanish arrived and brought with them
disease, a different language, a different
religion, and a different way of looking at
things. They did not understand the Aztecs and
Incas.

Skills: What students should be able to do….

…compare and contrast the three civilizations of
study.
…describe a codex and pictogram and
understand how this form of writing differs from
a phonetic alphabet.
…design a timeline.
…identify North America, Central America, and
South America on a map and locate the modern
day countries in which the Maya, Aztecs, and
Incas lived.
…compare the base-ten system with a base 20
system.

STAGE TWO : Culminating Performance Tasks

Ask Yourself: how can I have students incorporate the body of their learning into a
multifaceted demonstration of their understanding of the Big Idea(s) of this unit? Think
about: scaffolding your lessons leading toward the Culminating Performance Tasks.

Culminating Performance Task 1 Culminating Performance Task 2

Title of Task: Creating a Timeline
You will create a timeline that shows the
history of the Maya, Aztec, and Inca as their
civilizations relate to your life. This timeline
will include an accurate scale showing both
the events we read about and the evens you
choose to include from your own life.
Title of task: Your Life as an Aztec
You will write a creative story describing your
life as an Aztec.
Your goal: is to create an entertaining and
educational piece of writing for publication in
the school newsletter.

Your Goal is to create a beautiful Remember, you’re an author and craft a

representation of these three civilizations and
to compare the time that they existed to our
modern lives
interesting story that you would want to
read. Draw on your own life and make
comparisons. Your first step will outlining and
pre-writing. You will use details from the text
during this stage. Next, you will begin writing.
 Remember, you’re a historian - you need to
determine which events are most important.
Your timeline should have each year
represented equally so that the viewer can
accurately compare the passage of time. Your
labels, illustrations, and presentation should
add to the readability and appeal of your
creation. Make sure you include as many
artifacts as you can!
Your audience is your teacher, the
administrators of this school, your parents,
and your peers.
The success of your project will be judged by
your timeline, according to the rubric for this
task.
Rubric attached in Appendix A
During the wriitng process, you should keep
in mind the engaging and entertaining
aspects of your piece and how to finish it.
Your audience is yourself, your siblings, and
your parents. In the real world, authors
derive much of their work from their own
experiences. Examine things and events in
your life that are important and reimagine
them based on what you know of the Aztecs.
The success of your story will be judged
based on its originality, your writing craft, and
your attention to factual details, based on the
rubric for this task.
Rubric attached in Appendix A

STAGE THREE: Learning for Understanding/ Instructional Activities

Pre-Requisites: What is the prior knowledge students needed to have before starting this Unit?
Students need to have a basic understanding of how to read a map, what a government is, and
how different cultures have different practices.

Introduction/Hook (Make a connection with students’ backgrounds using an authentic

situation to start them thinking about the Big Idea and the Theme of this Unit.)
Ask: How many of you know what language people in Mexico speak? Turn to your table
partners and discuss. Now, how many of you know why that is? Where is does the Spanish
language come from? Let’s watch: BrainPop video “Conquistadors”
Title of Lesson: Mesoamerica Objectives and Essential Questions for lesson:
Standard: History Content Standard B The Maya developed an advanced civilization
A student should understand historical which included a complex writing system,
themes through factual knowledge of time, highly organized religion, and an extensive
places, ideas, institutions, cultures, people, knowledge of astronomy, long prior to
and events. European arrival in the Americas.
How can examining a person’s culture help
Materials for lesson: you better understand the things they do?
Projector, globes, chromebooks, Country Content areas covered in lesson (from
handout/outline. standards): Social Studies/Geography

Embed Assessments in Lesson activities

Lesson 1) Differentiation Strategies for the
Process: Watch BrainPop “Mesoamerica,” process/product/assessment
As a group, discuss the region and how it Visual presentation, kinesthetic elements,
differs from Alaska. Pass out globes, group work
chromebooks, assign table groups to find
one Central American or South American Small groups will rotate through working with
country on the globe and to research it teacher for extra supports
online. 30 minutes, 15 minutes for brief
verbal presentations. Teacher rotates
through groups starting some groups off
and helping others to develop
presentations.
Assessment: Presentation scored with
rubric.

