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**Viva Mexico Fiesta ** media type="youtube" key="5f4em8dOOZ4?version=3" height="315" width="420" align="center"

[|www.mexicotodayblog.com]

Mexico Today is your daily dose of news and analysis on current affairs in Mexico. Moderated by Ana Maria Salazar, host of "Imagen News", the only nation-wide radio news program in English broadcasted from Mexico. Need to know what is going on in Mexico? Mexico Today is the place to go.

=Encyclopedia Britannica: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/379415/Mexico-City=

//Involves students either doing very quick research on Mexico or brainstorming what they already know to share with the class. // //For assessment students can be held accountable for a record of their research or brainstorm, as well as for sharing their information with the class either informally or as a presentation. // //**II.A. From Aztlan to Tenochtitlan **// //Involves reading Aztec myths about the founding of their capital city. // //For assessment students either create their own illustrated version of the story or write a diary as if they were one of the characters in the stories. // //**II.B. Trip to Tenochtitlan **// //Involves teacher guiding students through four transparencies of Tenochtitlan as if they were traveling there. // //For assessment students can take notes, write post cards as though they were there, and take a quiz. // //**NOTE: UNITS III ­ VI WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE OVER THE NEXT WEEK! **// **Lessons ** # // **Introductory Activity ** // //**Lesson I.A. Mexico Jigsaw **// //(Note: This activity lends itself very well to not only doing Internet-based research, but to having students share their thoughts about the [|Guidebook] section of The Mexico Trek.) // //Research / Brainstorm activity // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Assessment: Students can either create individual work, share ideas, or present to the class. // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">A wonderful activity as an introduction is for each student to do a search on the Web about Mexico and have each report to the class on something they learned. This is easily adaptable to the age of the students as young kids can tell about something neat they saw whereas older students can actually do some writing in a brief report, perhaps including images. (If you want to give your students a shortcut, there are numerous Mexico-related sites on the [|Links] page of the Guidebook section.) // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The trick is what resources do you have available. The most popular and easiest resource is the Internet. If your time on the Internet is limited, it will take some work on your part to either assemble some materials for the classroom or within your library. // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Alternative: simply do a brainstorm where students share on the board a list of everything they know (or think they know) about Mexico. This is nice because it allows you to come back to their list after you finish your studies of Mexico and have them see what was right and wrong and how much more they know now. // //**<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Lesson II.A. From Aztlan to Tenochtitlan **// //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">(Note: This ties in very well with the Odyssey team's first week in Mexico when they will be posting images of murals about Aztlan and Aztec mythology.) // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Readings: [|The Heart of Copil, and The Eagle of Tenochtitlan] (about the founding of the Aztec capital) // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Assessment: Students either create their own illustrated version of the story or write a diary as if they were one of the characters in the story. // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">1) Preview the story for the students by explaining that the Aztecs originally lived in a land they called Aztlan. It was located in what is today northwestern Mexico/southwestern US. This story is about the adventures they had in their travels and how they discovered where they would found their city. (There is information about Atzlan on the [|History] section of the Guidebook section. // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">2) Have students either read the stories themselves (if age-appropriate) or tell them the story yourself. // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">3) Review the story using questions you feel are age appropriate. // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">4) Assessment: // //**<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Lesson II.B. "Trip to Tenochtitlan" **// //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">(Note: This ties in very well with the Team's first week in Mexico when they will be visiting what remains of the lakes that surrounded Tenochtitlan and the ruins of the pyramids. // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Interactive Lecture using transparencies // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Assessment: Students take notes, write post cards as if they were there and writing home, and take a short quiz. // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">1) Preview this activity for the students with the concept that they are going to travel to the city of Tenochtitan to see the fabulous Aztec capital. They will have to travel through time as well as space. The Aztec capital was one of the five largest cities in the entire world and was incredibly beautiful and well-organized. During today's trip they will visit two key places ­ the market and the main temples. // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">2) For each transparency, start by having your students just describe what they see, then let them start making sense of it and guessing why it is that way or who the people are, etc. Mix in the questions and info you have here to guide you. You may want the students to take notes after each one. // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">- Where is US?- Where is Latin America? // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">- Where is Mexico?- Where were the first people on earth from? // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">- How did they arrive in the Americas? // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">- What countries existed in the Americas when the first people arrived? (none) // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">- What religion did the people of the Americas have? (many) // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">- What languages did they speak? (not Spanish!) // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">- What's the largest city in the world? (Tokyo has more people, but Mexico City is still the largest.) // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">-Does anyone know what the old name was? // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">- What do you see?- Where are we with respect to contemporary countries? // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">- Note that the city was built on an island - does anyone know why Tenochtitlan was built here? (They do if you did lesson 1) // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">- The Aztecs first really took power in 1325 // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">- Columbus arrived in 1492 // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">- The Spaniards under Cortes arrived in 1519 when the Aztecs were at the height of their power. // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">- If you're having your students take notes, perhaps they should include a copy of the big map for future reference. // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">c. We're just about to land ­ show Transparency 2: [|TENOCHTITLÁN DRAWING] (Note: This page takes a while to load, so see note above, with Transparency 1) // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">- What do you see? // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">- Note - there are two key spots we'll be visiting- one is visible here (the pyramids in center), and the other is not (the market) // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">- What most amazed visitors to the city (the Spaniards upon their first arrival wrote of this) was the huge size of the Aztec capital: Studies indicate that the population was anywhere from 200,000 to 500,000, with 300,000 perhaps the most likely. It was the fifth largest city in the world at that time. // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">When they finish, have a few share them for fun // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">- What do you see here?