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October 6, 2008
CAPE History
Grade 12
Theme: Indigenous Societies
Topic: Maya and Taino societies
Duration ; 1 hour
Goal of lesson: Students will appreciate the demands of CAPE history with respect to written responses to essay questions and be able to analyse their own responses in light of expected answers.
Objectives:
Students should be able to :
-Provide evidence on Taino and maya socities to respond to questions.
- Produce a coherent and grammatically well crafted response.
-demonstrate the organizational ability to arrange information effectively to produce a written response.
-demonstrate the ability to compare and contrast information to respond to a set question.
Resources and materials:
Students essays- marked and graded.
Notes- previously researched and recorded by students .
Norman, A. (1986) The People Who Came Bk. 1
Newspaper Article “
Lesson Outline and instructional Sequence
Step 1
Teacher will replace questions on whiteboard.
Questions
1. Examine the differences in the social and political structure in the pre-columbian period of the Maya amd Taino. 15 marks
2. For the Maya and Taino, explain the similarities and differences between their agricultural practices beforetheir contact with the Europeans. 15 marks.
Step 2
Class generated model answers for each question. With reference to the literature available on the topic. 30 -40 minutes
Step 3
Students will receive their marked assignment. They will then compare their responses to the mode answers generated
10 minutes
Culminating activity: Students will express thoughts , feelings on exercise.
10 minutes
Notes for Model responses:
Question 1
Political organization
Lived in independent city-states. Had a rigid class system. Each class had its own duties and rights down to clothing and accessories. Each city state had a leader called a halach unich or ‘real man” – hereditary leader. Father to son. Brother of leader could be selected. Or the council of nobles can select successor.
Leader & Nobles were followed by farmers and artisans. Ppolms or merchants also existed. Merchants had their own gods. They had their own rules and did not pay taxes or do agricultural work or build roads. Performed role in foreign affairs and acted as spies in war.
Made possible trade between city states. Mayas carried on trade by sea and land- believed to have trades as far as Cuba and Jamaica.
Nobles wore a lot of jewellery over basic garment. Ear and nose rings and garment dyed in different colours. On ceremonial occasions noblemen decorated themselves with feathered head dresses made on wicker frames nearly as large as themselves. Only the leader and outstanding warriors were permitted to wear feathers of the quetzal bird in their head- dress.
Priest-astronomers- foretold the changes of weather and season.
Religion was one of the most important foundation of the maya civilization. Called Temple-cities.
The maya sacrificed war prisoners to the gods but many wars were fought with other maya tribes. They sometimes fought to get land for agriculture or to get slaves.
Wealthy Noble built houses of stones. Commoners houses made of wattle and thatch .
Women responsible for caring for house and children. However they were responsible for much of the agricultural labour , mainly sowing, weeding and reaping. Women made the garments and head dresses for the nobles.
Women and girls considered inferior and socialized to accept this role. Women for example had to lower head and step aside if they encountered a man . They had to lower their gaze in the presence of a man. Women were not permitted to look directly at a man, or worse, to laugh at him as this was considered a serious misconduct which was severely punished. A mother might pinch her daughter, rub her eyes with red pepper or beat her it she failed to act “properly” towards a man.
No woman could inherit property. M en inherited everything.
No prisons existed in Maya society. Thieves were expected to work off the value of their theft.
Taino
Villages built around ceremonial plaza . Chief’s house built next to ball court. Well planned, highly organized villages. Each village ruled by headman. Province ruled by cacique. Headman ruled work of village , deciding when land should be prepared, crops planted and harvested. Surplus stored for distribution in the community. All work done communally. Commoners and slaves worked. Nobles supervised work.
Headman religious leader of the village also judge. Few laws . Most serious offence-theft.
Cacique had 2 roles. He was headman in his village but was top headman over the province. Ruled in consultation with nobles or nitaynos-decided who should go to war and when. Could levy land tax could be in form of africultural goods or weapons. He could take it in the form of warriors . Cacique was all powerful. Inherited his position. But recognized matrilineal descent. Cacique might be female. Nobles inherited their positions. Commoners could not escape their class. Strong class structure.
