Materials

• Teacher-prepared handout based on “Western Civilization Map Practice” (Attachment A)
• Atlas or text

Instructional Activities

1. Introduce the lesson by stating that many great civilizations developed in the Eastern Hemisphere, but contrary to previous thought, research has shown that great civilizations flourished in the Western Hemisphere as well. This next unit focuses on three of them: the Mayas, Aztecs, and Incas.
   
   
2. Divide students into pairs to complete the map activity.
   
   
3. Monitor student progress and provide help as needed.
   
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4. Assign one of the following activities for students to complete:
   • Instruct students to complete research on the civilization of their choice, then produce an artifact from that civilization and a one-page paper that highlights the achievements and explains the artifact.
   • Instruct students to use the word Indian to create a mnemonic device that emphasizes major topics of the Indian Empires, like N is for North America where the Aztecs and Mayans lived.
   • Instruct students to create a crossword puzzle using key concepts, people, and events from the organizing topic.
   
   NOTE: Some of these activities may require two sessions for completion.