A Closer Look
Using the image of the cross-section of a chinampa, students can get a closer look at what a “floating garden” truly looks like. By projecting this image on a large scale younger students will be able to grasp the main concepts of farming in ancient civilization. Next, students are given a handout which the class will read
together. This handout includes an excerpt from the DK Eyewitness Book on Aztec, Inca, and Maya (page 12) that describes how these civilizations went about
growing crops. Afterwards, students will be asked the following questions:
Did the gardens actually float?
Why did the gardens have to be in the water?
Do people still use chinampas today?
Was this type of garden successful?
Essential Questions:
What do you think are the most important/biggest differences between Ancient Civilizations and the way we live today?
Why do you think the people of the Ancient Civilizations had to live the way they did?
Common Core:
-Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media (SL.1.2)
-Distinguish between information provided by pictures or other illustrations and information provided by the words in a text (RI.1.6)
Vocab Level:
This activity includes some tier three words. As a result of words such as chinampas and maiz, students have to ask how to say, spell, and define them. These are words that are very specific to the unit and students would most likely never encounter these words until this lesson.
together. This handout includes an excerpt from the DK Eyewitness Book on Aztec, Inca, and Maya (page 12) that describes how these civilizations went about
growing crops. Afterwards, students will be asked the following questions:
Did the gardens actually float?
Why did the gardens have to be in the water?
Do people still use chinampas today?
Was this type of garden successful?
Essential Questions:
What do you think are the most important/biggest differences between Ancient Civilizations and the way we live today?
Why do you think the people of the Ancient Civilizations had to live the way they did?
Common Core:
-Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media (SL.1.2)
-Distinguish between information provided by pictures or other illustrations and information provided by the words in a text (RI.1.6)
Vocab Level:
This activity includes some tier three words. As a result of words such as chinampas and maiz, students have to ask how to say, spell, and define them. These are words that are very specific to the unit and students would most likely never encounter these words until this lesson.