Grade 7 Lesson at a Glance: Chapter 16, Lesson 1

Houghton Mifflin Social Studies
Across the Centuries

Lesson at a Glance
Chapter 16, Lesson 1: The Aztec (pp. 422-428)

The Big Idea
Framework Concept: Culture The Aztec developed from a nomadic group into a great military power that controlled a vast empire.

Ask students what, if anything, they know about the Aztec. List their responses on the board. Then have them preview the lesson by reading the headings and looking at the visuals and reading the captions. What have they learned from their preview that adds to their knowledge of the Aztec? Responses should include information about location, farming, dress, food, daily life, religion, and conflict.

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 belong to a group conquered by the Aztec. Have them write a poem that expresses both the positive and negative aspects of life under Aztec rule. Poems should mention the freedoms that conquered people were allowed, as well as the tribute system and the sacrifice of captured warriors.
Have students work in groups to make a short codex that tells a story about a specific Aztec event, perhaps involving a trade caravan, a people conquered by the Aztec, or the Aztec arrival in the Valley of Mexico.

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