Title of Lesson: The Maya
Standard: Science Content Standard F
A student should understand the dynamic
relationships among scientific, cultural, social,
and personal perspectives.
Materials for lesson:
Maya, Aztec, and Inca Core Knowledge
booklet, paper, graphic organizers
Objectives and Essential Questions for lesson:
The Maya developed an advanced civilization
which included a complex writing system,
highly organized religion, and an extensive
knowledge of astronomy, long prior to
European arrival in the Americas.
How does scientific knowledge effect how we
live our lives?
Content areas covered in lesson (from
standards): Social Studies/Science

Embed Assessments in Lesson activities

Lesson 2) Differentiation Strategies for the
Process: Pre-teach vocabulary (chart): process/product/assessment
Maya, civilization, architecture, Pre-teaching vocabulary
archeologist, city-state, temple, Echo reading
hieroglyph, sacrifice, astronomy Whole groupwork
Read chapter 1: echo reading Small groupwork
Watch Brain Pop: Maya Civilization. Fill
out graphic organizer (Appendix E) as
whole group. Discuss astronomy. Discuss
how the earth rotates and revolves
around the sun. Table groups create
models with their bodies to show what
this looks like. Discuss modern measuring
tools that astronomers use. Compare and
contrast to Maya tools. Watch: Planet
Earth Astronomy. Exit ticket questions
(Appendix B).
 Assessment: Graphic organizer scored
according to rubric. Exit ticket
Title of Lesson: Mayan Codex
Standard: Art Content Standard A
3. Appropriately use new and traditional
tools, techniques, and processes in the arts
How does culture effect art?
Materials for lesson: long papers folded for
“codex”, colored pencils, stencils, codex
sheet, Maya, Aztec, and Inca Core Knowledge
booklet
Lesson 3)
Process: Partner reading Chapter 2. Fill
out graphic organizer. Whole group:
discuss how Maya written language
differs from ours. Discuss similarities.
Small groups: discuss what it would be
like to learn to write with pictograms.
Read and explain codex handout
(Appendix F) – hand out codex papers,
colors, stencils. Display pre-made codex.
Students work on “writing” a codex
depicting their journeys to school in the
morning. Exit ticket questions (Appendix
B)
Assessment: Codex is scored according to
rubric. Exit ticket.
Title of Lesson: Maya Math
Standard: Math Content Standard 4.NBT.1
Generalize place value understanding for
multidigit whole numbers. Recognize that in a
multidigit whole number, a digit in one place
represents ten times what it represents in the
place to its right. For example, recognize that
700 ÷ 70 = 10 by applying concepts of place
value and division.
Objectives and Essential Questions for lesson:
The Maya developed an advanced civilization
which included a complex writing system,
highly organized religion, and an extensive
knowledge of astronomy, long prior to
European arrival in the Americas.
How can examining a person’s culture help
you better understand the things they do?
How does culture effect art?
Content areas covered in lesson (from
standards): Social Studies/Art
Embed Assessments in Lesson activities
Differentiation Strategies for the
process/product/assessment
Visual/kinesthetic example
Whole group/small group/individual work
Objectives and Essential Questions for lesson:
The Maya developed an advanced civilization
which included a complex writing system,
highly organized religion, and an extensive
knowledge of astronomy, long prior to
European arrival in the Americas.
How can examining a person’s culture help
you better understand the things they do?
Content areas covered in lesson (from
standards): Math
Materials for lesson: Maya Math Handout,
Projector, Math grid papers, Maya, Aztec, and
Inca Core Knowledge booklet
Lesson 4)
Process: Round robin read handout,
discussing unfamiliar vocabulary while
reading. Explanation and example of
what base ten means. Watch video
“Adding in a base other than 10,” As a
class, add (normally) using a number line.
Students will then create an addition grid
using base five. Then, they will make a
base-five number line. In small groups
discuss: what numbers are equivalent in a
base five and base ten system. Partners
share with the class.
Assessment: Math Grid will be assessed
for completeness.
Title of Lesson: The Aztec Empire Builders
Standard: History Content Standard B
A student should understand historical
themes through factual knowledge of time,
places, ideas, institutions, cultures, people,
and events.
How can examining a person’s culture help
you better understand the things they do?
Materials for lesson: Maya, Aztec, and Inca
Core Knowledge booklet, projector, graphic
organizer
Lesson 5)
Process: Pre-teach vocabulary (chart):
nomadic, empire, emperor, legend,
capital, priest. Read aloud chapter 3,
partners re-read together and discuss
differences and similarities to the Maya.
Watch BrainPop video “Aztecs.” Fill out
graphic organizer as a class, partners
share differences and similarities from
their discussions. CPT #2 Write a story.
Exit ticket questions (Appendix B)
Embed Assessments in Lesson activities
Differentiation Strategies for the
process/product/assessment
Visual, kinesthetic work
Partners/small groups
Demonstration with familiar subject
Teacher will rotate groups as students move
from copying the grid to designing the
number line.
Objectives and Essential Questions for lesson:
The Aztec developed an advanced civilization
which included a complex writing system
(similar to the Maya’s), highly organized
religion, and gigantic capital city, long prior to
European arrival in the Americas.
How can examining a person’s culture help
you better understand the things they do?
Content areas covered in lesson (from
standards): Social Studies/Geography
Embed Assessments in Lesson activities
Differentiation Strategies for the
process/product/assessment
Pre-teaching, re-reading, discussion to help
struggling readers.
Visual/auditory element
 Assessment: Exit ticket
Title of Lesson: The Legend of the Five Suns
Standard: History Content Standard B
A student should understand historical
themes through factual knowledge of time,
places, ideas, institutions, cultures, people,
and events.
Materials for lesson: Maya, Aztec, and Inca
Core Knowledge booklet, projector, graphic
organizer
Lesson 6)
Process: Read chapter 4. Whole group
religion discussion: what is it? What are
your experiences with religion? Do people Visual/auditory
in this class have different beliefs from
one another? BrainPop video “Religion?” Group and independent work
Write using language frames (I think
_____ because ______.): how does the
Legend of the Five Suns effect the Aztec
religion? If you believe that human
sacrifice is necessary to prevent the world
from ending, can you justify it? Exit ticket
questions.
Assessment: Essay will be assessed
according to the rubric (Appendix A), Exit
ticket
Title of Lesson: Lords of the Mountains: Inca
Engineering
Standard: Science Content Standard F
A student should understand the dynamic
relationships among scientific, cultural, social,
and personal perspectives.
Materials for lesson: Maya, Aztec, and Inca
Core Knowledge booklet, pencils, rubber
bands, Tupperware set with sand, projector
Objectives and Essential Questions for lesson:
The Aztec developed an advanced civilization
which included a complex writing system
(similar to the Maya’s), highly organized
religion, and gigantic capital city, long prior to
European arrival in the Americas.
How can examining a person’s culture help
you better understand the things they do?
Content areas covered in lesson (from
standards): Social Studies/Geography
Embed Assessments in Lesson activities
Differentiation Strategies for the
process/product/assessment
Language frames
Objectives and Essential Questions for lesson:
The Inca developed an advanced civilization
which spread over much of the west coast of
South America and created feats of
engineering that remain today.
How does scientific knowledge effect how we
live our lives?
Content areas covered in lesson (from
standards): Science
Embed Assessments in Lesson activities
Lesson 7) Differentiation Strategies for the
Process: Read chapter 5, fill out graphic process/product/assessment
organizer as a whole group. BrainPop
video: Inca Civilization. Discuss: what does Visual/auditory
engineering mean? Why is it impressive Group and independent work
that the Inca were able to do so much?
Building a bridge project: watch
“Leonardo Da Vinci Bridge” video. Using
pencils, have students construct and test
bridges, rebuilding if the bridges are not
sound. Use Bridges handout (Appendix D)
-students work in teams of two.

