If a male was to read this novel, he would be less likely to relate to the book it compared to a female. He would most probably think that it is a feminist book because it only focuses on the happenings in the March (the family) household which basically consisted of women. Since the book is set during the American Civil War, the majority of the characters are facing many difficulties and disruptions in their lives. However, the book only describes the hardships that the females are facing and never going into detail about the hardships of the male characters. In addition, most of plot takes place in the household, focusing on the female characters. Therefore, a male reading this book might find the plot slow-moving, with very little action. He would also claim that the issues that the March family faces are insignificant problems for males because the story focuses on domestic problems, which are usually solved by women. Lastly, a male might find it absurd that all the male characters in this novel are weak and in great need of female affection.  

If a person of low economical status was to read this book, he/she would easily relate. This is because most of the characters of this book are of the same class and most probably face similar situations. One message an underprivileged person might receive is that even though you’re poor, you can still spend time with your family and enjoy life to its fullest. The March family were poor but they managed to get through difficult moments together with love and cooperation and they were happier than most of their richer friends. One interesting point in the story is when the March family gave away their Christmas breakfast to a family that was poorer than them. A poor person might also realize that there are many people who are destitute, even poorer than them, and that they should help as much as they can.

From a racial point of view, an African American might have a different perspective on the plot and theme of the book because it concentrates very much on a typical American English family. There were no references to any African American characters, which is ironic since the Civil War, which formed the background to the novel, was fought due to their status in the society.

I believe I was a Self-Directed Learner more than any other ESLR. I was a Self-Directed Learner because I documented my work progress, demonstrated good goal setting skills, managed my time well and used my organizational skills. I documented my work progress in the Poetry Book project by seeing which pages and poems I have completed and adding them to the book. An example of how I demonstrated good goal setting skills is when I was assigned the Poetry Book project. I made goals to bind the book the weekend before it was due and I managed to accomplish that goal. I also made a goal to finish at least five to six poems on pages in one week. Although these were a little difficult, I was still determined to achieve these obtainable goals. I managed my time properly during the Poetry Book project by making sure I divided my time equally between my project and the rest of my homework. Although my organizational skills are only satisfactory, I coped by organizing what I had to do in the amount of time I had during the Poetry Book project and filing away all the completed pages so they wouldn’t get misplaced.

Furthermore, I was a Self-Directed Learner because I took creative risks and developed untried ideas, accepted responsibility for my own learning and applied appropriate learning strategies. While working on the Poetry Book, we had to design a front cover and come up with a unique way of showing our work. Since I had never done this before, it was extremely difficult. Nevertheless, I took a risk and developed a design for the book. I decided to have a sheet of gold paper in between each page and to include bold colors on the cover. In other words, I developed an untried idea that reflected me. An example of how I accepted responsibility for my own learning is when I made use of the free time in class to write poems. During this unstructured period, instead of wasting time or talking with friends, I worked diligently on my poems in order to finish them. I also read the poems out loud during class, so that I would be prepared to read them in front of an audience during the Poetry Night. Finally I applied appropriate learning strategies according to the poems I had to write. Some poems required brainstorming to generate ideas while others, like the sensory poems, required me to recollect my past experiences.

I believe I was also an Effective Communicator during this poetry unit. I listened respectfully and asked questions, utilized technology as a tool for communication, demonstrated my creative talents to convey ideas, collaborated with others in appropriate learning situations and demonstrated awareness of the role of audience. During classes, I would question matters that were not clear to me. Sometimes I clear my doubts after class as well. For the TeenLife project, we used technology as a tool for communication. In order to communicate with the people around the world, we chatted on a wikispace. My group members and I discussed issues by writing our ideas and opinions on the wikispace. Not only did we share our views, we also made some new friends. Next, I demonstrated my creative talents during the Poetry Book project and the TeenLife project. My Poetry Book has many themes in its poems and I used different ways to convey them. For instance, my pollution poem had a dull background with gray colored wordings to emphasize the theme. For the TeenLife project, I used my creative talents by taking interesting photos that portray the subject I was assigned to and also giving ideas on how to make our PowerPoint presentation or podcast. Also, when we had to take pictures for the “We are…” videos and the school video, I used my imaginative talents to convey ideas. I took pictures of ordinary objects from new angles and changed the brightness and color according to the mood. Additionally, I collaborated with others during the TeenLife project by discussing on how to show the presentation, giving ideas and writing down poems and sending photos. Finally, I demonstrated awareness of the role of the audience during the TeenLife project and when I participated for the Poetry Night. During the TeenLife project, we were presenting to a teenage/adult audience so we should have complex writing and words, not elementary vocabulary. While participating in the Poetry Night, I was reading my poem to a teenage/adult audience as well, so I should have spoken slow and altered my voice and not speak like I was speaking to kindergarten children.

