LESSON 7 TEACHER’S GUIDE The Aztecsforms.hmhco.com/assets/pdf/journeys/grade/L07_the_aztecs_Y.pdf · LESSON 7 TEACHER’S GUIDE The Aztecs ... • Words with afﬁ xes: instead,

Number of Words: 2,583

L E S S O N 7 T E A C H E R ’ S G U I D E

The Aztecsby Otto Ebsen

Fountas-Pinnell Level YNarrative NonfictionSelection SummaryThe Aztec empire existed in Mexico between 1325 and 1521. Montezuma was the 9th emperor of the empire. Cortés came to Mexico and conquered the Aztecs in 1521. There are still examples of the Aztec culture in Mexico today.

Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

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Characteristics of the Text Genre • Narrative nonfi ction

Text Structure • Underlying structures—description, cause and effect• Organized chronologically

Content • History of Aztec empire• Reign of Montezuma• Cortés conquers the Aztecs

Themes and Ideas • It is possible to quickly lose wealth and power. • Ancient cultures and modern cultures share beliefs. • Evidence of ancient cultures can be seen around the world.

Language and Literary Features

• Portions of the setting are distant in time and space from the reader• Long stretches of descriptive language used to help the reader understand topic

Sentence Complexity • Instances of complex sentences• Sentences with multiple items in a series

Vocabulary • Longer descriptive words such as adjectives and adverbs, some of which might not be familiar to English language learners: unpopular, powerful. Cultural references such as human sacrifi ces (page 5).

• Many multiple-meaning wordsWords • Many multisyllable words

• Words with affi xes: instead, impressIllustrations • Color illustrations with captions

Book and Print Features • Seventeen pages of text; many whole pages of text • Table of contents, maps, timelines, sidebars

© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.

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Target Vocabulary

agility – the ability to be quick and graceful, p. 9

commemorates – to honor or pay tribute to the memory of something, p. 18

customary – an established or traditional practice of a person or group, p. 9

initially – at the beginning, p. 13intense – very strong and

forceful, p. 10jubilant – feel great joy and

excitement, p. 12multitude – a vast amount or

larger number, p. 4

originated – where something began or where it came into being, p. 3

recollects – remember, p. 7refl ect – show the ideas or

beliefs of a person or group, p. 18

The Aztecs by Otto Ebsen

Build BackgroundHelp students use their knowledge of history and ancient civilizations to visualize the selection. Build interest by asking questions such as the following: Have you heard of the Spanish conqueror Cortés? What do you know about the Aztec empire? Read the title and author and talk about the cover illustration. Tell students that the selection is narrative nonfi ction and explain that it provides facts about a topic.

Frontload VocabularySome everyday words may be unfamiliar to English learners. Before reading, check understanding of the following words: emperor, gatherers, legend, crops, marketplace.

Introduce the TextGuide students through the text, reading captions, noting important ideas, and helping with unfamiliar language and vocabulary so they can read the text successfully. Call their attention to any important labels. Here are some suggestions:

Page 3: Cultural support: Read the italicized introduction and practice pronouncing key words such as Montezuma. Explain that this book is about the Aztecs, who lived in what is now Mexico. Suggested language: The Aztecs originated, or began, as hunters and gatherers in Northern Mexico.

Pages 4–5: Draw students’ attention to the map. Explain that the Aztec Empire began on an island in the middle of a lake, which had a multitude of resources. Ask: What types of resources might a new culture need to survive and grow?

Page 8–9: Draw students’ attention to the timeline. Read the title aloud. Explain that the timeline can help with understanding the sequence of events described in the text.

Now go back to the beginning and read to fi nd out what happened when Cortés arrived in Mexico.

2 Lesson 7: The AztecsGrade 6© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

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ReadHave students read silently while you listen to individual students read aloud. Support their understanding of the text as needed.

Remind students to use the Summarize Strategy and retell the most important parts of the text in their own words to help them understand the selection.

Discuss and Revisit the TextPersonal ResponseInvite students to share their personal responses to the selection. Suggested language: Think about your culture. How is your life like the life of your ancestors? How is it different?

Ways of ThinkingAs you discuss the text, help students understand these points:

Thinking Within the Text Thinking Beyond the Text Thinking About the Text

• The Aztec empire was large and powerful.

• Montezuma was not a popular leader and mistreated many people.

• Cortés defeated Montezuma and eventually the Aztec empire.

• There are many things in modern times that are similar to ancient cultures—religion, war, symbols, languages, and food.

• If leaders make poor decisions, their actions can directly affect the people they lead.

• The author includes many descriptions to help readers visualize the selection.

• The author includes graphics to help readers understand the selection.

• The author writes the selection in chronological order so that the reader can understand the history of the Aztec empire and understand how it was conquered.

© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.

Choices for Further Support• Fluency Invite students to choose a passage from the text to use for a readers’

theater. Remind them to practice pronouncing key words such as Montezuma to increase fl uency when reading the text.

• Comprehension Based on your observations of the students’ reading and discussion, revisit parts of the text to clarify or extend comprehension. Remind students to go back to the text to support their ideas.

• Phonics/Word Work Provide practice as needed with words and word parts, using examples from the text. Remind students that knowing the meanings of prefi xes can help them determine the meaning of unknown words. For example, the word recollects on page 7 has the prefi x re which means “again.” The word recollects means “to remember, or know again.”



Writing about ReadingCritical ThinkingHave students complete the Critical Thinking questions on BLM 7.10.