Assessment: participation, Exit ticket

Title of Lesson: Inca Ropes and Knots
Standard: Math Content Standard 4.NBT.1
Generalize place value understanding for
multidigit whole numbers. Recognize that in a
multidigit whole number, a digit in one place
represents ten times what it represents in the
place to its right. For example, recognize that
700 ÷ 70 = 10 by applying concepts of place
value and division.
Materials for lesson: Maya, Aztec, and Inca
Core Knowledge booklet
Objectives and Essential Questions for lesson:
The Inca developed an advanced civilization
which spread over much of the west coast of
South America and created feats of
engineering that remain today.
How does culture effect art?
How does the system we use to do math effect
our mathematics?
Content areas covered in lesson (from
standards): Math, Art
Embed Assessments in Lesson activities

Lesson 8) Differentiation Strategies for the

Process: Read chapter 6, fill out Graphic process/product/assessment
organizer. National Geographic Video:
Threads That Speak: How the Inca Used Visual, kinesthetic work
Strings to Communicate. Display knot tying Partners/small groups
chart (Appendix C), discuss place value with Demonstration with familiar subject
knots (ex. tie a knot in the hundreds place, a
knot in the tens place, and two knots in the
ones place to signify 112). Number off
students, hand out colored strings, knot tying
sheet (Appendix C) and give each table group
a three digit number to tie. Once everyone in
the group is done, rotate students into
number groups and have groups read each
other’s khipus and tie each onto one string to
indicate a certain number of grain (yellow),
llamas (tan), guinea pigs (brown), and wool
(grey/white).

Assessment: Exit ticket

Closure for Unit: The End of Two Empires

Materials for Closure:
Objectives and Essential Questions for closure:
The Spanish arrived and brought with them disease, a different language, a different religion,
and a different way of looking at things. They did not understand the Aztecs and Incas.
How can examining a person’s culture help you better understand the things they do?
Content areas covered in Closure (from standards): Social Studies

Embed Assessments in Closure activities

Closure: Read chapter 7. Small group Differentiation Strategies for the

discussion using language frames: what process/product/assessment
happened to the Inca and the Aztecs? Why
did the Spanish do what they did? How can Visual/auditory
we explain it? Was it right or wrong by our Language frames
modern standards? What about the Group and independent work
standards at the time? CPT #1 Timeline
completed. Complete graphic organizer.
Whole group discussion about changing
morals/ideas.