Cacique had many privileges.Received part of the harvest for himself and his family. Special cassava cakes were made for him. His bohio was made for him by the village men. Larger than other homes.- wattle and thatch.
Cacique and family Wore different types of ornaments from commoners.
Special transportation , special burial.
Question 2
1. Taino - ate a great variety of fish mainly shellfish, grouper, snapper, grunt, jack, parrot, barracuda. Objects resembling fishing nets were found by archaeologists . Fish were bred in artificial ponds. Turtles were caught using the remora ( sucker fish) to which the fisherman attached a line as it swam alongside the canoe. Birds were caught by nooses, snares, and nets. They caught waterbirds as well by making holes in calabashes or gourds and swimming slowly with it on their head. Hunting took place although there were no large animals. Coneys were hunted at nights using clubs and carrying torches. The gian lizard, the iguanas were caught by imitating their cries then stuffing their jaws to prevent defensive action, then plucking them off the trees. Yellow snakes and manatees were also hunted.
The women worked in rows, each woman carrying a bag of soaked grain around herneck. She made a hole with her digging stick, threw a few grains of corn into it with her left hand. They planted cassava ( yucca or manioc). They use fish and ash fertilizer mixed with the soil to prolong its fertility. Arawaks are believed to have used an irrigation system as irrigation trenches have been found in Cuba and Hispaniola.
Some Arawak tribes were believed to have practiced a type of intensive type of agriculture which made it possible to support large villages. This technique was called the cunoco. This involved heaping soil into mounds in which a variety of plants were placed . eg. In one mound cassava might be planted along with corn and climbing plants like beans. The mounds helped to reduce soil erosion.
Arawak agriculture suffered from inability to store food over an extended period. This hindered their ability to maintain very large populations , unlike groups like the Maya.
Some arawak tribes practiced slash and burn agriculture which changed fields every few years and burning out new clearings twice a year when soil was damp and corn was planted on hillsides during the period of the new moon and after the start of the rains.
Children were involved in agriculture in that they were placed on platforms during the growing season to scare away birds.
Important crops were corn and cassava. Yam, beans, cotton and tobacco.
Maya:
Agriculture develoed beyong subsistence farming. Strict regulations related to land ownership existed in maya society. Land use was also regulated. They had careful plans for storage of surplus foods and distributed stored food during times of need. Land belonged to the whole tribe/clan as a gift from God.
Each married man and his wife were entitled to only 400 sq. ft. of land , called a hun unic. Surplus grains or other non-perishable crops were collected and stored in storehouses called chultunes. There is no evidence that the Maya practiced irrigation.
Many gods had to do with farming or the weather.
The Maya had great watering holes formed by breaking away the limestone crust of rock and exposing the underground pools and streams underneath. Most maya city state had two of these cenotes. One was used to supply water the other was used as a sacrificial well into which young girls were ceremonially thrown in order as the Maya thought, to bring rain.
Most of the Maya soldiers were not professional warriors,but farmers so they could not leave their home for long periods to fight wars. Sometimes they fought wars to gain land for agriculture .
They provided domestic water supply by damming and cementing ravines.
Created on 10/5/2008 10:28:00 PM
Evaluation:
Class did not go as planned as after step 1 teacher decided on a modification of strategy: instead of doing 2 model answers it was decided instead to write notes relevant to the topic on the board this was copied by students who were then instructed to write a new response to question 1 for homework.
This will be discussed in class then submitted on Tuesday, October 7, 2008.
A revised lesson plan will be created to complete the lesson on Tuesday.
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Grade 12
Theme: Indigenous Societies
Topic; Maya and Taino societies : a comparaison
Goal of lesson: For students to understand the significance of making accurate, well organized notes from multiple sources and demonstrate understanding by using information in a variety of ways.
Objectives.
Students should be able to:
-Compare and contrast information on the maya and Taino societies.
