Date: Name:

LA LLORONA Readthe story. Thenanswer the following questions.

l. What was the dashingyoung man that Maria sawride into town?

2. What doesthe Spanish-EnglishDictionary say a "Ranchero"is?

3. How did Maria feel when the Rancherotreated her bad?

4. When was a time that vou felt that way also?

5. In English, what do we call a personthat haskilled anotherperson, like Maria?

6. What happensin the United Statesif a personkills anotherperson?

7. What doesLa Llorona do that gives her this name?

8. What does'barning" mean?

9. Whatwould you do if you sawLa Llorona? Lo Llo*srro - A Hispnlc l"ryend

The Weeping Woman

(La Llorona)

by Joe Hayes

This is a story that the old oneshave beentelling to children for hundredsof years.

It is a sad tale, but it lives strong in the memories of the people, and there are many

who swearthat it is true.

Long years ago in a humble little village there lived a fine looking girl named

Maria Some say she was the most beautiful girl in the world! And becauseshe was

so beautiful, Maria thought she was better than everyoneelse.

As Maria grew older, her beauty increasedAnd her pride in her beaurygrew too

When she was a young woman, she would not even look at the young men from her village. They weren't good enough for her! "When I marry," Maria would say,

"I will marry the most handsomeman in the world."

And then one day, into Maria's village rode a man who seemedto be just the one shehad beentalking about. He was a dashingyoung ranchero,the son of a wealthy rancherfrom the southernplains. He could ride like a Comanche!In fact, if he owned a horse, and it grew tame, he would give it away and go rope a wild horse from the plains.He thoughtit wasn'tmanly to ride a horseif it wasn'thalf wild.

He was handsome!And he could play the guitar and sing beautifully. Maria made up her mind-that was, the man for her! Sheknew just the tricks to win his attention.

If the rancherospoke when they met on the pathway, she would turn her head away. When he cameto her housein the evening to play his guitar and serenade her, shewouldn't evencome to the window. Sherefused all his costly gifts. The young man fell for her tricks. "That haughtygirl, Maria, Maria! " he saidto himself. "I know I can win her heart.I swearI'll marry that girl."

And so everything turned out as Maria planned.Before long, she and the ranchero becameengaged and soon they were married. At first, things were fine. They had two children and they seemedto be a happy family together.But after a few years, the rancherowent back to the wild life of the prairies. He would leave town and be gone for months at a time. And when he returnedhome, it was only to visit his children. He seemedto care nothing for the beautiful Maria. He even talked of setting Maria aside and marrying a woman of his own wealthy class. As proud as Maria was, of courseshe became very angrywith the ranchero.She also beganto feel angertoward her children, becausehe paid attentionto them, but just ignoredher.

One evening, as Maria was strolling with her two children on the shadypathway

near the river, the rancherocame by in a carciage.An elegantlady sat on the seat

besidehim. He stoppedand spoketo his children,but he didn't evenlook at Maria.

He whipped the horseson up the street.

When she saw that, aterrible rage filled Maria, and it all turned againsther

children. And although it is sadto tell, the story saysthat in her angerMaria seized

her two children and threw them into the river! But as they disappeareddown the

stream,she realized what shehad done! She ran down the bank of the river,

reaching out her affns to them. But they were long gone'

The next morning, a traveler brought word to the villagers that a beautiful woman

lay dead on the bank of the river. That is where they found Maria, and they laid her

to rest where shehad fallen.

But the first night Maria was in the grave, the villagers heard the sound of crying

down by the river. It was not the wind, it was La Llorona crying. "Where are my

children?" And they saw a woman walking up and down the bank of the river, dressedin a long white robe, the way they had dressedMaria for burial. On many a dark night they saw her walk the river bank and cry for her children. And so they no longer spoke of her as Maria. They called her La Llorona, the weeping woman.

And by that name she is known to this day. Children are warned not to go out in the dark, for, La Llorona might snatch them and never return them. Date:

LA LLORONA-a ghoststory from Mexico Readthe story. Thenanswer the following questions.

1. What was the dashing young man that Maria saw ride into town? Ranchero This questionis "Text-Explicit." This questionis designedto be a questionto easethe studentinto the worksheetwithout beingoverwhelming. The answer is right in the text, and easilyfound.