Exit ticket

UNIT REFLECTION
This unit went well. Some of the tasks were very challenging for the students, but over all I
think they met objectives and enjoyed the projects. The students were able to describe the
timeframe of the Inca, Aztec, and Maya well on their timelines and were able to report on how
cultural differences effected how these peoples lived their lives.
Unexpected events that occurred mostly centered around not having enough time to do all
that I wanted to do. I had to par down some of the projects and in retrospect I think I would
have rather taught this unit over an even longer period of time. Most of the students were
engaged and did well, one that stands out particularly is Nevaeh, who is very artistically
inclined. I noticed that a lot of my activities have an artistic bent and while most students
enjoy this, there are some (notably Zach who is generally a high performing student) who
don’t seem to thrive with this kind of work. In the future teaching this unit I will provide more
alternative tasks that are less focused on art.
APPENDIX A: Rubric

Level of ProficiencyLevel One: I Level Two: Level Three: Professional Level: I totally
gave it a I’m I’ve got this understand this and I feel
Category/Descriptor shot, but I beginning to down and I that I could teach these
really didn’t understand feel confident concepts to my friends.
get it. it, but I’m in my abilities.
still not quite
sure.
Writing My writing My writing is My writing is My writing is organized,
isn’t very organized organized, clear, and concise. I go
organized, and clear, clear, and into extensive detail
clear, or but I don’t concise. I go about the different
detailed. go into very into detail aspects of my story
much detail. about the
different
aspects of my
story.
Facts I did not I included I included I included some relevant
include some some facts. They are explained
relevant relevant relevant and are organized and my
facts. facts. My facts. They story includes elements of
facts are not are explained my own
explained and are experience/understanding
and are organized. that make it interesting
disorganized. and believable.
Conclusions My My My My conclusions are based
conclusions conclusions conclusions on information I gained
are not are based on are based on during this unit, and I am
based on information I information I able to make some
information gained gained during original connections with
I gained during this this unit, and other material.
during this unit. I am able to
unit. make some
connections
with other
material.
APPENDIX B: Exit Tickets

Chapter 1 Questions

1. Where did the Maya live?

2. What did two American archeologists hear about in 1839?
3. What is a hieroglyph?

Chapter 2 Questions

1. What is a solar calendar based on?

2. Why did the Maya believe that life was like “breath on a mirror”?
3. How did the Maya civilization end?

Chapter 3 Questions

1. When was Tenochtitlan established?

2. Why did the Aztec make human sacrifices?
3. Besides the emperor, who were the most important people in the Aztec culture?

Chapter 4 Questions

1. What is a causeway?
2. Why did Aztec boys go to school? What did they learn there?
3. Who was the Aztec emperor in the early 1500s? What was life like under his rule?

Chapter 5 Questions

1. Who is the Sapa Inca?

2. What is geographical diversity?
3. How were the Inca people organized?

Chapter 6 Questions

1. Why are the roads and bridges built by the Inca impressive?
2. What was the world’s longest road until the 1800s?
3. How did the Inca farm in the Andes Mountians?

Chapter 7 Questions

1. Who was Hernan Cortez?

2. How did the Aztec civilization end?
3. How did the Inca civilization end?
Appendix C: Knot Tying Chart

Long knots were used to indicate a number with each time the sting was double back: a long
knot with four turns indicates four (ones, tens or hundreds, depending on where the knot was
placed. A figure eight knot indicates five.

The top of the khipu is the hundreds place, the middle is the tens place, and the bottom is the
ones place.

Khipus were tied with specific string to indicate what was boing counted. In our project we will
use yellow sting to indicate grain, tan string to indicate llamas, brown string to indicate guinea
pigs, and grey/whit sting to indicate wool.

To begin tying you khipu, figure out what numbers are in the hundred’s, ten’s, and one’s places
on your groups assigned number. Then, start with tying a number in the hundred’s place (at the
top), then tie a number into the ten’s place, then finish by tying a number into your one’s place.
Make sure everyone in your group has the same “number” in each place on their string!

Once the teacher checks your sting, rotate into groups based on your assigned number (1, 2, 3,
4). Read your new group member’s numbers and tie your stings onto a single string to make a
“document” that describes several goods.
Appendix D: Bridge

Building a bridge: by interlocking pencils, you can build a bridge that will support as much weight
as an individual pencil x10!

Above: bridge is shown from the side

Below: bridge is shown from above.
Appendix E: Graphic Organizer

Maya Aztec Inca

Dates of
existence
Religion

Government
Structure

Innovations/
Discoveries

Cultural
Practices
Appendix F: Codex Handout
Appendix G: Booklet Coversheets (for reference)