Grade 8 social Studies Thursday, March 16 40 minutes

Stage 1: Desired Results

Lesson Students will spend this block working on the project for the Aztec Gods.
Overview: Students will be expected to work quietly, diligently, and collaboratively with
the peers. Students will have received the project outline, rubric, and formative
checklist to help improve their projects.
GOs: 8.3 Through an examination of Spanish and Aztec societies, students will
demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of how intercultural contact
affects the worldviews of societies.
SOs: Students will:
Students will: 8.3.4 assess, critically, how the Aztecs were affected by the
Spanish worldview by exploring and
reflecting upon the following questions and issues:
• What were the key elements of the worldview of the Aztec civilization prior to
contact with the Spanish?
• How did the Aztec civilization’s worldview influence the Aztecs’ choices,
decisions, and customs?
Lesson Students will:
Objectives  Research their assigned Aztec god by using online and textbook resources.
 Work collaboratively to produce a quality presentations to inform their peers
of essential information.

Stage 2: Assessment Evidence

Formative Summative
Assessment Assessment

Stage 3: Learning Experience

Prior to Resources: Textbook
Lesson: Chromebooks
Time: Content/Description Differentiation/
Assessments:
6 min Introduction:
 Review of Previous Concepts/New Learning:
o Ask students what the best presentation they have Pre-assessment
seen was? What were some key elements? How did (FA)
this impact their learning? Were the presentations
filled with slides jammed full of text? Did they use
pictures, symbols, images to convey information? Did
the presenters make eye contact with the audience?
o Have students think for approximately 30 seconds and
share their ideas with the class for approximately 3
minutes. Compile a list of great things and not so
great things for presentations. This will help students
have an improved understanding of creating a
 presentation if they have not done so recently.
1min Transition Have students gather in their groups and get
Chromebook/laptops so they can research their topics and create
their presentations.
28 mins Body:
Learning Activity 1: Students will have 28 minutes to work on
their project. Students should be expected to work quietly and
collaboratively with their peers. The instructor should routinely
circle the room to ensure students are on task and answer any
questions.
1 min Transition Have students return their laptops and return to their
seats.
5 mins Consolidation:
Review of Key Concepts/Point to Next Class:
Have students volunteer to share some of the key pieces of
information that they researched today? To what degree does this
information impact our understanding of the Aztecan worldview?

Grade 8 social Studies Friday, March 15 30 minutes

Stage 1: Desired Results

Lesson As a class, we will go over a short, recently written news article about a
Overview: discovered pyre of human skulls dated to the time of the Aztecs in Tenochtitlan
that was found to contain approximately 35% female skulls. This article shows
how the Aztecs predominately sacrificed captured enemy soldiers, but still
found significance and reason to sacrificing females in the name of forwarding
their religious ideologies and recreating mythologies.

For the remainder of class, students will finish their Aztec Gods presentation in
preparation for Monday.
GOs: 8.3 Through an examination of Spanish and Aztec societies, students will
demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of how intercultural contact
affects the worldviews of societies.
SOs: Students will: 8.3.4 assess, critically, how the Aztecs were affected by the
Spanish worldview by exploring and
reflecting upon the following questions and issues:
• What were the key elements of the worldview of the Aztec civilization prior to
contact with the Spanish?
• How did the Aztec civilization’s worldview influence the Aztecs’ choices,
decisions, and customs?
Lesson Students will:
Objectives  Consider the practices of mass sacrificial events that promoted the myths of
the Aztec’s religion.
 Use tools o inference and foreshadowing to consider how these practices
 would have been accepted or rejected by European explorers and religious
officials.