- to European eyes they had "every kind of fruit imaginable" // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">- The figure in the center is most likely NOT the emperor (even though that may have been the intention of the drawer, Diego Rivera). The emperor rarely left the palace and when he did he was accompanied by many people and people bowed before him. // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">It is most likely a judge because there were always numerous judges and soldiers on hand to settle disputes immediately. // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">- Diego Rivera was the painter. // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">- When trading, they would haggle on prices ­ there weren't any set prices. // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">- Students will perhaps note the blood ­ this is a preview of what we will see next // //**<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Lesson II.C. Quetzalcoatl: His flight from and return to the Aztecs **// //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">(Note: This ties in well with the team's visits to Tula, Mt. Tlaxcala, Malinalco, Chapultepec, El Parto, and Juncos y Canas.) // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Readings: [|The Evil of Tezcatlipoca] and The Return of Quetzalcoatl (also to be posted later Thursday) (about one of the most important Aztec gods and confusion about his return when the Spaniards came) // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Assessment: Students write an "editorial" debating points from the stories // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The objective here is both to provide students with knowledge of important Aztec myths as well as to provide an understanding for the next unit of study ­ The Conquest ­ by having students explore the arrival of the Spaniards from the Aztec perspective. // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">1) Have the students read The Evil of Tezcatlipoca and The Return of Quetzalcoatl or read the stories to them. // //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">2) Have the students pretend they are writing an editorial for a newspaper (or simply lead a class discussion) on whether they believe it is or is not Quetzalcoatl who has arrived and what the Aztecs should do. (Should they run away? Send him gifts? Try to kill him? Etc.) They can only use information from the stories to support their opinion. // //**<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">NOTE: UNITS III - VI WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE OVER THE NEXT WEEK! **// ||  || //Source: []//
 * **<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 24px;">Outline of Lessons: ** # // **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Introductory Activity ** //
 * 1) // **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The Aztecs ** //
 * 1) // **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The Conquest ** //
 * 2) // **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Traditional Mexican Culture ** //
 * 3) // **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Mexico and the US ** //
 * 4) // **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Contemporary Mexican Challenges ** //
 * 1) // **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The Aztecs ** //
 * //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">For younger students have them create an illustration for the story based on what they thought was the most important part and write a brief explanation. //
 * //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">For older students consider having them select one of the people or gods they learned about and write a one page diary as if they were that person or god. //
 * 1) //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Pretend we're sitting in the airport looking at a map before the trip - Use any WORLD MAP you have available, and guide the students through a selection of the following questions: //
 * 1) //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Pretend we're in the rocket hovering over the earth ­ show Transparency 1: [|AZTEC EMPIRE MAP] (Note: This page takes a little while to load, so make yourself comfortable, get a cup of coffee, leaf through that copy of Time you've been meaning to read, and before you know it, the page will be up.) //
 * 1) //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">POSTCARD ONE: Have the students pretend they are sitting on this hill with their new friends (from the picture) and they are to write a post card to one of their friends or family members not on the trip with them. They should describe where they are and tell what they have learned. Perhaps you want to have them include a minimum number of facts. //
 * 1) //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">We're now walking into the city and going to visit our first destination ­ show Transparency 3: [|THE MARKET] (Note: Same as above: this page takes a while to load. Kick back and start dreaming about how you're going to spend your next vacation.) //
 * 1) //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">POSTCARD TWO //
 * 2) //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">We're now going to walk over to the next site ­ Transparency 4: [|TEMPLO MAYOR], CENTRO RITUAL (Note: You know the drill; this is going to take two shakes of a lambs tail. Long shakes. //
 * //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">What do you see? Can you guess the purpose of the buildings? (Note the blood) //
 * //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">It is important to explain that the Aztecs believed that there had been a series of four suns before the current one and that each time a sun had died, all the people had died too. They believed that the gods had made many sacrifices for them and they in turn had to sacrifice blood to the fifth (the current) sun. This was thus a way of showing respect. It was also believed to be necessary to offer blood to feed the sun, otherwise it would die and all life would end. Any discussion of the sacrifices must at least be understood within this context. //
 * //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">the four images painted above the entrance represent each of the frst four suns, which were, in order, the jaguar sun, the sun of wind, the sun of rain, and the sun of water //
 * //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">our sun is the sun of movement or earthquakes. The image representing this and the other suns can be seen on the famous Aztec "calendar" //
 * //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">the eagle, nopal, and snake represent the myths from lesson one //
 * //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">the snakes represent the god Quetzalcoatl (the feathered serpent). He was the god of many things including the wind and learning //
 * //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">the central pyramids are for Tlaloc (rain) and Huitzilopochtli (war). Huitzilopochtli was the god from lesson one. They both come from the pre-Aztec culture of Teotihuacan which the Odyssey Team will visit. //
 * //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The ruins of these pyramids (also to be visitied by our team) were discovered in the 60's by accident by someone working on the tunnels for the subway. They had been mostly destroyed by the Spaniards when they took the stones to build their own churches and buildings //
 * 1) //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">POSTCARD THREE //

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