OBJECTIVE: To understand how the Maya lived in the past and how they live today within their traditional homeland, "The Selva"

GRADE: 8th grade Spanish classes

MATERIALS: Texts on ancient history/culture; video tape on how Mayans live today within the selva; examples of mahogany/ceiba trees, corn/making tortillas; chicle tree/chicle gum for students to have hands on activities; tree to plant; Internet site: http://www.crystalinks.com/mayan.html

PROCEDURES: The following list contains various procedures/activities for student involvement:

• Discuss ancient Mayan history and culture including the ceiba tree, the Mayan calendar, Mayan building structures, how the selva and the Maya are interrelated, chicle, medicinal plants, and food plants
• Discuss how the Maya live today including the subjects of chicle, mahogany, and the effects of eco-tourism

Activity projects may include:

• A summary of one of the two equinoxes (Spring/Fall)
• Plant a tree to represent a "tree of life"
• Ceiba tree and its relationship to school
• Iinteract with the industrial technology to create a finished product in mahogany
• Interact with home economics to make traditional Mayan foods
• Recreate a Mayan village using different materials representing the ancient Maya past or the Maya of today
• Create a book on different trees in the Mayan selva and how they are used
• Learn Mayan words: write your name in Mayan Glyphs
• Create a game (board or card) on Mayan vocabulary

PARENT/CHILD EXPERIENCE: Children can create the ceiba tree pictorially and take home to share with family; parents sign that their children/student explained history and significance of the Maya culture; the students return the signed acknowledgment for inclusion in a portfolio

BACKGROUND INFORMATION: It is recommended to have information regarding the following:

• History of the Mayan culture and of the Mayan people of today along with how they use the selva
• Information regarding deforestation and selva destruction and the efforts being made to reforestate and continue a culture dependent upon reforestation

Reference material includes: A Forest of Kings: The Untold Story of the Ancient Maya," New York, William Morrow & Co., Inc., by Linda Schele & David Freidel

EVALUATION: Based on individual student portfolio