Another ESLR that I believe I accomplished was being an Academic Achiever. I accessed information from a variety of sources and assessed, evaluated and adjusted work to maintain high standards. For the Poetry Book, we had to do five miscellaneous poems. Therefore, I came up with the themes by using books to get ideas, asking my parents and remembering my past experiences. Also, while working on the Poetry Book, I had to continually review what I pages I completed, see how much I did and adjust my time accordingly to finish the rest. Another example would be when I had to work on poems in class. I would write them, then rewrite them and finally do a second draft. I was also an Involved Citizen, however, I didn’t do all the things an Involved Citizen would do. I interacted respectfully with people of diverse cultures and demonstrated care and concern for the environment. Throughout the course of the TeenLife project, I talked with people from Canada, USA and Columbia. All are in different regions and have different cultures and I interacted with them respectfully. My topic in the TeenLife project was pollution, a hazard to the environment today. I showed care and concern for this matter by writing a poem showing people who caused this damage and took a picture of how pollution was affecting the world. The last but not least ESLR which I completed, was being a Critical Thinker. I built meaning and understanding using prior knowledge and new information, when it came to the short assignment about finding a poetry author. Since I had some knowledge about Emily Dickinson, I decided to use her as my author. I found out some fresh information and used known information and finished the assignment.

If I had a chance to do things differently, I would definitely change my ways of completing the Poetry Book and the TeenLife Project. For the Poetry Book, I would have organized my time better and not leave minor things to the last minute. I would also have spent more time in developing a more complex design for the cover and change the layout of the book so it had more artwork. For the TeenLife project, I would have finished everything on time, be more involved in the project and interact more to find out what is going on. Nevertheless, I still believe I did a fantastic job in this poetry unit by applying my skills and my knowledge of the ESLRs. However, the main ESLRs I used were Self-Directed Learner and Effective Communicator. Overall I have finally learned the art of writing poetry and I enjoy it much more than I did when we first started this unit. I even think I have a gift for it! All in all, I have gained plenty of knowledge about poetry and managed to accomplish ESLRs.

These are two examples of sentences I don’t understand.

Example 1: “The wrack of all my friends, nor this man’s threats to whom I am subdued, are but light to me, might I but through my prison once a day behold this maid. All corners else o’ th’ earth let liberty make use of. Space enough have I in such a prison.”

Example 2: “Vouchsafe my prayer may know if you remain upon this island, and that you will some good instruction give how I may bear me here. My prime request, which I do last pronounce, is -O you wonder!-If you be maid or no.”

These are two examples of sentences I do understand and here�are the translations.

Example 1: “Go make thyself like a nymph o’ th’ sea. Be subject to no sight but thine and mine, invisible to every eyeball else. Go, take this shape, and hither come in ‘t. Go, hence with diligence!”

Translation: “Go disguise yourself like a nymph of the sea. Be unseen to everybody except you and me, invisible to everyone else. Go and take this form and come back to this place. For this reason, go with caution!”

Example 2: “In few, they hurried us aboard a bark, bore us some leagues to sea, where they prepared a rotten carcass of a butt, not rigged nor tackle, sail, nor mast; the very rats instinctively have quit it. There they hoist us to cry to th’ sea that roared to us, to sigh to th’ winds, whose pity, sighing back again, did us but loving wrong.”

