Inca Unit

By Chalee Rawlings

Table of Contents

Unit Plan Outlineo Enduring Understandingo Essential Questionso Objectiveso Contento Evaluationo Managemento Addressing Diverse Learners

Setting the Stage

Lesson Planso Incan Societyo Everyday life as an Incao Incas and Arto Inca Achievementso Incas Today

Unit Closureo Party like an Incan

Appendix

Setting the Stage

The students have prior background knowledge on Inca life and religion. The students have read and created a play around the Inca legend and book “How Music Came to the Earth”. The students have already created Inca god masks, and done some weaving.

The students will be following up on this unit with a unit on the American Indians, and doing a compare/contrast between the two cultures.

Before the unit begins, I will prepare a bulletin board to look like the Andes Mountains Landscape.

During teacher read alouds, I will be reading “Secret of the Andes” by Ann Nolan Clark throughout the unit.

There will be an Inca research center set up in the class will information, books, maps, etc. for the students to explore throughout the unit.

I will set up an Inca Word Wall, so as we learn new words and concepts, we can post them in the classroom for the students to see.

I will create a KWL chart about the Inca Unit. Each day we will add to the KWL chart as we learn more about the Incan culture.

Instead of using the usual star chart to track student success, I will use quipus.

Unit Plan Outline

Enduring Understanding: The students will learn about the indigenous culture of the Incas through studying the society, art, buildings, and festivals of the Inca. They will gain a brief understanding about what life would be like if they were an Inca.

You will understand what life was like for the Incas, through studying how they lived, ate, dressed, and played.

Essential Questions:How was life for the Incas compared to our own?What does it mean to be indigenous?Where are the Incas from?What did the Incas eat?What did the Incas do?What did the Incas wear?

Objectives:Standard 2-Students will understand cultural factors that shape a community.Objective 2-Explain how selected indigenous cultures of the Americas have changed over time.

-The students will be able to describe through assignments, projects, and writing, what life was like for an Inca through they way they ate, dressed, what the society was like, and where they lived.

Content: I will read “Secret of the Andes” to the class throughout the unit. This

book is about a modern Inca boy who leaves his home in the Andes to learn the mysteries of his ancient ancestors. We will be doing many comprehension and extension activities along with this book.

We will study Incan Society. We will learn where the Incas were from and color in the areas where the Incas lived on a map. We will learn that the Incas kept records through quipus and we will create quipus to show class and individual accomplishments.

We will learn about everyday life as an Inca. The students will create a wheel of facts about everyday life for men, women, boy, and girl Incas. The students will learn how Incas dressed and design clothing for an Incan paper doll.

The students will learn about Incan art, and practice the Incan art of weaving. The students will weave yarn on a loom.

We will learn about Incan buildings and bridges. We will create Incan pyramids with Styrofoam.

The last day of the unit we will study Incan festivals. We will have a class festival in which we make Incan rattles, baleros, create Incan god books, and stone carvings.

Evaluation:Throughout the unit there will be formative assessments. Each day the student will have an assignment, which will be assessed, that has to do with that particular topic. At the end of each day, the students will participate in adding to a class-wide KWL chart. I will assess student understanding while filling out this chart by the type of facts they state they learned, and the level of questioning they are coming up with. At the end of the unit, the students will write a letter to an Incan child. The student should include some things they learned about the Incan life, as well as some unanswered questions they may have about Incas. If the students facts and questions are inline with what was learned and discussed over the unit, I will know the student learned about Incan life.

The culminating activity will be to make a book entitled “An Adventure of an Indigenous People.” This book will contain the many items we created over the unit, as well as student-written synopsis of what they learned in each topic. If the students create an in-depth, and well-organized book, they have understood the unit.

Management:To get student attention during this unit, I will clap a rhythm with my hands, and then the students will be required to clap back a similar rhythm. I will make sure that all students have a chance to participate in creating the KWL chart, by making sure that all students can see it, and using the “popsicle stick method” to call on students. I will use the stick method to call on students during discussions throughout the unit. I will make sure that all students can see and hear when I am reading the stories.

