A curated list of resources to aid teachers when planning Mayan History lesson plans; excellent supplemental information to the first Girls of the World book, Itzel.
1. National Geographic - Know for their breathtaking photographs and detailed, thoroughly-researched information, this site has numerous articles on Mayan history. Whether you're looking for background information for yourself or for kid-friendly facts, National Geographic is a top notch resource. A few things, you'll find here: articles, quizzes, blog posts, and interactive maps.
2. The Caracol Archeological Project - Ongoing research from the largest Mayan archeology site in Belize. Treat you students to an in-depth look a specific archeological site; while some of the content may be too advanced for your students, the glossary and timeline can definitely be used in your lessons. The Kids Section focuses more on archeology in general, but it does present being at an archeological dig from a young individual's perspective. The Kids Section also includes an interactive game that demonstrates how Mayans did math.
3. Wikipedia - Great for general information about the Mayan civilization. You can't beat Wikipedia to give you a condensed, hyperlinked, informative entry on just what you're looking for!
4. Brooklyn Children's Museum's - This website dedicated to Latin America, is admittedly not the best designed website (you may need to try a few different browers), the information it provides is excellent and tailored directly to your students. It was created by a partnership of the Brooklyn Children's Museum, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, and the Brooklyn Public Library.
5. Penn Museum - The University of Pennsylvania's Museum of Archeology and Anthropology includes massive amounts of in-depth information. While most of it is at a level far above your students, the extensive coverage is excellent and can easily be distilled down to an accessible level. A great example is their article on chocolate. The website for their "Painted Metaphors" exhibit could quality as a resource in itself - the video gallery includes a short clip on languages of the Maya.
6. Peabody Museum - The Peabody Museum of Archeology and Ethnology at Harvard University offers a free Teacher's Guide that includes three fully-developed activities relating to the Maya.
7. NOVA's Maya-Related Sites - Companion websites to NOVA's television episodes Lost King of the Maya and Cracking the Maya Code offer great information. Consider presenting part of the shows to supplement your lessons.
No comments:
Post a Comment