Scouting the Aztecs

A 7th grade History WebQuest

designed by

Mike Belli, John Muir Middle School History teacher

and Russ Tomlin, John Muir Middle School librarian

Introduction | Task | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion | Credits

Introduction

For this WebQuest, you are to imagine that you are "advance scouts" for Hernando Cortez and his army of Spaniards. The year is 1519. Your mission, in small groups, is to find out as much as you can about specific aspects of the Aztecs to take back to Commander Cortez. This is important because Cortez needs to decide if he wants to peacefully coexist with the Aztecs and trade with them, or if he wants to conquer them for "the spoils of war."

Here are the aspects of Aztec culture you and your small groups will look for:

Farming

Trade

Religious beliefs

Art

Calendar

Sports & games

Music & dance

Food

Education & school

Military

Laws

To find the information for your report to Commander Cortez, you and your small group of advance scouts will need to visit the following websites:

Explore each website to find the specific information your group is after. You may not find all the information you need in one spot, which means you'll have to click on different links and use the "Back" arrow in order to find what you need. Write down the best information you find on paper; you will use these notes later to create your poster. 

Describe to the learners how their performance will be evaluated. Specify whether there will be a common grade for group work vs. individual grades.

	Beginning 1	Developing 2	Accomplished 3	Exemplary 4	Score
Knowledge gained from research	Reflects a beginning level of research and information-gathering skill.	Shows development and movement toward mastery of research and information-gathering skill.	Reflects above- average mastery of research and information-gathering skill.	Reflects the highest level of information-gathering skill in the class for this project.
Skill at group work	Reflects a beginning skill level at productive group work.	Reflects development and movement toward mastery of  productive group work.	Reflects an above-average mastery of productive group work.	Reflects the highest level of productive group work in the class for this project.
Clear, meaningful poster containing quality information	Reflects a beginning level of skill at creating an effective visual aid.	Reflects a developing skill level at creating an effective visual aid.	Reflects above average skill at creating an effective visual aid.	Reflects the highest level of skill at creating an effective visual aid in the class for this project.
Group presentation revealing equal participation and solid learning	Reflects a beginning level of skill at presenting as a group.	Reflects development and movement toward mastery at presenting as a group.	Reflects above-average skill at presenting as a group.	Reflects the highest level of performance at presenting as a group.
Critical thinking: why is your information important?	Demonstrates a beginning level of understanding regarding why the information is important.	Demonstrates a developing level of understanding regarding why the information is important.	Demonstrates an above average level of understanding regarding why the information is important.	Demonstrates a superior level of understanding regarding why the information is important.

We hope your time spent researching the ancient Aztecs was interesting and added to your knowledge of this ancient empire. More quality information regarding the Aztecs and how they lived can be found at the following websites:

An explanation of Mesoamerican cultures
http://www.mesoweb.com
Click on "Features," then "The Crystal Skull" to play an Aztec game.

The Aztec Gods
http://home.freeuk.net/elloughton13/aztecgod.htm

Pictures of Aztec ruins, central Mexico
http://www.washington.edu/ark2/archtm/Mexico.html

Images illustrating Aztec civilization
http://www.btinternet.com/~mexicolore/Photolib.html

About the Aztec calendar
http://www.azteccalendar.com/azteccalendar.html

Aztec architecture
http://library.thinkquest.org/10098/aztec.htm 

We all benefit by being generous with our work. Permission is granted for others to use this WebQuest for educational, non-commercial purposes as long as the original authorship is credited. Report dead links to rtomlin@sanleandro.k12.ca.us or tomlinr@sbcglobal.net. You may modify this WebQuest only with permission from one of its creators.