Addressing Diverse Learners:For more advanced learners, I will place my Inca books in the “research area” for further study. I will give the option for the students to write a report for extra credit on a topic of Inca culture that they have studied in one of the books.

During activities I will pair students with disabilities with more advanced students to be their “buddy” in order to facilitate learning.

Lesson 1Incan Society

Desired Results:1.Enduring Understanding:The students will gain an understanding of where the Incan society was. The students will also learn the most basic details of the Incan society such as what the land was like, who lived there, and how they spoke. The students will create quipus to make record of their life.

You will learn what the Incan society was like; including where they lived, and what language they spoke.

2.Essential Questions:What is an Inca?Where did the Incas live?What language did the Incas speak?

3.Objectives:The students will be able to locate on a map where the Incas lived. The students will be able to describe the social classes in Incan society, and understand that although they spoke Quechua, they had no written language.

Evidence of Learning:1.Connection to Standards:Standard 1: Students will understand how geography influences community location and development.Standard II: Students will understand cultural factors that shape a community.

2.Assessment:The students will color and label the places in South America where the Incas

lived. If the students color the right section of the map, they have learned where the Incas came from.

At the end of the lesson students will make quipus. A few students will present their quipu in the front of the class describing why they tied the knots they did and what each string of yarn represents. If the students can state that the quipu was used as a form of record keeping for the Inca people, they have understood this concept.

Preparation:Picture of an IncaPicture of an Incan king, farmer, and warriorMap of the worldMap of South AmericaCrayonsDifferent colored pieces of yarn.

Lesson Outline:Time: 5 min. Introduction:

Show the class a picture of an Inca. Ask, “Does this person live here in Salt Lake City?” The students should say no. Show the students a map of the world. Ask the students where they think this person might be from. Explain to the students that this person is an Inca. The students have background knowledge of who the Incas are, but they do not know where they are from.

Show the students on the map the continent of South America. Tell the students that this is where the Incas lived.

Content:20 min. Tell the class, “The Incas lived about 800 years ago in South America. Today the countries where the Incas lived are called Peru, Argentina, Ecuador, Chile, and Bolivia. Although most of this land is desert, they had mountains, jungle and coastal areas.”

Look at a map of the world. Locate where the Incas would have lived. Ask “Where is that in location to where we live?” Hand out a map of South America, have the students color and label the countries where the Incas lived. Label the Andes Mountains and Lake Titicaca.

20 min. We will discuss Incan society. Everyone in Inca society belonged to a particular social group. Show the class the picture of the Incan King. At the top was the king, who was the absolute ruler. He was believed to be a descendant of the Sun God, and people viewed him as a god on earth. The king married another descendant of the Sun God, who was usually his sister! The king’s clothes were made of the finest cloth, and never wore the same thing twice. His bowls were made of gold and silver, and he ate the best food. He traveled in a beautiful litter (a chair with poles attached, used for carrying important people) decorated with precious stones and colorful feathers.

Show the picture of the Incan Warrior. The Inca had a large, well-organized army. As boys, males were trained in war games and learned how to use weapons. They used simple weapons such as spears, swords, battle-axes, and clubs. All warriors carried a square or round shield made of deerskin.

Show the picture of the Incan farmer. Most of the Incan people were farmers because they needed to grow enough crops to feed all the people in the empire. Both men and women were farmers. They planted maize and potatoes. They would often grow over 150 varieties of potatoes in a single field. If rains were late or infrequent, the people held a ritual asking the Thunder god to release the rains.

30 min. The Incas spoke Quechua (Kech-wah). It is still spoken by the native people living in Peru today. The Inca had no written language, so all we know about them is from the Spanish conquerors, which wrote what they learned about them when coming to the land.

The Inca used quipus to keep track of all the important details of the empire. Instead of writing the quipus were used as a form of communication, by tying knots on a string. Varying knots and color represented different information.