2. What doesthe Spanish-EnglishDictionary say a "Ranchero" is? Rancher,similar to a farmer This question is'oText-Implicit." This question is not directly included by the author, but encouragesthe studentto read around the text to find the answer. This question requiresthe studentuses the resourceswithin the classroom. This question also allows the Spanish- speakingstudents to relate to a word from their own native language. The non-Spanish- speakersare then able to experiencea bit ofanother language.

3. How did Maria feel when the Rancherotreated her bad? Angry, or relatingsynonyms. This questionis "Text-Explicit." The answeris easilyfound in the text. This questionis used to preparethe studentfor the next question.

4. When was a time that you felt that way also? Answerswill varv.

This question is "Experience-based." The studentsare able to look at the story and seethe anger thatLa Llorona experienced. This question is designedto createa connectionbetween the studentand the story. They are able to expressthemselves and write down different things that make them angry.

5. In English, what do we call a personthat has killed anotherperson, like Maria? A murderer This question is Text-Implicit." Never doesthe author refer to La Llorona as a murderer. The studentis askedto look betweenthe lines to tap into their prior knowledge of what vocabulary word would be appropriateto answerthis question. Date:

6. What happensin the United Statesif a personkills anotherperson? Similar answersto "go to prisorVjail"are acceptable. This question is "Experienced-Based." This question requiresthe studentto tap into their prior knowledge of the Judicial Systemof the United States. If there are difficulties with this question, it's a great window to talk about a few basic things about America's Judicial Svstem.

7. What does La Llorona do that gives her this name? Shecries/weeps.

This question is o'Text-Explicit." It is right in the text what is implied by the name La Llorona, the weeping woman.

8. What does "waming" mean? Getting your attentionto tell you to be careful

This question is "Text-Implicit." This is designedto increasethe vocabulary of the student. The studentcan pick the meaning from the text. If the studentgets stumped,they can use the resnlrrceq in fhe claqqrnnm qrrch aq n dicfinnarv tn finrl the definitinn

9. What would you do if you saw La Llorona? Answerswill varv This question is "Experienced-based." This story is a ghost story that originated from Mexico. There are ghost stories in many countries. This is an opportunity for the studentto put themselvesin a place where they would be forced to react to The Weeping Woman that morrns for her children. Allow the studentto be creative. AnticipationGuide

FREEDOMS -First AmendmentRights -Freedomof religion,speech, press, peaceful assembly, andright to petitionthe government.

Statementsprior to Discussion- o I cango to churchand pray to God today. o I do not like war. o I signeda petitionto makeabortion illegal. o I readin thenewspaper that many people don,t like president Bush.

Class/SmallGroup Discussion Whatis freedom? what "freedoms"do you havein the united states? Are therefreedoms you havein the United Statesthat you or your family did not havein your nativecountry?

Post-discussion Teacherread-aloud from www.freedomforum.org,.,The l.t AmendmentExplained." FT) R I-nEEDOII

The First AmendmentExplained

('ongra,s,s,slrull mukc no luu' respet'lingun astuhlishmentof rcligiort. or proltihiting tha /i'ee e.rart'isetharao.f : or ultritlgirr,g thc fiet'thm of ,;1tct'c'lt.ot'of lhc pra,\'"\:rn'llrc right ol tha pcoltle (iot'ct'tttttcnl ltcucauhl1'ltt tt,s,s'amh/e,urtt{ lo paliliott thc fbr tr rc dr e s',sof gr i c vun c' a.;.

I''ir',tt.'1mcttclntanl to Ihc {.i,S.('onsliluliort

\\ h:rttlo lhc rronls ol'lltc Firsl ,\lrtcltdtrtclttltrcitn'l

Freedomof religion The First Amendmentprevents the governmentfrom establishingan official religion.Citizens have freedom to attenda church,synagogue, templeor mosqueof their choice- or not to attendat all. The First Amendmentallows us to practiceour religion the way we want to.

Freedomofspeech The First Amendmentkeeps the governmentfrom making laws that might stop us from sayingwhat we think. Peoplehave the right to criticize the governmentand to sharetheir opinionswith others.