Translation: “Briefly, they hurried us aboard a small sailboat, took us for a few leagues (miles) out to sea, where they prepared a old, rotten cask, not fixed, it had neither any equipment, nor sail or mast; even the rats automatically left it. There they put us out to the sea so we can cry to the sea and roared back at us, to sigh to the winds, whose pity, sighing back again, did us by loving the wrong people.”

These are two questions about the plot.

1) Why did Prospero distribute the voyagers in different groups around the island? Why didn’t he leave them all together?

2) Why does Ariel have to be a nymph of the sea to follow Ferdinand and how does this disguise help him?

Here is a link to the actual article:

As part of our Anne Frank unit, we had to either design a memorial for Anne Frank or create a commercial that would spread her message to everyone. My teammates and I decided to design a memorial. Below, is a description of it, reasons why we used the objects we used, who did what and the ESLRs that we completed.

Light is all you can see when you enter the memorial and cautiously step onto the moving travelator disguised as a railway line. Far away in the distance, you can hear the faint noises of moving trains and horns. Then suddenly, pictures before the Holocaust appear on your left and a few precious moments of Anne Frank’s life before the dilemma appears on your right. As you gaze at these pictures and listen to the calm uplifting music, the corridor in which you are passing tightens, the light disappears, shadows fall upon you and you can distinctly here Hitler’s voice making a speech just inches from your ear. You look around but everything is covered in darkness. Soon, Hitler’s voice dies down and the marching sound of soldiers can be heard. Suddenly, you see a small light up ahead. As you reach this light, you realize that it is a spotlight on a can, filled with the gas used in gas chambers and another light is on a small model of a bed in the camp. Between these two is a wall screen, projecting pictures of people being taken away from their homes and put into trains. There is also a timeline about the Holocaust and what happened during Hitler’s reign. The train sounds get louder but you are stopped in your tracks. On your right, is a timeline about Anne Frank’s life. You are allowed to leave the travelator and wander around the place, however, you have to finish your journey.

All of a sudden, as you continue, the corridor opens up into a large circular room that is intentionally split in half. On one side, is a curved wall filled with pictures from a concentration camp in Germany, a PowerPoint presentation on how the war affected everyone in Europe and halfway is a door leading to another room. Enter this room and you will see eight touch screens, each showing a different camp in
Germany and you are able to walk through each one with a running documentary. On the other hand, the other side has seven pictures of the seven people who hid in the Secret Annex for two years and their helpers from the outside. The other side also has a separate room with eight touch screens as well. These eight touch screens take you through the Secret Annex and the different rooms in it, with written information. After visiting all this, you step onto the ‘railway line’ and leave the room. In a little while, the travelator splits into two and you choose your path. The left takes you through a corridor with wall screens depicting the aftermath of the Holocaust and the thousands that died. The place is very bright and the music is peaceful yet sad. A sense of respect and awe fills over you as you see the many brave people who stood up for their religion. Take the other path and you also feel the similar emotions. It is bright in there too and the music is the same. The wall screens explain what happened to Anne Frank and the six others who hid in the Secret Annex. If you wish, there are corridors leading back to the split of the travelator and you may take the other path. Both the paths lead back to a room that is filled with sunlight and electrical light. In the middle, on a pedestal, is a picture of the Diary of Anne Frank and several pages from within. There are two windows on either side, a little higher than usual and an open glass window on the roof. The walls have different quotes from her diary such as “In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart. I simply can’t build up my hopes on a foundation consisting of confusion, misery, and death.” Once everyone has seen them, the light dims down and the doors are closed. Spotlights come on and beautiful white doves are released from the two windows and they leave the room through the open window on top. The room has a dramatic yet tranquil music and a voice says these words, “Anne Frank always wanted to live on even after her death, her wish has come true. Her diary was discovered and now it has become the second most read book. She has carried on living, not only through her diary but also through each and every one of us. Remember that Anne Frank was only one voice among millions.” A door opens in front and everyone is allowed to leave. Outside, there is a shop where people can buy the book, The Diary of Anne Frank and various quotes from her diary engraved on a framed piece of paper.

