Grades 2-7. Exploring Mesoamerica Learning Lapbook with Study Guide SAMPLE PAGE. A Journey Through Learning

Authors-Paula Winget and Nancy Fileccia Copyright 2012 A Journey Through Learning Pages may be copied for other members of household only. For group use, please see our website to purchase a classroom/co-op license. Please check our website at: www.ajourneythroughlearning.com While you are there, sign up for our email newsletter and receive a FREE lapbook! You ll also receive great discount codes, special offers, find out what s new and what s to come! Join us on Facebook! Clipart is from www.clipart.com Copyright 2011 A Journey Through Learning 2

Things to Know Hamburger Fold-Fold horizontally Hotdog Fold-Fold vertically Dotted Lines-These are the cutting lines. Accordion Fold-This fold is like making a paper fan. Fold on the first line so that title is on top. Turn over and fold on next line so that title is on top again. Turn over again and fold again on the next line so that title is on top. Continue until all folds are done. Cover Labels-Most of the booklets that are folded look nicer with a label on top instead of just a blank space. They will be referred to as cover label. How Long Does it Take to Complete the Lapbook? Doing a study guide page and mini-booklet a day, a 3-folder lapbook takes about one month to complete. However, you can expand the study portion and make it last as long as you like! That s the beauty of homeschooling! Do it YOUR way! Lapbook Assembly Choices (see photos on how to fold and glue your folders together) We recommend using Zip Dry Glue or Elmer's Extreme. Choice #1 -Do not glue your folders together until you have completely finished all three folders. It is easier to work with one folder instead of two or three glued together. Choice #2 -Glue all of your folders together before beginning. Some children like to see the entire project as they work on it. It helps with keeping up with which folder you are supposed to be working in. The choices are completely up to you and your child! How do I know where to place each template in the folder? Folder 1 This placement key tells you the template goes in the first folder at the top of the left flap. Copyright 2011 A Journey Through Learning 3

Folding a Lapbook Base Original fold line Gather the number of folders required for the project. Fold them flat as seen here. For each folder, fold the left and right sides inward toward the original line to create two flaps. Crease so that the highest part of each flap is touching the original line. It is important not to let the two flaps overlap. You may want to take a ruler and run it down each crease to make it sharper. Glue your folders together by putting glue (or you may staple) on the inside of the flaps. Then press the newly glued flaps together with your hands until they get a good strong hold to each other. Follow this step to add as many folders as you need for your project. Most of our lapbooks have either 2 or 3 folders. G L U E Highest part of flap. G L U E G L U E G L U E Photo of a completed lapbook base Copyright 2011 A Journey Through Learning 4

Folder 1 The Olmec Map Maya Grew Maize Stephen and Catherwood Maya Afterlife Maya Society The Aztecs Folder 2 Maya gods Aztec Clothing Maya Clothing Tenochtitlan Maya Clever People Aztec Food Aztec Temples Aztec Calendar Copyright 2011 A Journey Through Learning 5

Mesoamerica The part of the American continent between the land of central Mexico down to parts of Honduras is known as Mesoamerica. Meso is a word that means middle. The land of Mesoamerica is in the middle of the American continent. In this land, a series of civilizations flourished in ancient times. Around 1500 BC the people who populated this area started to abandon the wandering life and began to settle down in permanent settlements or villages. These people discovered how to farm. Their main crops consisted of corn, chili peppers, squash, beans and cotton. They learned to weave cloth and make pottery. Their villages were small and seemed to have kept to themselves without much contact between villages. Around the year 1200 BC a big change seem to have taken place. Around this time, pyramid-like structures were built and villages became more like towns with buildings and a large concentration of people. This seems to indicate the presence of a more complex society. This civilization, which lived and ruled in this period, is known as the Olmec. After the Olmec civilization crumbled, the Mayans arose. The Mayans had much in common with the Olmecs but were more advanced in their intellectual endeavors. They developed a writing system, a complex calendar, and were very good at mathematics. At the time the Spanish conquistadors arrived, the ruling people were the Aztecs. The Aztecs managed to build an impressive empire. Copyright 2011 A Journey Through Learning 7

Folder 1 Read Mesoamerica. Cut out the booklet. Glue into lapbook. Directions: Throughout the lapbook, you will be instructed to shade in the location of different tribes of people. Olmec: Maya: Aztec: Key green purple orange Mexico Pacific Ocean Gulf of Mexico Guatemala Honduras Copyright 2011 A Journey Through Learning 8