X'reedomof the press A free pressmeans we can get information from many different sources.The govemmentcannot control what is printedin newspapers andbooks, broadcast on TV or radioor offeredonline. Citizens can requesttime on televisionto respondto viewswith which they disagree;they may write leffersto newspapereditors and hopethose letterswill be printedfor othersto see.They can pass out leafletsthat give their opinions.They can have their own Web pagesand offer their opinionsto othersthrough the many meansmade available by the Internet.

Freedomof assembly Citizenscan come together in public andprivate gatherings. They can join groupsfor political,religious, social or recreationalpurposes. By organizingto accomplisha commongoal, citizens can spread their ideasmore effectivelv.

Right to petition "To petition the governmentfor a redressof grievances"means that I r'-s.,irli citizenscan ask for changesin the government.They can do this by collecting signaturesand sendingthem to their electedrepresentatives; they can write, call or e-mail their electedrepresentatives; they can I l'i.;i )fi supportgroups that lobby the government.

A 6oto Top Anticipation Guide Rationale

For someELL students,the simple laws of the United Statescan be confusing and foreign. Some countrieshave laws that differ much from America's. However, for the ELL studentsthat come from a country where their freedomswere jeopardizedor threatened,the laws here are confusing. The point of this activity is not to attempt explaining all of the laws of the United States. That would be overwhelming. The simple rights from the First Amendment are a greatplaceto begin. If someof the studentscame from countrieswith lots of freedom and rights for their citizens, this would be an experiencewhere they can hear about the world outside of Lincoln and perhapsfrom the experiencesof their fellow students. For the studentsthat came from countries with limited freedom,they are given an opportunity to sharewith the classand the teacherhow their country presently or formerly relates. As residentsin this new country,I believeit is essentialthat these studentsknow their rights, so they are not taken advantageof. This activity is just the beginningof political awarenessfor ELL students. The activity utilizes the LanguageDomains of Writing and Reading within the Social StudiesContent-Area Standards. This activity would be appropriatefor ELL studentsin Level 3-5 proficiency in middle levelsto high school. KWL Chart Beforeyou beginyour research,list detailsin the firsttwo columns.Fill in the last column aftercompleting your research.

Topic

What I Know What I Want to Know What I Learned ' NameGrndU - o^t 6f efcl

KWL Ghart Beforeyou beginyour research,list detailsin the firsttwo columns.Fill in the last column aftercompleting your research.

fopic

What lWant to Know y7e\revC a+ 'I d" Ynua"nnq-., n -il"t T to^ in I S ul^&brof fe\igonT r di:qur8 {Mjdo'n % wq"rtl, 11,\!f,ouennn'\orN*? T a\[ou'eA]o ib i3 p*.cV.rs [w. t"* c,,+\^L/A X^"^d"r- uYl#ur-g v'A"t> % C*' T *nY 1b LVrarrgp+-l^e

Qoveny"t'r'yrs/,W?t\ Graphic Or gan\zerRationale

Using a KWL Chart, is a great way for ELL studentsto orgarize their thoughts. Sincethey are constantlybeing stimulatedwith information, they need away to categorizethe information that they are receiving. There are three categories: What I Know, What I Want to Know, and What I Learned. In this case,the information they are learning is about the First Amendment. Some studentsmay know about a few of their freedoms,but they may not know the basicswithin the First Amendment. The goal in teaching the First Amendment is not to read off the entire First Amendment. It should go in stepsover the courseof days. However, the sectionthat I have isolated can be accomplishedin one classperiod. The studentis able to sharewhat they already listed as knowing, question about what they want to know, and hopefully by the" post-reading stage,will be able to include all of the isolated material into "What I Know" or "What I Learned." The activity utilizes the LanguageDomains of Writing and Reading within the Social StudiesContent-Area Standards. This activity was createdfor ELL studentswith a Level of proficiency of 3-5 within middle to high schoollevel. Date: Name: OoncretePoem Make a your own CONCRETEPOEM! ,^t",t?lblft:l N,-"'Sh'onx&^mP.J.4 OoncretePoem Makea Yourown CONCRETEPOEM!

. a G- bq/i^ j{\td .'L3' to.), fi* i- q -5 N l 6 + c\ € o, ,d --x,C\ 6 ,rT X do &*'^ $ €.B -l I nf 4-L tn

.? (\ Y r c6 ConcretePoems

Materials: TeacherRead-Aloud from A Poke in the I: a collection of concrete poemsby Paul B. Janeczkoand Chris Raschka.