Stage 2: Assessment Evidence

Formative Summative
Assessment Assessment

Stage 3: Learning Experience

Prior to Resources: https://www.iflscience.com/one-
Lesson: third-of-aztec-human-skull-tower-
contained-heads-of-sacrificed-
women-67731

Time: Content/Description Differentiation/

Assessments:
10 mins Introduction:
 Review of Previous Concepts/New Learning:
o Pull up the article on the SMARTboard and read the Pre-assessment
article out-loud to the students. Highlight key (FA)
information about the statistics that around 1/3 of all
skulls were women, 2% were children, and the rest are
men of fighting age.
o Ask students how this article contrast or supports their
ideas about Aztec sacrifices. Did students assume that
sacrifices were predominately men? Slaves? Soldiers?
o To what extent does this article impact our
understanding of the Aztec world?
o How might this contrast with Victorian European
understandings of religion?
1min Transition Wrap up discussions and allow students to each grab a
laptop and gather in their groups to work on their projects
15mins Body:
Learning Activity 1: Students have 15 minutes to wrap-up/
polish their projects, so they are ready to present on Monday. Ask
students to share the presentation with both Mrs. Smith and I. If
groups are done, they can do a practice presentation with another
group and receive feedback based on the provided rubric. The
instructor should be circling around the room to answer questions
and ensure students remain on-task.
Transition Have students return their computers
5 mins Consolidation:
Review of Key Concepts/Point to Next Class:
Ask at least 1 member from each group to share 1 thing that they
learned today that they found was interesting. How often did
sacrificial practices come up in their research? Was there any
mention as to why certain gods required human sacrifices? How
has our research shaped our understanding of the Aztec religion
and worldview? Hold an approximately 4-minute conversation,
then allow students to pack up.

Ensure that students are thanked for their hard work this week
and remind them that they will be presenting their projects on
Monday.

Group Project: Examining the Aztec Religion

Your Name:_______________________________
Your group is responsible for providing a clear, in-depth presentation on your assigned
god. Your information should provide other students with relevant information. Each
group will have 3-5 minutes to present their god to the class in the form of a PowerPoint,
Prezi, poster, or another effective presentation tool.

Huitzilopochtli Tlaloc Quetzalcoatl Tezcatlipoca

War and Sun Rain Civilization Destiny and
Fortune
Liam Tristan Parker Knox
Erin Anthony Teyla Rhianne
Cordelia Mackenzy Kaylee Catriona
Leland Emerson Akasha Phoenyx
You will have approximately 1 hour of time in Social Studies to work on this project!
Each Group will be responsible for:
 Providing an overview of their God’s powers, traits, and responsibilities in the world.
 Providing a description of physical characteristics, associated colours, and symbolic
representations.
 Describing their significance to the Aztec culture.
 Presenting how the Aztecs worshipped them including festivals, specific holidays, and
rituals.

Presentation Requirements
 Each presentation should be around 3-5 minutes in length.
 At least 4 images should be utilized. Images should include depictions or drawing of the
god, any symbols, images, or depictions of their mythology, powers, attributes, or
manifestations in the world.
 Your presentation should be focused on improving the understanding of your fellow
students.
 Provide clear, important information that is essential to understand the god, their powers,
and their impact on the Aztecs.
 All websites and books (including your textbook) utilized in your project should be cited.
For this assignment, you can cite your resources by providing a link to the website in the
speaker notes of the slide or written on your presentation poster.

jjjjjjjjLevel 4 3 2 1 0
Excellent Proficient Adequate Limited Insufficient/
Criteria blank
Quality of Provides a Provides a Provides a Provides a No score is
Information comprehensive substantial partial minimal awarded
Provided explanation of explanation explanation explanation because there is
necessary of necessary of necessary of necessary insufficient
8.3.1, 8.3.4.1 material material material material evidence of
& 8.3.4.2 student
performance
based on the
requirements of
the assessment
task. 
 
Apply the All information Most Some Little
Research is from information information information
Process relevant is from is from is from
8.S.7 sources that are relevant relevant relevant
(x0.5) cited within the sources that sources that sources that
presentation are cited are cited are cited
within the within the within the
presentation presentation presentation
Communicate During the During the During the During the
in a presentation, presentation, presentation, presentation,
persuasive information is information information information
and engaging presented in a is presented is presented is presented
manner compelling in an in a in an
8.S.8 way interesting simplistic ineffective
way way way
Organization The The The The
of information is information information information
Information skillfully is logically is somewhat is
(x0.5) organized organized organized disorganized
or unclear

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