Maya Class Newspaper Project

Objective:Students will create and write news articles on the Maya civilization.

Due Date:

Directions:

Students will imagine themselves as citizens of 14th century Maya civilization. The class will put together a newspaper based on the daily life of the Mayan people. Each student will contribute at least one article to the newspaper. Students should be creative with their articles and make it stand out. You will be working in groups and be given a role.

Sections of the Newspaper:

1. Front Cover

2. Sports

3. Law and Politics

4. Religion

5. Food and Entertainment

Each page will be required to have the following:

  1. Title of the page
  2. 3-5 articles with title and reporter’s name.
  3. At least 2 artwork or pictures
  4. Credit section (Names and roles of members in the group)
  5. An advertisement (optional)

Roles:

Editor (1) – An editor will be the leader of the group. He or she will keep everyone on task and meet the deadline. The editor will make sure the article meets the standard and is free of any errors. The editor must give final approval of the article/piece before giving it to layout.

Layout (1-2) – This person will be responsible for the layout of the page. They are the ones who decide where each article, picture, and heading will go on the final page. They will make sure that the page is neat, creative, and eye-catching.

Artist (1-2) – The artist is responsible for adding pictures to the page. Make sure the pictures have color to it! Artists may also want to think of advertisements to add to the page.

Ideas for Pages:

Here are some ideas and suggestions for articles for your page. Of course, you are free to come up with one of your own topics.

  1. Front Cover – These articles are newsworthy to be on the front cover. Topics can also be related to the other pages, but these news articles are what the people want to read! Pictures and headlines should be eye-catching.
  • Disastrous weather
  • Building a new pyramid or building
  • New celebrity in town
  • Scandal in the royal family
  1. Sports - Articles should be based on the Maya ball game we learned in class.
  • Recap of a game
  • Biography of a player
  • Trade news
  • New stadium being built
  • Interview a player
  1. Law and Politics – Articles should be based on the King and any laws he may have passed.
  • Interview with the King
  • New laws the King may have passed
  • News of protest in the kingdom
  • Meetings between Kings
  1. Religion – Incorporate the Maya religion and practices into their everyday lives.
  • Article about yesterday’s sacrifice
  • Important dates coming up
  • Gods sightings
  • Reports on miracles
  • Interviews with priest
  1. Food and Entertainment– This section will reflect the most on every day Maya life. Try to make this fun and creative.
  • Recipes
  • Restaurant or food review
  • Interview with a cook
  • Comic strips
  • Astrology/Horoscope
  • Future predictions
  • Math puzzles
  • Word puzzles
  • Advice column