American
History Year One
Books and Materials List for Topic 10
This page contains the books and materials (plus reviews) used in our American history curriculum topic 10. This topic will explore the Aztecs, Incas and Maya as well as Spanish exploration.
Books and Materials for Topic 10
Ancient
Inca [videorecording] / produced and directed by JWM Productions ; producer,
Ann Carroll. Wynnewood, Pa. : Schlessinger Media, c2004.
“Join archaeologist Arizona Smith and a
young detective-in-training as they visit the Andes Mountains to explore the civilization
of the Incas.”
Topic 10
Ancient
Maya [videorecording] / produced and directed by JWM Productions ; producer,
Ann Carroll.Wynnewood, Pa.: Schlessinger Media, c2004.
“Join archaeologist Arizona Smith and a
young detective-in-training as they explore the Mayan civilization of Central
America and Mexico.”
Topic 10
You’ll
need to decide if you feel comfortable about your child reading about sacrificial
Peruvian mummies. This is a fascinating book with National Geographic
photos. It's not necessary to check out this book if you watch the ice mummies
movie below.
Topic 10
Exploration
and Conquest : The Americas After Columbus: 1500-1620 (The American Story)
(by Betsy and Giulio Maestro)
This book gives a broad overview of European
exploration of the New World and contains engaging, colorful illustrations. There
are a lot of names and dates that most likely will not "stick" but that's
o.k. - it's the framework we will fill in with "stories" and more in-depth
information as we go along. This is an excellent book to get the "big picture".
Topic 10
Otter's rating: 5 stars
Ice
Mummies. Frozen in Heaven a BBC/Horizon Nova/WGBH co-production.
"In
September 1996, high-altitude archaeologist Johan Reinhard led an expedition to
the summit of Sara Sara in Peru in search of frozen sacrificial mummies."
This
was an interesting movie that all our children enjoyed. It talked about the sacrificial
mummies found in the snow covered mountains of Peru. You learn about Inca beliefs,
archeology, and get to see an anthropologist trying to uncover evidence of "capa
cocha", a ritual in which the Incas were said to sacrifice their own children
to the gods.
Please be aware that it talks about
child sacrifice and shows the mummified bodies of the sacrificial victims.
Topic 10
Lost
Temple of the Aztecs: What it was Like When the Spaniards Invaded Mexico
(by
Shelley Tanaka) 48 pages
"Uses the discovery of the temple in Mexico
City, what was the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan, to introduce the story of the Spanish
conquest of Moctezuma and his empire in the sixteenth century."
This
book has beautiful paintings, informative sidebars that aid in understanding,
photographs of archeological treasures and more. The story itself is told from
the perspective of the Aztecs and is told in such a way that it is easy to remember
and understand. Please be aware that it does talk about
human sacrifice and other violent acts and shows photographs of real skulls
Topic 10
Otter's rating: 4 stars
Secrets
of Lost Empires. Vol. 5 Inca
a NOVA production by the WGBH/Boston Science
Unit and BBC-TV
Explore ideas on how the Inca made their buildings and
temples out of stone and watch modern day villagers build a 150 foot suspension
bridge out of grass! This informative DVD will enhance your understanding of the
ancient Inca and show how people today try to interpret the past.
Topic 10
Otter's rating: 5 stars
Secret
of the Andes (by Ann Nolan Clark) 120 pages
Although
this book can be "slow moving"at times, it's worth the read.
Cusi,
an Indian llama shepherd boy raised by an old man in a remote valley of the Andes,
has a mystery surrounding who he is. As he descends from the Peruvian highlands
to the city of Cuzco looking for what his heart desires, he begins a process of
discovering the answers to the questions that have been haunting his days and
dreams. This is a slow and sweet book filled with beautiful imagery and conveys
what it "really" means to be part of a family.
Topic 10
Otter's rating: 5 stars
The Conquistadors and the Aztecs
[videorecording] / Ohana Foundation.
"Features what happened between the
years 1519 and 1521 when the conquistadors destroyed the mighty Aztec Empire of
Mexico and turned it into a colony of Spain. "
Topic 10
The
Corn Grows Ripe (by Dorothy Rhoads)
"Tigre, a twelve-year-old Mayan
boy living in a modern-day village in Yucatâan, must learn to be a man when his
father is injured. " From this book you will learn some of the culture and
customs of the Maya as well as some modern day Spanish.
Topic 10
Otter's rating: 0 stars
PLUS
The Story of the U.S.A. Book 1
History Pockets: Explorers of North America
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