The Olmec The Olmec people were the first to create a civilization in Mesoamerica. Not much is known about them. Many scientists think the Olmec came from Asia a long, long time ago. Their ancestors were hunters and gatherers who, around the year 1500 BC, settled down in the area that is now Mexico and parts of Central America. Archeologists have excavated several sites of Olmec settlements. The main sites are La Venta and San Lorenzo. Here they have come across large earthen pyramids, enormous platforms, and colossal heads carved out of stone. These huge heads are impressive! Nobody knows for sure what these huge heads represented. It is believed that they are images of the Olmec s powerful rulers. The Olmec seem to have created an elaborate system of trade. Evidence seems to indicate that the Olmec traded with other people from regions as far as what is nowadays Costa Rica. They imported or brought in basalt (a volcanic rock), obsidian (another rock), and iron ore (a mineral). They traded in jade (a stone in a beautiful shade of green). They carved jade into religious objects, masks, rings, and necklaces. The Olmec have been called the Mother Culture of Mesoamerica because, it is believed, they had a great influence to the rest of the important civilizations that follow. The Mayans and the Aztecs, as well of other cultures of the area, owe a lot to the Olmec people On the map in folder 1, shade in the area that was home to the Olmec in green. Copyright 2011 A Journey Through Learning 9

Folder 1 Read The Olmec. Cut out each piece. Fasten together at the top with a brad (or staple). Glue into lapbook. Directions: Inside of the booklet, write or draw what you have learned. The Olmec Copyright 2011 A Journey Through Learning 10

The Maya After the Olmec faded away, another group of people, the Maya, came to occupy their territory. The Maya are a mysterious people. Nobody knows where the Maya came from. One thing is known about them: they were very clever! The Maya lived mainly in the Yucatan peninsula, in what is today the southern part of Mexico and Belize. They also inhabited the rainforest and highlands of what is now Guatemala and part of Honduras. For many centuries, the Mayan civilization was lost. In 1839, John Lloyd Stephen and Frederick Catherwood, two American explorers, braved the thick jungle looking for what they knew was lost in it. Buried under layers upon layers of luscious jungle vegetation, they found the remnants of the great Mayan civilization: carved stone pillars (stelae), temples, stairways, terraces, all ready to tell a story. After the discovery of the first ruins, Stephens and Catherwood heard that approximately sixty ruins were located in the area. As it turned out, these brave explorers only began to solve the mystery of the Maya. Following their lead, many other scientists began to study and unlock the mysteries of this Ancient civilization. On the map in folder 1, shade in the area that was home to the Maya in purple. Copyright 2011 A Journey Through Learning 11

Folder 1 Read The Maya. Fold your paper in half. Cut around the shape. DO NOT CUT ON FOLD. Glue into lapbook. Directions: Inside of the booklet, write what you have learned. John Lloyd Stephen and Frederick Catherwood Copyright 2011 A Journey Through Learning 12

The Maya Society Was Divided Into Classes In a society, people are usually divided into classes according to the job they perform, the power they have, and the amount of wealth they possess. If you think of the Maya society as a pyramid, at the bottom or base of the pyramid, you will find the most numerous group: the farmers and slaves. These groups were made up of most of the population but they had the least amount of power and wealth. Farmers were very important because it was their job to provide food. Farmers, as we have seen, worked hard. They were very successful at what they did. Nonetheless, they had no rights and no power. The slaves were people who had either committed a crime or had been captured during a war. They did a lot of the hard work. Both these groups made up the bulk of the Mayan army. The middle of the pyramid was formed by the middle class. The middle class was formed by craftsmen and merchants. These people were better off than the slaves and farmers and were to be respected by them. The Mayan society had a thriving middle class. It was probably this middle class that crafted the beautiful pottery and planned the magnificent buildings and temples. It was also likely the middle class who served as scribes. At the top of the pyramid, were the ruler and his family, other nobles, and the priests. This group was the smallest and most powerful. The Maya thought the ruling class had been selected by the gods to govern them Copyright 2011 A Journey Through Learning 13

Folder 1 Read The Maya Society Was Divided Into Classes. Cut out booklet as one piece. Fold the back section up and then glue down the flaps to form a pocket. Glue into lapbook. Directions: Cut out the cards on the next page. On each card, draw or glue a picture of what you have learned. Flap Hamburger Fold Maya Society Flap Copyright 2011 A Journey Through Learning 14