-use information to create a table of information
Resources and materials
The People Who Came Bk . 1 - notes written on whiteboard re agricultural practices of Maya and Taino.
Students’ completed assignment ( table comparing and contrasting agricultural practices of groups).
Instructional sequence
Step 1. A table consisting of 2 columns will be created on whiteboard. 1 coulumn labeled MAYA and the other labeled TAINO.
Step 2. Students will be selected in a random manner to write relevant information on the board. After each contribution, students will assess the accuracy of the information and clarify or seek clarification, as necessary.
Culminating activity
Teacher will ask students to discuss differences in the exercisebetween the first and second attempt at answering the question. Discuss possible reasons for these differences.
Evaluation.
Exercise went well as students participated willingly in completing table. Students largely volunteered their responses so teacher did not have to call on them, except to ensure that a wide cross section of students were given the chance to participate. The information supplied was generally accurate but some items were still controversial, eg. Whether the Maya practiced irrigation.
With respect to culminating activity, students largely supplied the responses hope for by the teacher by stating that the second attempt at the question was more comfortable for them as they felt better equipped with information, thus they were able to better organize and express their ideas as well as the data.
Home work assignment:
Stdents are to revise their notes on the Vikings and Africans in order to answer past paper question on topic in Wednesday’s class.
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Grade 12
Theme ; Pre-Columbian contacts
Topic : Viking and African presence before 1492: writing the essay
Duration of session: 2 hours
Goal of Lesson: For students to understand the mechanics of essay writing at the advanced level and to work co-operatively to produce well written essays on the topic.
Objectives:
Students should be able to :
- Discuss the evidence presented for and against pre-columbian Viking and African contacts.
- Answer essay question on the topic
- Work in groups to produce written responses to set questions.
- share their work willingly and effectively with others.
Resources and materials:
Students’ notes from previous class presentations.
Students own notes on topic.
CAPE past paper questions.
Group 1
Classwork October 8, 2008
Question:
Comment on the claims that Nordic and West African people came to the Americas before Columbus.
Students:
Karesha Allen
Lavonne Duffus
Juliessa Heathe
Monique Mitchell
Romae Rowe
Group 2
Classwork October 8, 2008
Question:
Evaluate the evidence of West African presence in the Americas in the pre-Columbian period.
Students;
Sashel Bennett
Shanna-Kay Durrant
Sherneika Jackson
Phylicia Morgan
Tiffany Samuels
Group 3
Classwork October 8, 2008
Question
Assess the evidence of Viking and African presence in the Americas in the pre-Columbian period.
Students;
Rashida Bignall
Truddi-Ann Dyce
Petrece Martin
Tashaine Morrison
Carlyn Telfer
Group 4
Classwork, October 8, 2008
Question:
Assess the evidence of Viking presence in the Americas in the pre-Columbian period.
Students:
Kayan Douglas
Suelan Ford
Shenae McLaren
Shaslanda Nicholson
Arantxa Clarke
Instructional Sequence
Step 1
Teacher will distribute papers each containing 1 question and the names of students in the group. There will be 4 groups comprising 5 students each. 5 minutes.
Step 2
Students will meet in groups to discuss question and to write a group response( essay) 1 hour
Step 3
each group will present its question and its answer to the class.
4 x 10 minutes = 40 minutes
Culminating activity:
Students will discuss the importance of the exercise and lessons learnt. They will reflect on the extent to which it has impacted both their understanding of the topic and the demands of the CAPE syllabus, especially with respect of essaywriting.
Evaluation:
Groups took an average time of 2 hours to complete assignment and some groups needed additional time. Step 3 was therefore postponed until Thursday’s class.
Students demonstrated a high level of dependence on the teacher for assistance although groups worked better together than the previous group exercise. This aspect still needs much work.
3 of the 4 groups produced essays of 2 pages but 1 group produced about a paragraph at the end of 2 hours. This is to be investigated as to cause , when presentation is to take place.
On Thursday, class was not held however due to heavy showers which prevented movement of students and teachers.