The students will be given various colors of yarn. The students will make a quipu of the important details in their life by tying knots in different colored strings. I will

create a quipu to chart student successes during this unit instead of the start chart on the board.

10 min. Conclusion:A few students will have the opportunity to share their quipu with the

class describing why they chose the colors they did, and why they tied the knots in the places they did.

Adaptation: Students who may have a hard time creating the quipu will be paired with

“buddies” to help them create a quipu. High students will be asked to write a description of the quipu describing what

each knot stands for.

Management:The students will be sitting at their desks for the beginning portion of the lesson. Each student will get his/her own crayons and map to color. For the discussion portion of the lesson, the students will be seated on the rug. Students will be called the get yarn and go back to their seat to create it by who was being a good active listener throughout the lesson. I will call on students using the “stick” method.

Closure:We will add to our class KWL chart what we learned today, and any new questions we have.

Evaluation:Are the students stating facts and topics discussed in the lesson as something they have learned about Incas? Are the students posing appropriate questions about the Incas on the KWL chart? Did the students state where the Incas are from, talk about kings, warriors, and farmers, and how they communicated?

Lesson 2Everyday Life as an Inca

Desired Results:1.Enduring Understanding:The students will learn what everyday life was like for the average Inca. They will learn about what food they ate and what type of clothes they wore.

You will learn what life would be like if you were and Inca. You will find out what your chores would be, what you would wear, and what you will eat.

2.Essential Questions:What was like for an Inca boy/girl my age?What did the Incas wear?What did the Incas eat?

3.Objectives:The students will be able to list three things about life of an Incan man, women, girl, and boy through reading facts in a pamphlet and making a wheel.

The students will be able to create an Incan paper doll in appropriate dress based on what they learn in this lesson.

Evidence of Learning:1.Connection to Standards:Standard II: Students will understand cultural factors that shape a community.

2.Assessment:If the facts listed in the wheel are true facts stated in the “Life of an Inca”

pamphlet, the student has correctly completed the assignment. If the Incan paper doll is dressed in what an Incan would normally wear, the

student understands what an Inca would dress like.

Preparation:“Life of an Inca” pamphletSample Inca WheelPre-cut circles for the students to write onA few different varieties of potatoesPictures of how Incas dressed “The Inca” page 43Cut out paper dollsClothing pattersMaterialMarkers

Lesson Outline:Time: Introduction:

5 min. Ask the students “If you were an Inca girl or boy, how do you think your life would be different than it is today? What do you think your average day would be like? What do you think you would do for fun? What do you think you would eat? What do you think your chores would be?” Have the students record their responses in their journals.

Content:20 min. The students will each be given a pamphlet describing the everyday life of and Inca. The students will pick important details from the pamphlet to create a wheel with the categories men, women, boys, and girls. Above each category the students will write three facts they learned about everyday life of men, women, boys, and girls.

10 min. Gather the students around the rug. Have a few students share their wheels with the class. Tell the students, “Some of the most common dishes prepared by the Inca were a variety of soups and stews from the many crops they grew such a potatoes, corn, beans, squash, tomatoes, chili peppers, and quinoa. Sometimes meat was included. Big meals were often served in the morning. Potatoes were the biggest part of the Inca diet, mainly because it grew well at high altitudes. The Inca grew more than 150 varieties of potatoes in different shapes, sizes, and colors.” Show the students the different types of potatoes you brought to class. Ask if they have eaten any other type of potato?

Show the students the picture of the Incas on page 43 of “The Inca”. Tell the students, “Inca clothing was simple. The basic outfit for women was a long sleeveless dress that was pinned at the shoulders, a long mantle worn over the dress, and a sash tied around the waist. When a women went outdoors show wore a shoulder mantle. An Inca man wore a loincloth, which was a long piece of cloth that was wrapped around the waist and between the legs. He also wore a tunic over the loincloth. Cloaks were worn over the shoulders when the weather got chilly. Men and women both carried small purses or pouches. Children wore the same types of clothes as adults. Both men and women wore sandals made from llama.”