Images, Sounds and Symbols

We used various sounds, images and symbols to stir emotions in this memorial. The sounds we used were: sad, dramatic, uplifting, calm, Hitler’s speech, trains, soldiers marching and a sound achieved from nature would be the chirping of the doves. The speech made by Hitler, trains and soldiers marching were used to create a sense of fear and anger because we wanted the people to feel how it was like to be in that depressing situation which the Jews had no control over. The sad and calm sounds were used to create sadness among the people but still make them realize that Anne Frank, a 13 year old child, was able to face this traumatic time with a positive reaction. The uplifting sounds were used for a sense of happiness and order before the Holocaust and a sense of relief after the issue ended. The dramatic sounds were mainly used only for the doves because we wanted the audience to pay attention to the doves. The chirping of the doves was used to create a sense of hope for the audience.

The images we used would fall into many categories: before the Holocaust, during the Holocaust, after the Holocaust, the Secret Annex, Anne Frank’s happy moments and the seven who hid in the Secret Annex. The images from before the Holocaust and Anne Frank’s happy moments showed how all was good in life and everything was in order. The images of during the Holocaust, the Secret Annex and the seven who hid in the Secret Annex, was meant to show how one person was able to change the lives of millions because of his dislike for that particular race. People were forced to change their lifestyle in order to save themselves and their families. The pictures depicting the aftermath of the Holocaust showed how the Holocaust had changed
Europe and the lives of people forever. The people who survived were scarred for life and millions lost their lives.

The Symbols we used were the gas cans, the duplicate of a bed at the camp, the travelator disguised as a railway line, the doves and the open windows. The gas cans and the bed at the camp symbolized the torture and pain at the camp while the moving railway line symbolized the seemingly never-ending journey that the Jews had to go through. It also symbolized the anticipation and fear that the people had to face. The open windows implied the ideas of freedom and hope that Anne Frank had and the doves signified hope as well. Another reason the doves were symbols was because they hopefully told everyone that if a young 13 year old girl can remain hopeful during the Holocaust, then why can’t we be hopeful and think positively during our daily lives.

Which is the most powerful? We would say that the sounds and music in the memorial is the most powerful. This is because, nowadays, music is a very important aspect of everyone’s life, so therefore, listening to music would spread the effect we wanted everyone to have. Music is very powerful also due to the fact that no one can stop themselves from hearing it. People can choose not to look at pictures or symbols but no one can prevent themselves from listening to music.

Please realize that this memorial is for all ages. The older ones, however, may find the Holocaust and pictures too gory, so we designed the place in such a way that the people are allowed to choose which side interests them the most: the information about the Holocaust or Anne Frank’s life during these stressful times.

ESLRs

For this project, we completed many Expected Schoolwide Learning Results (ESLRs). This project basically covered all the required ESLRs such as, Critical Thinker, Academic Achiever, Involved Citizen, Effective Communicator and Self-Directed Learner.

Critical Thinker: We managed to accomplish this ESLR because we used information from various sources, such as the internet and one main book and solved problems using a variety of strategies. One example of this would be when we had a PowerPoint presentation and didn’t know how to fit it into the project. Eventually, we altered our memorial and made space to place the presentation.

Academic Achievers: We did this ESLR by accessing information from a variety of sources. We gained knowledge from the diary of Anne Frank and found information from the internet.

Self-Directed Learners: We accepted the responsibility for our own learning by realizing that in order to accomplish this project we needed to get the information for ourselves. We took creative risks to develop untried ideas and demonstrated competency in goal setting, time management, and organizational skills. We did this by trying different ideas for the memorial and setting time goals to complete this project.

Involved Citizens: We achieved this ESLR by trying to improve other people’s lives by designing this memorial. We wanted others to know what happened during the Holocaust and learn a lesson from a simple girl that would make them a better person.

Effective Communicator: We were effective communicators because we demonstrated out creative talents to convey ideas by excelling in the task we were given. Fred used his good knowledge of computers, Honoka used her artistic talents and I used my good writing skills. We listened respectfully and asked questions to facilitate understanding and achieve insight by asking questions when we didn’t understand the other person’s thoughts about the plan of the project. We collaborated with each other to achieve goals by coming to a compromise in order to finish the project. We conveyed information through visual and written sense by creating a blueprint of the memorial, the PowerPoint presentation and writing the required information. Finally we demonstrated awareness of the role of the audience by realizing that some of the people that would come to the memorial may find the pictures too gory, so we separated the memorial.