Description: Concretepoems are poemsthat place a higher importanceon the word and letter affangementas the poem itself. For example,if there is a poem about a popsicle, the words of the poem would form the shapeof a popsicle. After the TeacherRead-Aloud from A Poke in the I. the studentswill be ableto pick a topic or object of their choiceto createtheir own concrete poem about.

Objectives: Listening and comprehendingthe Read-Aloud in English by the teacher Following the directionsto createa concretepoem of their own Exercising the creativity of the students Creating a poem in English with their prior knowledge of the vocabulary that they have learnedalready

Rationale: I think that this activity is fun, educational,and interactive. The languagedomains that are most prominent in this activity are Listening and Writing. This activity could be appropriatefor Level 2 or 3 proficiency ELL studentsin middle elementarylevels to middle school. My only concern with using this activity with high school studentsis that it might seem childish. ELLs are not children, and should never be treated atthat level. That is just somethingto keep an eye on it the activity's presentationor adaptations. The student's level of proficiency and their strengthin writing will determinethe composition of their concretepoem. The studentsshould be able to accesstheir previous vocabulary lists to help with remembering the words and their spellings. Date Name Vocab Llst FonWeekWgto fl2M

1. Reign To possesspower 2. Task Somethingthat hasto get done 3. Invisible Cannotbe seenwith the eyes 4. Determine To be fixed on a certaindecision 5. Eager Doesnot want to wait/excited 6. Eldest The oldest 7. Grove A placewith fi:uit trees 8. Illuminate To makebrighter with light 9. Frighten To makeafraid 10. Underground Beneaththe surfaceof the earth Short Stories: The Twelve Dancing Princessesby Brothers Grimm PageI of3

BrotherqGrimm TheTwelve Dancing Princesses

Therewas a king who had twelve beautiful daughters.They slept in twelve bedsall in one room and whenthey went to bed,the doorswere shut and locked up. However,every morning their shoeswere found to be quite worn through as if they had beendanced in all night. Nobody could find out how it happened,or wherethe princesseshad been. So the king madeit known to all the land that if any personcould discoverthe secretand find out whereit was that the princessesdanced in the night, he would havethe one he liked bestto take as his wife, and would be king after his death.But whoevertied and did not succeed,after three daysand nights,they would be put to death. A king'sson soon came. He waswell entertained,and in the eveningwas taken to the chambernext to the one wherethe princesseslay in their twelve beds.There he was to sit and watch wherethey went to dance;and, in orderthat nothing could happenwithout him hearingit, the door of his chamberwas left open.But the king'sson soon fell asleep;and when he awokein the morninghe foundthat the princesseshad all beendancing, for the solesof their shoeswere fuIl of holes. The samething happenedthe secondand third night and so the king orderedhis headto be cut off. After him cameseveral others; but they all hadthe sameluck, andall lost their lives in the sameway.

Now it happenedthat an old soldier,who hadbeen wounded in battleand could fight no longer, passedthrough the countrywhere this kingI6Fl, andas he wastravelling through a wood,he met an old woman,who askedhim wherehe wasgoing. 'I hardlyknow whereI am going,or what I hadbetter do,' saidthe soldier;'but I think I would like to find out whereit is that the princessesdance, and then in time I might be a king.' 'Well,' saidthe old woman,'thatis not a very hard$ only takecare not to drink any of the wine which oneof the princesseswill bring to you in the evening;and as soonas sheleaves you pretendto be fastasleep.'