“Geometric designs and shapes were very popular, and were symbols that represented things from the natural world, myths, or ancient traditions. All people in the empire wore the same types of clothing, although the lower class had much less clothing that the kings and upper-class people. They had red, blue, and yellow die to color their clothing.”25 min. The students will create paper dolls and design their clothing to look like an Inca. The students will make clothing on the dolls by using patterns to cut material to look like a tunic or a dress. The students will use markers to draw geometric shapes on the clothing.

Conclusion:5 min. The students will write in their journal answers to any questions they wrote down at the beginning of class. They will say if their predictions about what would be like were right or wrong, and tell why. Adaptation:

If the students do not get finished with their paper dolls, this lesson can be extended to 2 days and lesson 3 can be pushed back. Allow 1 1/2 to 2 hours to complete this lesson in case the students take longer to create their wheels and their paper dolls.

Students who struggle in reading can be paired with a “buddy” for reading the pamphlet and making the wheel, but all students will create their own paper doll. Management:I will make sure all the students have a pamphlet to read. Make sure all students can see the pictures of the Incas and their clothing. I will use the stick method to call on students.

Closure:We will add to our class KWL chart what we learned today, and any new questions we have.

Evaluation:The students will turn in their journals at the end of this lesson. I will read the students’ first entry and compare it to the second. If there is a change in his/her ideas of what life would be like, or if the second entry states facts about what was learned in class, the student has understood the concept.

Lesson 3Incas and Art

Desired Results:1.Enduring Understanding:The students will gain an understanding of what type of art the Inca did, and practice weaving.

You will learn about the art of the Incas, and practice weaving on a loom.

2.Essential Questions:Why did the Inca do art?What types of art did the Inca do?What did they weave?What materials did they use to weave?Why is weaving so important to the Incas?

3.Objectives:The students will be able to identify different types of art the Incas did, and create an Incan weaving out of yarn on a loom.

Evidence of Learning:1.Connection to Standards:Standard II: Students will understand cultural factors that shape a community.

2.Assessment:The students will create a weaving like that of an Inca. If the weaving has at least 6 pieces woven through, the student has completed the assignment.

Preparation:Weaving loomsYarnExamples of Incan art from Utah Museum of Fine ArtAlpaca wool hat from Peru“Huatya Curi and the Five Condors” by Melinda Lilly

Lesson Outline:Time: Introduction:5 min. Has anyone seen any Incan art? If yes, what is it? The whole class has made a weaving before. Hold up a student’s weaving, ask, “Could this be Incan art?”

Content:20 min. Let the students explore some of the Incan art from the Utah Museum of fine art. Ask, “What do you notice about these items?” The Incas were very interested in language Arts, such as plays, poetry, myths, folktales and legends played an important role in Inca life. The Inca were also keen visual artists who excelled in pottery, weaving,

metalworking, jewelry making, and stonecutting. Much of the visual art has geometric designs.

All Inca women wove cloth. Some men wove ropes and mats. Woven cloth was one of the most important items made by the Inca. A woven garment helped to identify where a person was from. Specific colors and designs woven into the cloth indicated status in society. The Incas used wool for weaving most of their cloth because it is very coarse and comes in many colors. Incan cloth had bright, bold colors. They even used metals such as copper and tin for some dyes. Show the students my woven hat from Peru made out of Alpaca wool. Show the students many examples of woven patterns. 30 min. The students will create a weaving using yarn and a loom. The students can pick from bright bold, colored yard to create their weaving. The students must weave at least six pieces of yarn in order to get credit for this assignment.

Conclusion:10 min. Read to the students “Huatya Curi and the Five Condors”. Ask the students, if there was no written language, how do you think this Incan myth was passed down through the generations?