Who Did What?

This project was quite complex and due to the time restraint, we had to divide the work equally among the three of us. Our team managed to complete the project and we are extremely proud of ourselves. After deciding what to do, all three of us sat down together and jointly came up with the creative ideas and excellent plans. Honoka and I (Arathi), planned out the memorial and Fred designed the short movie on a PowerPoint document. Although we planned separately, we still advised each other and took the comments into consideration. Afterwards, when the real work began, Honoka worked on the blueprint of the memorial and Fred completed the PowerPoint presentation and wrote a description explaining it. Finally, I did the write-up: the description, the reasons, the ESLRs and who did what. Honoka and Fred were very efficient in completely their tasks and the final outcome is really good. I also believe that I did a good job of completing my task as well. We believe that this project was very interesting, partly because it allowed us to openly express our ideas and partly because it meant working with others and collaborating with them. Thank You Mr. R for this interesting project!

Some pictures of our project:

Sophie: Oh there you are. I was wondering how late you were gonna be today.
Evie: I had to wait for my brother and dad to get ready. Hope that’s ok with you.
Sophie: (sarcastic) Of course it is! (whisper) Yeah right!
(Awkward Pause)
Evie: So… let’s�get started. Ok then, you four go over there and start practicing your passes. You six go shoot some hoops, hmm…oh and you…you pump up some balls, they are way too soft!!
Sophie: Excuse me!
Evie: Yeah what?
Sophie: I am the team leader. Remember the coach changed leaders! So stop bossing everyone around and…hmm…let me think…you can pump up those balls yourself!! Oh no, I forgot, you can’t because…
Evie: You’re the new captain? How can you be the new captain? I’m way better than you and…and you’ve only been playing this sport for a year. I’ve played this sport since 1st grade!!
Sophie: So, you think you’re better than me, do you? You have to be kidding me, the coach hated you and thought I was much better anyways. So it was meant to be like this and you can do nothing about it! Oh and by the way…
Evie: WHAT NOW?
Sophie: I’m really sure the coach will agree with me…
Evie: Agree with you on what?
Sophie: We don’t need boring, forever late losers like you on this team so get lost! (Turns around) WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?!! THERE’S NOTHING TO SEE HERE!!!!
(Evie wakes up confused)
Jake: (Knocks on the door) Hey, can I come in?
Evie: Huh, what?(comes back to earth) ‘course
Jake: WOW, look at you, you look terrible! What happened? Seems like you had a fight or something!
Evie: Well…yeah kinda.
Jake: WHAT!! Someone came in here? A stranger? Oh no, I’d better call the police!
Evie: Calm down, Jake…no one came in here…except you…oh and stop looking in my diary. Anyways, I had a really bad dream involving a teammate of mine.
Jake: What’s your teammate’s name?
Evie: Sophie…you know her?
Jake: Well…let me think…she’s in our grade…she eats at our table…I went out with her…but then she dumped me…still friends…yeah, I think I know her. What about her?
Evie: You dated her? How could you have dated that pest? She’s a living nightmare.
Jake: You know, when I dated her, she was really nice, kind, sweet, polite (Starts to have a flashback but suddenly comes back) But what about her?
Evie: She’s…
Jake: WAIT, I know, she’s your new best friend!!
Evie: Huh, not exactly what I was going to say…but let me tell you that her being my new best friend would have been a really really bad nightmare!!…and all that stuff you said about her being nice and polite, well she certainly isn’t that now…she’s really annoying and I hate her! (Is really angry)
Jake: Anyways, what happened in your dream?
Evie: Well, she took my place as the team captain and…and she also said that she wanted to kick me off the team.
Jake: She thinks you are not good enough?
Evie: I don’t know…but ever since I joined the team, we have won every single tournament.
Jake: Hey don’t worry…you’re the best player I have ever seen! Remember your first day of school? Remember how you beat everyone else in our grade and even some of the high schoolers!
Evie: Those were some good times.
Jake: See, why would she want to kick a fantastic player like you off the team?
Evie: Because she hates me more than anything!
Jake: And she’s willing to hurt the team’s chances of winning because she doesn’t like you?
Evie: Well, according to the dream she didn’t seem to care.
Jake: Wait, you can’t be serious…you actually think that a dream saying you got kicked out of the team may come true?
Evie: Umm…I don’t know…maybe this dream is a warning and it is telling me that…
Voice: Hurry up and get ready! You don’t want to be late for training do you?
Jake: Well this is getting really ridiculous…I’d better go…see you later then, ok? And stop worrying, everything is going to be fine!(He exits)
(Evie is still worried but gets ready)
Evie: I really hope none of this will come true!
(Evie leaves)
(Few minutes later in the gym, Sophie is waiting)
(Evie rushes in)
Sophie: Oh there you are, I was wondering how late you were gonna be today.
Evie: I had to wait for my brother and my dad to get ready. Hope that’s ok with you.
Sophie: (sarcastic) Of course it is (whispers) Yeah right!
(Awkward pause)
Evie: So…let’s get started. Ok then, you four go over there and start practicing your passes. You six go shoot some hoops, hmm…oh and you…you pump up some balls, they are way too soft!!
Sophie: Excuse me!
Evie: Yeah what? (Worried look)
~END~