RespondingHave students complete the activities at the back of the book, using their Reader’s Notebook. Use the instruction below as needed to reinforce or extend understanding of the comprehension skill.

Target Comprehension SkillPersuasion

Target Comprehension Skill Remind students that the author includes details in the text

to try to convince readers to support an idea. Model how to add details to the Graphic Organizer, using a “Think Aloud” like the one below:

Think Aloud

The author states that many native people in Mexico did not like the Aztecs. The author includes reasons to support that opinion. On page 6, the author gives one reason for his opinion. The reason is that local rulers did not like sending their people to be sacrifi ced. They also did not like having to pay Montezuma gold and food. Add these reasons to the graphic organizer to support the idea that the Aztecs were disliked.

Practice the SkillHave students share an example of another selection in which the author used reasons to persuade the reader to support an idea.

Writing Prompt: Thinking Beyond the TextHave students write a response to the prompt on page 6. Remind them that when they think beyond the text, they use their personal knowledge to reach new understandings.

Assessment Prompts• The fi rst paragraph on page 4 is mainly about

___________________________________________________________________.

• The author probably wrote this selection to

___________________________________________________________________.

• What is the meaning of agility on page 9?



Critical ThinkingRead and answer the questions.

1. Think within the text According to Aztec legend, when would the

Aztecs fi nd a place to settle?

2. Think within the text How did the Aztec people travel from place to

place?

3. Think beyond the text How do you think the Aztec people felt under

the rule of Montezuma?

4. Think about the text What has the author persuaded you to believe

about the Aztecs?

Making Connections What do you think Mexico is like now? How do you think it compares to ancient Mexico?

Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.

Name Date

The AztecsCritical Thinking

Critical Thinking© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Lesson 7B L A C K L I N E M A S T E R 7 . 1 0

Grade 6, Unit 2: Common Ground12

They would � nd the right place to live when they saw a special eagle.

The Aztec people used canoes to travel.

Many of the Aztec people were probably resentful of his rule.

I now believe that the Aztecs were a great people who survived many

Montezuma was a harsh leader. However, Montezuma also had to

have supporters to keep him in power for so long.

hardships and left behind a great legacy.

Possible responses shown.

07.10_6_246260RNLEAN_Crtl Thk.in12 12 12/11/09 9:53:04 AM

First Pass

English Language DevelopmentReading Support Give English learners a “preview” of the text by holding a brief small-group discussion before reading the text with the entire group.

Cultural Support The text includes many references to explorers in history. Students might not be familiar with Christopher Columbus or Spain’s other explorations. Help students understand that the Americas include North and South America and were considered new worlds to the Europeans that settled and conquered them.

Oral Language DevelopmentCheck student comprehension, using a dialogue that best matches your students’ English profi ciency. Speaker 1 is the teacher, Speaker 2 is the student.

Beginning/Early Intermediate Intermediate Early Advanced/ Advanced

Speaker 1: Who was the 9th emperor of the Aztec empire?

Speaker 2: Montezuma

Speaker 1: Where was the Aztec empire located?

Speaker 2: Mexico

Speaker 1: Who conquered the Aztec empire?

Speaker 2: Cortés

Speaker 1: Why did other native Indians dislike the Aztecs?

Speaker 2: They made them pay gold and they took sacrifi ces.

Speaker 1: How were the Aztecs different from the Spanish?

Speaker 2: The Spanish had metal clothing, cannons, and horses. The Aztecs had spears.

Speaker 1: Why did Cortés get other native Indians to help him fi ght the Aztecs?

Speaker 2: He knew they disliked the Aztecs and they made his army larger.

Speaker 1: Besides war, how else did the Spaniards kill the Aztecs?

Speaker 2: The Spaniards brought smallpox.



Name Date

The AztecsCritical Thinking


Critical ThinkingRead and answer the questions.

1. Think within the text According to Aztec legend, when would the

Aztecs fi nd a place to settle?

2. Think within the text How did the Aztec people travel from place to

place?

3. Think beyond the text How do you think the Aztec people felt under

the rule of Montezuma?

4. Think about the text What has the author persuaded you to believe

about the Aztecs?

Making Connections What do you think Mexico is like now? How do you think it compares to ancient Mexico?

Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.



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468

Student Date

The Aztecs

Running Record Form


The Aztecs • LEVEL Y


Behavior Code Error

Read word correctly ✓cat 0

Repeated word, sentence, or phrase

®cat

0

Omission —cat 1

Behavior Code Error

Substitution cutcat 1

Self-corrects cut sccat 0

Insertion the

ˆcat 1

Word told Tcat 1

page Selection Text Errors Self-Corrections

3 The Aztecs originated as a poor tribe of hunters and gatherers.

They first lived in northern Mexico. The Aztecs didn’t want to

be ruled by others. So they traveled south to find a new place

to live.

The Aztecs believed in a legend. This story said that they would

find the right place to live when they saw a special eagle. They

looked for this eagle for many years. Finally, they saw an eagle

in the middle of a huge lake. That’s where the Aztecs built the

capital of their empire.

Comments: Accuracy Rate (# words read

correctly/91 × 100)

%

Total Self- Corrections

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LESSON 7 TEACHER’S GUIDE The Aztecsforms.hmhco.com/assets/pdf/journeys/grade/L07_the_aztecs_Y.pdf · LESSON 7 TEACHER’S GUIDE The Aztecs ... • Words with afﬁ xes: instead,