Grade 7 Lesson at a Glance: Chapter 15, Lesson 3

Houghton Mifflin Social Studies
Across the Centuries

Lesson at a Glance
Chapter 15, Lesson 3: The Maya (pp. 404-409)

The Big Idea
Framework Concept: Continuity The Maya, who began farming the fertile Yucatan Peninsula around 1800 B.C., developed a complex civilization that reached its height between A.D. 250 and 900. Today Mayan people live in parts of Mexico and Central America.

Ask students to preview the lesson by looking at the timeline, map, photographs, and drawings. What can they infer about Mayan civilization in terms of location, resources, architecture, agriculture, and arts based on these visuals?

Lesson Outline
Use the Lesson Outline to preview the content of the lesson. You may wish to print it for your students as a guide during reading.

Check for Understanding

Ask students to imagine that they are visiting the Yucatan peninsula during the height of Mayan civilization. Have them write a series of journal entries in which they describe aspects of Mayan culture such as city life, farming methods, religion, and arts.
Ask students to create a detailed drawing of a typical scene in Mayan life at the height of Mayan civilization. Have students include important Mayan features such as terraced hills, pyramids, and hieroglyphs.

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