<2>

Thenshe gave him a cloak,and said, 'As soonas you put that on you will becomelnnth, andyou will thenbe ableto follow the princesseswherever they go.' Whenthe soldierheard all this goodadvice, he waslffflto try his luck, so he wentto the king, andsaid he waswilling to undertakethe task. He was aswell receivedas the othershad been, and the king orderedfine royal robesto be given him; andwhen the eveningcame he wasled to the outerchamber. Justas he was goingto lie down,theflHof the princessesbrought him a cup of wine; but the soldierthrew it all awaysecretly, taking care not to drink a drop.Then he laid himselfdown on his bed, andin a little while beganto snorevery loudly as if he wasfast asleep. Whenthe twelveprincesses heard this they laughedheartily; and the eldestsaid, 'This fellow too might havedone a wiserthing thanlose his life in this way!' Thenthey roseand opened their drawers andboxes, and took out all their fine clothes,and dressed themselves at the mirror, andskipped about as if they wereffito begindancing. But the yonngestsaiel, 'I don'tknow u,hy it is, but while you areso happyI t'eelvery uneasy;I am

http://www.eastoftheweb.com/cgi-bin/versionprintable.pl?story id:TwelDanc.shtml 12t3t2047 Short Stories:The Twelve DancingPrincesses by BrothersGrimm Page2of3

Then the eldestwent up to her own bed and clappedher hands,and the bed sankinto the floor and a tap-door flew open.The soldier sawthem going down throughthe trap-doorone after another,the eldestleading the way; andthinking he hadno time to lose,he jumped up, put on the cloakwhich the old womanhad given him, and followed them. However,in the middle of the stairshe trod on the gown of the youngestprincess, and shecried out to her sisters,'A11is not right; someonetook hold of my gown.'

<3>

'You silly creature!'said the eldest,'it is nothingbut a nail in the wall.' Down they all went, and at the bottom they found themselvesin a most delightfullpof trees;and the leaveswere all of silver, and glittered and sparkledbeautifully. The soldier wishedto take away sometoken of the place; so he broke off a little branch,and there camea loud noisefrom the tree. Then the youngestdaughter said again, 'I am sureall is not right - did not you hearthat noise?That never happenedbefore.' But the eldestsaid, 'It is only our princes,who areshouting for joy at our approach.' They cameto anothergrove of trees,where all the leaveswere of gold; and afterwardsto a third, wherethe leaveswere all glittering diamonds.And the soldier broke a branchfrom each;and everytime therewas a loud noise,which madethe youngestsister tremble with fear. But the eldeststill said it was only the princes,who werecrying forjoy. They went on till they cameto a greatlake; and at the side of the lake there lay twelve little boats with twelvehandsome princes in them,who seemedto be waitingthere for the princesses. Oneof the princesseswent into eachboat, and the soldierstepped into the sameboat as the youngest. As they were rowing over the lake, the prince who was in the boat with the youngestprincess and the soldier said, 'I do not know why it is, but though I am rowing with all my might we do not get on so fast asusual, and I am quitetired: the boatseems very heavytoday.' 'It is only the heatof the weather,'said the princess,'I am very warm,too.' On the otherside of the lake stooda fine,lfpcastle from which camethe merrymusic of hornsand trumpets.There they all landed,and went into the castle,and eachprince dancedwith his princess;and the soldier,who was still invisible,danced with themtoo. Whenany of the princesseshad a cup of wine set by her, he drank it all up, so that when sheput the cup to her mouth it was empty.At this,too,theyoungestsisterwasterriblyffibuttheeldestalwayssilencedher.

<4>

Theydanced on till threeo'clock in the moming,and then all their shoeswere wom out, so that they wereobliged to leave.The princes rowed them back again over the lake (but this time the soldierplaced himself in the boat with the eldestprincess); and on the oppositeshore they took leaveof eachother, the princessespromising to comeagain the next night. Whenthey cameto the stairs,the soldierran on beforethe princesses,and laid himself down. And as the twelve, tired sistersslowly cilme up, they heardhim snoringin his bed and they said, Now all is quite safe'.Then they undressedthemselves, put awaytheir fine clothes,pulled off their shoes,and went to bed. In the morning the soldier saidnothing aboutwhat had happened,but determinedto seemore of this strangeadventure, and went againon the secondand third nights. Everythinghappened just as before: the princessesdanced till their shoeswere worn to pieces,and then returnedhome. On the third night the soldiercarried away one of the goldencups as a tokenof wherehe hadbeen. As soonas the time camewhen he was to declarethe secret,he was takenbefore the king with the threebranchos and the golden cup; andthe twelve princessesstood listening behind the doorto hear what he would say. The king askedhim. 'Wheredo my twelve daughtersdance at night?' http://www.eastoftheweb.com/cgi-bin/versionjrintable.pl?story_id:TwelDanc.shtml t21312007 Short Stories:The Twelve DancingPrincesses by BrothersGrimm Page3 of3