Management:There will be allowed no more than three students looking at a piece from the museum at a time. If students want to look at an object but there are already three students there, they will wait till one of the students is done looking at it.

Each student will have his/her own weaving loom and yarn to work with. The yarn will be pre-cut in the desired length.

Closure:We will add to our class KWL chart what we learned today, and any new questions we have.

Evaluation:Listen to what the students are adding to the KWL chart. Are they talking about the different types of art, mediums, colors, and patterns, the Inca used? Are they asking questions that are based off of what has been discussed?

Lesson 4Inca Achievements

Desired Results:1.Enduring Understanding:The students will understand that the Inca were master builders. The students will learn that the Inca created buildings and pyramids out of perfectly cut stone, as well as a very elaborate bridge and roadway system.

You will learn that the Incas were master builders. You will learn how the Incas built structures, roads, and bridges. 2.Essential Questions:What were the Inca homes made of?How have then been able to stand for such a long time?Did they have cars or bikes to get around?

3.Objectives:The students will be able to describe what an Inca structure is made of and what it might look like. The students will be able to create an Inca-like pyramid out of Styrofoam.

Evidence of Learning:1.Connection to Standards:Standard II: Students will understand cultural factors that shape a community.

2.Assessment:If the students have created a Styrofoam pyramid with little gaps between the stones, the student understands what Incan structures were like.

Preparation:“Lost City; The Discovery of Machu Picchu” by Ted LewinPictures of Machu Picchu Pictures of CuzcoPictures of Incan roads and bridgesStyrofoam blocks for each studentScissorsElmer’s glue

Lesson Outline:Time: Introduction:10 min. Read “Lost City; The Discovery of Machu Picchu” by Ted Lewin to the class. Ask what they notice about the way Machu Picchu was built. Ask, “Why do you think this city has lasted for so long?”

Content:

20 min. I will show the class real pictures of Machu Picchu and Cuzco as I discuss Inca buildings with the class. “The Inca were master builders. They constructed roads and buildings using massive stones that they cut by hand. They chiseled these stones so precisely that after they were fit together even a knife blade would not fit between the stones. No cement was ever used and they have survived earthquakes! Each city had a central plaza, with temples, and public building surrounding it. In the center of each city were a temple, and a palace. Houses for the common people surrounded the center of the city. A wall that was 50 feet high surrounded the city of Chimu, however most Incan cities did not have walls around them. The two most famous cities were Cuzco, and Machu Picchu. Incan legend says that the first Incan ruler founded Cuzco. Cuzco was the capital of the Incan empire. Machu Picchu is the best preserved Incan city.”

I will show the class pictures of the bridges and roadways. “The Incas built one of the worlds best transportation systems. Since the empire was so big, they built many roads and bridges to get around. This allowed them to have fast communication between the villages and cities. The Incan roads stretched for over 10,000 miles! All the roads belonged to the government, and no one could use them without permission. The Incas did not use wheeled vehicles on the roads, rather the roads were meant for walkers and llamas. The Incas also built amazing bridges which they called chacas.”20 minutes The students will create an Incan pyramid by cutting stones out of Styrofoam and then gluing the stones into the shape of a pyramid.

Conclusion:5 min. The students will write a quick synopsis about who lived in their pyramid and what it was used for.

Adaptation:Students may be paired with a buddy to make their pyramid.

Management:Make sure there is enough Styrofoam for each student, as well as scissors. Make sure all students can see and hear when I read the story. Make sure all students are involved in the discussion by using the stick method.

Closure:We will add facts and questions to our KWL chart from what we learned today.

Evaluation:Look at the student pyramids along with the description of who lived in the pyramid and what it was used for. If the students made a pyramid that resembled the pictures shown of the Incan cities, they have understood this lesson.

Lesson 5Incas Today

Desired Results:1.Enduring Understanding:The students will learn about Incas living in South America today and what life is like for them. The students will make connections between their life here in Utah, and life in South America.

You will learn about Incas living in South America today and what life is like for them.

