Voices of the Past: Exploring Change and Continuity · 6th Class

Active learning ideas

Maya Writing System and Stelae

Students grasp the Maya writing system best when they interact with its symbols directly rather than passively absorb facts. Active learning through writing and artifact analysis builds spatial and symbolic reasoning skills, preparing students to decode complex historical records. These activities transform glyphs and stelae from abstract concepts into tangible tools for historical investigation.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA: Primary - Early People and Ancient Societies
• NCCA: Primary - Social, Cultural and Technological Change

• 30–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Document Mystery
• 40 min · Small Groups

Collaborative Mapping: A New Europe

In small groups, students compare maps of Europe from 1939 and 1945. They identify which countries changed borders or were divided (like Germany) and discuss how these new lines might lead to future tensions, introducing the concept of the 'Iron Curtain'.

Analyze the complexity and structure of the Maya hieroglyphic writing system.

Facilitation Tip

During Collaborative Mapping, encourage students to debate the most accurate placement of Maya city-states using historical maps as evidence.

What to look for

Provide students with a simplified Maya glyph chart. Ask them to write one sentence explaining the difference between a logogram and a syllabary, and then use the chart to 'write' their first name using Maya symbols.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Activity 02

• Simulation Game
• 50 min · Whole Class

Simulation Game: The First UN Assembly

Students are assigned to represent different countries in 1945. They must work together to draft three 'Universal Rules' for keeping world peace, experiencing the challenges of negotiation and the need for international cooperation.

Explain how the decipherment of Maya glyphs unlocked knowledge about their history.

Facilitation Tip

In the Simulation of the First UN Assembly, assign roles clearly and provide guiding questions to keep discussions focused on post-war priorities.

What to look for

Show students images of a Maya stela and a page from a Maya codex. Ask them to list two distinct pieces of information they might find on each artifact and explain why they are different types of historical records.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 30 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: The Atomic Age

After looking at images of the aftermath of the atomic bomb, students reflect on the ethical dilemma faced by leaders. They discuss with a partner whether they think the use of such a weapon changed the way countries interact forever.

Evaluate the importance of stelae and codices as historical records.

Facilitation Tip

For Think-Pair-Share on the Atomic Age, supply a graphic organizer with prompts like 'Impact on Japan' versus 'Impact on the U.S.' to structure comparisons.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'How did the decipherment of Maya writing change our understanding of this civilization?' Facilitate a class discussion, encouraging students to reference specific examples of information learned from stelae and codices.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Start with a concrete example, like a student's name written in Maya glyphs, to anchor abstract concepts. Avoid overwhelming students with too many glyph types at once, instead introducing logograms and syllabaries through a scaffolded chart. Research shows that multisensory engagement—writing, speaking, and analyzing—deepens retention of symbolic systems like Maya writing.

Students will confidently distinguish between Maya logograms and syllabaries and explain how each system functioned in Maya communication. They will analyze stelae and codices to identify key historical information and articulate why these artifacts differ in purpose. Collaboration and discussion will help students recognize how writing systems preserve cultural knowledge across time.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Collaborative Mapping: A New Europe, watch for students assuming the war ended simultaneously everywhere.

  Use the 'global timeline' from the activity to mark VE Day in May 1945 and VJ Day in August 1945, prompting students to adjust their maps accordingly.

• During Simulation: The First UN Assembly, watch for students believing the UN was the first attempt at global peacekeeping.

  Have students compare the League of Nations and UN charters during the simulation, noting key design differences like enforcement mechanisms and membership structure.

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Methods used in this brief

• Document Mystery
• Simulation Game
• Think-Pair-Share