Mesoamerican Mosaic Projects

 

For our project assessment of Mesoamerican civilizations, I have the students utilize contact vocabulary and research to create a world mosaic. 

Our history curriculum has us cover the 3 major Mesoamerican empires - the Maya, the Aztec, and the Inca. If you do more, just add them as a research option for your kids. 

After our whole class study, I tell the kids to now focus on that either interested them or they would like to learn more about - this will be their project civilization. 

Using textbooks, resource and library books, and the internet, their purpose for research is to find content vocabulary words and phrases that are important to understanding their civilization. Students should be taking record of a minimus of 50 words/phrases, either by hand or on a document so they can refer back to it. 

Before, during, or after, the word research, students are also needing to create a hardcopy poster (I often use large construction paper instead of full poster paper, but that is up to you). On this, I require them to draw, print digitally, or a hybrid of both, 5 images that connect with the civilization (I require one of these to be in the center and the other 4 to be along the edges). 

While I allow for the words and the pictures to be printed, I do not accept an entire digital poster for this as I would like students to utilize paper/scissor organization on a hardcopy. We do so much with digital resources that I find some kids have lost the skill of being able to make a hands-on project.

If you are interested in this project, it is available HERE on my TPT! 

I am always blown away by my student's projects and they always share that they really enjoyed learning more about their civilization this way. 

Causes of the Civil War

Another Vocabulary review activity that is SUPER simple but requires student thought, opinion, analyzing, and reflection. 

Much of what we have been studying has been building to the Civil War. Wars never start because of one, isolated incident or issue, they are a result of building bitterness and resentment. 
Today, we reviewed the different events we have been studying: 
Missouri Compromise of 1820
Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1850 ("Bleeding Kansas")
Lincoln-Douglas Debates (1859)
John Brown's Raid / Nat Turner's Slave rebellion
Harriet Beecher Stowe's narrative "Uncle Tom's Cabin"
Fugitive Slave Laws
Dred Scott Supreme Court Discussion
Lincoln's inaguration in 1860 
The kids worked together in groups to order these events in order from "most significant" and "least significant" in causing the Civil War. It was interesting to see their different opinions on what they felt would have been the straw that broke the camels back. That is the really cool thing about history, it is all about interpretation, we all view issues differently. 
If you are interested in these review cards, they are available, with the reflection sheet, HERE at my TPT store. 
After working as a group, students had the opportunity to reflect on which event they felt, personally, had the greatest impact and why. 

We then watched a 30 minute clip from THE Civil War documentary - Ken Burns "The Civil War" concerning the causes of the Civil War. Students answered some video reflection questions, then analyzed the information presented by sharing strengths and weaknesses that they saw in the film. 

Vocabulary Continuums

This is a very simple lesson, but I really liked how well it seems to help my students understand the different foreign polices AND practice our vocabulary - two very "unfun" birds. One stone. 

We had studied early foreign policy along with the War of 1812 prior to this activity. Today, we took our vocabulary notes, I had them take out whiteboards and make a continuum. 
One side had "No Involvement" while the other end of the spectrum had "Total Involvement". The kids then, independently, placed our vocabulary words on the spectrum where they believed it should go. 
Monroe Doctrine
Embargos 
War of 1812 (Declaration of War)
Peace Treaties 
Isolationism 
Neutrality 
They then got up and found other people from different groups to share their words.
I love this simple, authentic activities that help reinforce skills and vocabulary while allowing students to really take charge of their learning and THINK for themselves. 

 We also did a quick review over the War of 1812 by going around the room and reading a powerpoint lesson. Instead of presenting the lesson and having the kids take notes, I simply printed it out and placed the information around the room. Student then walked around and read each slide, filling out an I SEE, I WONDER, I LEARNED sheet. Another SUPER simple way of giving students more autonomy with their learning and thinking. 

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MY LIFE MOMENT: During the fall, my husband and I participate in our University's Intramural flag football program. We are going on 11 years, since our Freshman year. I just have to give huge shoutout this man of mine - his team, Old and Slow, won the Championship game! 

#Stillgotit