'With The soldier answered, twelve princesin a castlelF' And then he told the king all that had happened,and showedhim the three branchesand the goldencup which he had broughtwith him. The king called for the princesses,and askedthem whetherwhat the soldier said was true and when they sawthat they were discovered,and that it was of no useto deny what had happened,they confessed it all. So the king askedthe soldierwhich of the princesseshe would choosefor his wife; 'I and he answered, am not very young, so I will havethe eldest.'-- and they were marriedthat very day, and the soldier waschosen to be the king'sheir. top

http://www.eastoftheweb.com/cgi-bin/versionprintable.pl?story id:TwelDanc.shtml 1),/71)OO7 VocabularyList Rationale

To implementa list of vocabularywords, I usedthe storyof "The 12 DancingPrincesses." Ten vocabularywords within the stqryhave been hightightedto makethem stand out betterfor the readersl%sthe classreads the story,we will exploreeach word moreas we cometo them. The activity would be appropriatefor Level 3-5 proficiencyin middle to high schoollevels. The LanguageDomains that this activity exercisesare Readingand Listening when a Read-Aloudis present. VocabularyReinforced Activrty Verbaland Visual Word Association

Invisible Germs

Gannotsee Uisible Verbal and Visual Word Association Rationale

This type of activity is great for ELL students. All in the same activity the studentis able to seethe vocab word, its definition, its opposite, and somethingthat they can relate to. The personalexperience that the studentuses for this activity will ideally help them to rememberthe word and its definition and context. This activity can be for studentsat a Level of Proficiency 1-5 in upper elementaryto middle level dependingon the difficulty of the word. The LanguageDomains that would be targetedfor this activity are Writing. The pu{poseof this activity is not necessarilyto hit a standardor a particular LanguageDomain. It's designedto createan vehicle for retention. The studentmight retain the word by rememberingit's definition, its example/personalassociation, or "what it's not." The studentscould hit tons of Standardsby an activity involving vocab, but if they do not retain it, it is pointless. Date Name:

WORD SEARCH I{IROLLKDHLGZEKAA C hl C R F D O IiI N C lil R R N G fil TVOI{UVHICSNHLNPE CIECNJTTVEAPFiIFIS RSLTDAFENEEH},IAUR N ] D LE 5 S DC LO S GT D I SBEFRIGHTENEDLI\'IA VLSHGDODTHSFiIKCDT DETERIVIIhIEGESTUE.] GSLSOFHAERAROEJE S]LLUHINATEGGEIR OYI{RNGII,IISGTIVAHM EGERDTAKAEENGHSO WETGROVETOSINNCF FHGULTFAFLZENELH A Y O H A A hI E I\iI T F A G hI C 5

Choosethe correct vocabulary word from the vocab list that matchesthe definition given. Then find the correct vocabulary word in the Word Search.

Definitions: *A placewith fruit trees- *To possesspower- *Does not want to waiVexcited- *To make afraid- *The oldest- *To be fixed on a certaindecision- *Beneath the surfaceof the earth- *Something that has to get done- *Cannotbe seenwith the eYes- *To make brighter with light- Word SearchRationale

All studentswant leaming to feel like fun. Word Searchesare always fun. I have createdthe word searchwithout the vocabulary words. The only aid they have is the definition of the word. Once they match the definition to one of their ten vocabulary words, they can then searchfor the word. This activity gets the kids looking at the definition and choosing a word basedonly on that given definition. It practicesvocabulary retention. The activity would be appropriatewith upper elementaryto high school level. Any Level of Proficiency from 1-5 would be appropriatefor a Word Searchdepending on their level of difficulty. For this set of vocabulary words in particular, alevel 3 would be appropriate. Date: Name:

Maya MysteryInternet Activitu http:/lmagma'nationalgeographic.com/rigexplorer/ 0709/articles/mainarticle.html Readthe onlinearticle. rhen answerthe questions.

How long havethe Mayanslived in the centrarAmerican Jungle?

The Mayans from cancuenleft their home. why do people or country? todayleave their home

what do you think might havehappened - to- the Mayans?was it a vorcano,a sickness,or did dinosiurseat themb i

What is an artifact?