2.Essential Questions:Are there Inca kids today?What is life like in South America?How is life in South America like it is here?How is life in South America different?

3.Objectives:The students will be able to describe some similarities and differences from life in South America and life in Utah.

Evidence of Learning:1.Connection to Standards:Standard II: Students will understand cultural factors that shape a community.

2.Assessment:The students will write a letter to the boy in “Secret of the Andes” the students will ask questions about life in Peru, and tell him what life is like in Utah. The students will state some facts they have learned about life in Peru. If the letter talks about what life is like in South America today, and asks appropriate questions, the students have understood the concept.

Preparation:“Carolina’s Gift” by Katacha DiazChart the says Inca/Modern Day/UsWriting Journals

Lesson Outline:Time: Introduction:10 min. Read “Carolina’s Gift” to the class. This is a story describing what life is like in Peru today.

Content:20 min. Ask the students “What is different from the ancient Incas, and the modern day people living in Peru. What is the same?” Record findings onto a chart with the

headings Inca/Modern Day/US. Then ask the students “How is life different from those living in South America today from ours? How is it the same?”

Conclusion:20 min. By this point we will have finished reading “Secret of the Andes.” The students will be dismissed back to their seats to write letters to the boy in this book. The will ask him questions about what it was like traveling back into the time of his ancestors, and about how it is different from how he lives today. They will make comparisons to their life and those of the Incas.

Adaptation:Students will be required to write at least one paragraph in their letter to the character in the book. A paragraph should have at least five sentences. The low students may only write three sentences. Higher students will write two paragraphs.

Management:The students will be sitting on the rug for the story and the discussion. I will make sure that all students can see the chart and the pictures of the book. I will call on students by using the stick method. Students will be sent back to their seats to write in their journals.

Closure:We will make the final additions and questions on our KWL chart. This time, we will be primarily focused on “What we Learned”. We will discuss the unanswered questions. How can we find answers to these questions?

Evaluation:After the KWL has been completed. The students should be experts on the Inca. The students will then go back to their seats, and in their writing journal for one minute write “Everything I know about Incas”. The students will quickly jot down everything they can think of about life for the Incas. If the students wrote five or more things, they have come away with a basic understanding of life for the Inca.

Unit Closure

As a class discuss, “Although the Inca worked hard everyday, they did find time for fun. Festivals were held for farming rituals, coronation of a new king, or war victories.”

Music: The Inca created beautiful music for their festivals using a variety of musical instruments. One of the most popular instruments was the quena, a flutes made from a piece of cane that was open at both ends and had several finger holes. The pototo was like a trumpet and was made from a large conch. Drums were made from animal skins stretched over a base of wood. Bells were shaken or worn around the ankle during dances. The Inca made rattles from snail shells, deer hoofs, animal bones, clay, and seashells filled with dried beans.

Dance: Dance was an important part of most festivals. In Cuzco, dancers wore elaborate costumes and performed specific dance steps that they had practiced beforehand. Each ceremony had its own special dance. The dancers often wore shakers or bells attached to their bodies.

We are going to have an Incan festival.

The students will be divided into five groups. They will rotate to five different centers in this festival. Inca music will be playing in the background.

The centers will be:1-Eating food of the Incas (potatoes, corn”2-Making Inca rattles. (decorated plates with beans inside)3-Creating stone carvings (carving into a small block of Styrofoam)4-Playing an Inca game5-Creating god books. (coloring and describing the different gods)

Appendix

“Aztec, Inca and Maya” Eyewitness Book

“Carolina’s Gift; A story of Peru” Katacha Diaz

“Huatya Curi and the Five Condors” Melinda Lilly

“Lost City; The Discovery of Machu Picchu” Ted Lewin

“Love and Roast Chicken” Barbara Knutson

“Secret of the Andes” Ann Nolan Clark

“You Wouldn’t Want To Be An Inca Mummy!” Colin Hynson

“The Inca” Arlette N. Braman

The Inca Kids Discover