Lesson Plan - Play Ball!

Watch a Video

Explain that the Maya knew so much about astronomy that they created an accurate calendar. They built a pyramid at Chichén Itzá where the sun’s rays caused an image of a snake to appear on the first days of fall and spring. Watch the video “Chichén Itzá Serpent” to see it happen.

Preview Words to Know

Project the online vocabulary slideshow and introduce the Words to Know.

• civilization

Set a Purpose for Reading

As students read, have them think about why this discovery was exciting to history experts.

1. What do you think would be another good title for this article? Why?
Sample response: Another good title for the article might be “An Important Discovery” because the discovery of the stone is teaching experts more about the ancient Maya civilization.
^{(RI.3.2 Main Idea)}

2. The word civilization means “a highly developed and organized society.” What is one detail from the article that tells you the Maya were organized?
The article explains that the Maya “built cities, roads, and farms.” The Maya would have had to be organized to do those things.
^{(RI.3.1 Text Evidences)}

3. What are two facts you can learn from the map?
Sample response: The map shows that the Maya had a big empire that covered what is now Guatemala, Belize, and parts of Mexico, Honduras, and El Salvador. It also shows that the city of Chichén Itzá was in the northern part of the empire.
^{(RI.3.7 Using Visuals)}

FEATURED SKILL: READING A VENN DIAGRAM

Use the skill builder “Get in the Game” to review how Venn diagrams work and to have students compare pok-ta-pok with soccer.

^{(RI.3.5 Text Features)}