The invaderswent to cancuen and made the Mayans leave. Have you heard of other invadersthat made people leave their country or city in other countries? Date: Name:

The author imagined in his mind what life was like for the Mayans. Write 3 sentencesabout how you imagine the Mayans 3,000 years ago.

What is a drought?

How did the Mayanslive? Give examplesfrom the article.

What did the author tell vou about the Mavans that you had not known before?

Did the archaeologistfind the answerto what happenedto the Mayans?Why or why not? National Geographic Explorer (Student Magazine) - Maya Mystery h:ttp:llmagma.nationalgeographic.com/ngexplorer/0709/articles/mainar...

Maya Mystery

En Espafiol

Journey to Gentral America to explore one of history's great puzzles.

A lost world lies hidden in the rain forests of CentralAmerica, Hundreds of citiesand towns stand among the trees, Once they were home to millionsof NativeAmericans known as the Maya,

The Mayahave lived in the CentralAmerican jungle for 3,000 years.They built an incredible civllizatlon. It was at its peak for about 750 years. The peak ended about 1,000 years ago.

Today the Maya'scities are empty. Trees and vines embracethe old buildings. Many once proud temples and palacesare now ruins.

I walked through some of these places,and it was a strangeexperience. The world seemedto belongto the animals.Parrots cackled in the trees. Howlermonkeys roared like lionsand climbedamong the vines.Jaguars prowled the ruins.

What happenedto the Maya?Why did they flee their beautifulcities? Archaeoloqists have been asking these questions for years.

In Search of Answ€rs

For years. scientiststhought some disastermust have hit the Maya. Perhapsa volcano erupted. or an earthquake shook the ground. Maybe an gplde!!ilg tore through the population.

Recently,archaeologlsts have studiedthe Maya in many new ways. They don't just look at ruins and q!!fu19. A big breakthrough was learning to read Maya writing.

Archaeologistsalso look at layers of dirt in lake bottoms to see how the land has changed,They learn about rain by studyingtree rings,They even dig through the Maya'strash.

All this work has glven scientistsnew ideas.They now think the Mayafaced many dlfferent problems. A big one was that the Maya world probably had too many people.That likely put a strain on the environment.

To explore what happened to the Maya, National Geographic sent me to Central America,I visited Mayacities and talked to archaeologistswho are studyingthem.

Odd Invaslon

One fiercelyhot day, I stood on a riverbanknear the ruins of Cancuen.It was a thriving city. Thousandsof Maya lived there. Richpeople from other citieslikely came for vacation.

That all changed1,200 years ago. Invaders came suddenly,probably by canoe.I picturedthem as I gazed at the river. In my mind, I saw their grim faces and sharp spears.The invadersbattled with soldiersat the river. Then they headedinto town.

I followedthe invaders'path. It led to an amazingpalace. It had bedrooms,a gigantickitchen, a workshopfor makingjade jewelry, and more, Stone monuments dotted the grounds.

In front of the palace,I saw the ruins of a large pool. It was lined with red tiles. The pool once held drinkingwater for the city. Then it becamea tomb.

The invaders.you see, killedthe city's leaders.They threw the bodiesinto the water. They killedthe king and queen too and buriedthem nearby.

And then? The invadersleft. They took nothing of value. No one knows who they were, what they wanted, or where they went.

The fall of Cancuen was sudden and terrifying. The city's people were so scared that they fled into the rain forest, Ever since then, the reason for the city's odd end has been a puzzle for archaeologists.

L€aving Town

I learned a different story in another place that I visited. Its name is Tikal, Tikal was one ofthe greatestMaya cities.Some 55,000 peoplelived there 1,300 years ago. The city boastedroughly 3,000 major buildings.

Tikal remained a lively city for decades after Cancuen fell. Yet its people then left too. Why?

Archaeologiststhink Tikal suffered a drought, or lack of rain. That made it hard to grow corn, beans,squash, and other foods. Warfaremay also have weakened Tikal.The peopleof Tikal fought bloody battleswith neighboringcities.

That's not all. Droughtand war probablyshook the people'sfaith in their king. The

I of 2 1215120075:53 PM National GeographicExplorer (StudentMagazine) - Maya Mystery http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngexplorer/0709/articles/mainar'..

