Grade Levels: 3-5, 6-8

*Click to open and customize your own copy of the Aztec Civilization Lesson Plan.

This lesson accompanies the BrainPOP topic Aztec Civilization, and supports the standard of evaluating the cultural contributions of ancient  societies. Students demonstrate understanding through a variety of projects.

Step 1: ACTIVATE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

Display an image of an Aztec innovation, like the lake-top farming shown in the movie (Timestamp: 2:12):  

Ask students: What do you notice? What can you infer about this society? 

Step 2: BUILD KNOWLEDGE

  • Read the description on the Aztec Civilization topic page.
  • Play the Movie, pausing to check for understanding. 
  • Assign Related Reading. Have students read one of the following articles: “Language” or “Eating and Drinking.” Partner them with someone who read a different article to share what they learned with each other.

Step 3: APPLY and ASSESS 

Assign the Aztec Civilization Challenge and Quiz, prompting students to apply essential literacy skills while demonstrating what they learned about this topic.

Step 4: DEEPEN and EXTEND

Students express what they learned about Aztec Civilization while practicing essential literacy skills with one or more of the following activities. Differentiate by assigning ones that meet individual student needs. 

  • Make-a-Movie: Create a video diary from the perspective of a person living in Aztec society that describes a day in your life.  
  • Make-a-Map: Make a concept map identifying key features and contributions of Aztec society and culture. 
  • Creative Coding: Code a digital museum exhibit featuring artifacts to represent key features of Aztec civilization.

More to Explore

Time Zone X: Aztec Civilization: Challenge students to put historical events in chronological order in this interactive timeline game.

Related BrainPOP Topics: Deepen understanding of the contributions of ancient Western civilizations with these topics: Inca Civilization and Maya Civilization.

Teacher Support Resources:

Lesson Plan Common Core State Standards Alignments