Mayathought of their rulersas gods.When the kingcouldn't bring rain or victory, though,people may havestopped listening to him. Theircommunity then fell apart. Wanderingamong the pyramidsand temples at Tlkal,I imaginedthe peopleliving there in the city'slast days. I couldpicture them-hungry, tired, scared,and fleeing forever.Like the Mayain manyplaces in the rainforests of CentralAmerica, they left behinda greatcity and a greatmystery. Afticle by Guy Gugliotta. Top-of-page photo by Simon Norfolk. "Maya Mystery" appea6 on pages 18-23 ofthe September2007 issue.

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Maya Mystery InternetActivity Read the article. Then answerthe questions.

How long have the Mayans lived in the Central American Jungle? 3,000 This questionis "Right There."This is a nonethreatening question to startthe worksheet.It getsthem thinking aboutthe longevityof the Mayanexistence.

The Mayans from Cancuenleft their home. Why do people today leave their home or country? Answersmay include,but arenot limitedto religionspersecution, politicalpersecution, better life, education,ect. This questionis "On Your Own." This questioninvited the studentsto look at similar situationsthat they might havecome from. Eachone of the students'families has a reasonto why they left their countryto cometo the United States.NOTE-Plyler v. Doe. Nevershould a teacherprovoke a studentto disclosetheir legalstatus.

What do you think might have happenedto the Mayans? Was it a volcano, a sickness,or did dinosaurseat themO? I think that the godswere Mayan godswere mad at them and killed them all. This question is an "Author and You." The author gives the readeran idea of some of the theories for the end of the Mayans. The author does not give just one theory, so this provokes studentsto think for themselves. This question is to provoke the logical ideas of the students. Click on "artifact" and write the definition. artifact: somethinsmade by humans

This questionis a "Right There." This questionchallenges the studentsto use hyperlinksthat will leadto moreinformation, in this casethe definitionof artifact. Someof the languagein the articleused is specificto historyrelated topics. Having the optionof definingsome of thosewords right on the page,is a greattool for the ELL students.

The invaderswent to Cancuenand made the Mayans leave. Have you heard of other invadersthat made people leave their country or city? Answersmay include,but are not limited to Americansrelocating Native Americansand the controversywith Pakistanand Israel,ect.

This questionis an "On Your Own." This questionprovokes the studentsto look at the world aroundthem and the relevantsituations. Some of the studentsmay relateto thesesituations. ANSWERKEY

Where is Central America on this map?

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The author imagined in his mind what life was like for the Mayans. Write 3 sentencesabout how you imaginethe Mayans3,000 years ago. Answerswill vary.

the This question is an "Author and You." This question is designedto give students their freedom to look back in time and write how they think that the Mayans lived in own words. There information within the article that gives the studentsan idea of how they lived.

What is a drought? Lack of rain

This question is a "Right There." The definition of drought is right there in the text. Today, drought mainly affects farmers. Thousandsof years ago,a drought could cause mani deathsdue to poor crop outcome, and lack of wild game becauseof scarcity of presentwater. Theii way of life was controlled by nature. By understandingthe worlds. meaning of drought, the studentsmay better seethe difference of needsbetween

How did the Mayans live? Give 2 examplesfrom the article. Answersmay include,but are not limited to overpopulated,battled with sharpspears, and surroundedby the rainforest,ect. This questionis "Author andYou." This questionis to be usedby the teacheras a sortoi self-assessmentmade by the student.Ideally, students will write in their own wordswhat they hadnot alreadyknown aboutthe "Maya Mystery." As the teacher,I wantto knowif thevhave learned anv new information' ANSWERKEY

What did the authortell you aboutthe Mayansthat you hadnot known before? Answerswill vary. This question is "Author and You." This question is to be used by the teacheras a sort of self-assessmentmade by the student. Ideally, studentswill write in their own words what they had not already known about the "Maya Mystery." As the teacher,I want to know if they have learnedany new information.

Did the archaeologistfind the answerto whathappened to the Mayans? Why or why not? Useexamples from the article. Yesor no. Explanationsupported by thetext.

This question is a "Put It Together." Many people use theories for answers. Does the studentthink that there needsto be more evidence? Is iust an idea with a little evidenceenough?