Drama was a different yet exciting class that I thoroughly enjoyed. Although I was only there for half the class, I found it lots of fun. We worked on our appearances and practiced our scenes. Even though I enjoyed everything that we did, I have to say that acting out our scenes was the most thrilling. I particularly enjoyed this activity because I was able to see myself improving in my acting skills and learnt how to get into my character. The performance at the end was nerve-wrecking but I’m glad I did it because it gave me more experience. Overall, I found Drama one of the most interesting classes and I would give anything to do it again!

Step 1:
Where did the Aztecs originally live? What prompted them to relocate? Where did they end up and why? Chose an artifact, which you feel best, represents this event. Support your choice
Step 1:
They came from Atzlan, somewhere in the North West Mexico
The Aztecs relocated because their chief had a vision of their main god telling them to go to a swampy lake with a cactus, eagle and snake. After days and years of traveling, they came to the swampy land, just like their chief’s vision. They stayed at this place and named it Tenochtitlan after their chief. They ended up there because the vision came true.

Step 2:
The Aztecs ended up in the middle of a lake and built their new capital Tenochtitlan. What were the pros and cons of settling in the middle of a lake? Describe the lay of the land and chose an image for your exhibit.

Pros: lots of water and irrigation is easy. Crops were easy to grow because there was plenty of water. Vegetation was great in that area.
Cons: the land was swampy and snake infested. Parts were missing, the soil was really damp. The surrounding area was taken up by another tribe and they were very mean and vicious.
The land: the land was a swampy, snake-infested island but the Aztecs still started their home there. They made floating gardens, otherwise known as chinampas, by filling the empty parts with soil and grew crops with irrigation. It was built on the Lake Texcoco and although it was damp, the Aztecs managed to come up with the chinampa system. They also made canals running through the land so people could travel from one section to another via canoe or foot. They made beautiful temples and other buildings and soon it became the most beautiful city in the world (they built their temples etc on dry land only). They planted many trees to strengthen the soil.

Step 3:
Which gods were worshiped? The pyramids were built for what purpose?
The Aztecs worshipped many gods and goddesses. Their main god was Huitzilopochtli, the god of war and was a very important god. He told the Aztecs to go and make a living in the swampy land. His name actually means Warrior of the South and he comes in the form of a blue hummingbird with warrior clothing. When he comes to the earth, he is said to come in the form of an eagle. Due to the fact that he was also a sun god, the Aztecs believed that he needed ‘daily nourishment’. This ‘nourishment’ consisted of the blood and the heart of human beings. The Aztecs sacrificed certain humans and offered their hearts at the temples.
Tezcatlipoca, the god of the night sky and the Great Bear constellation, was another god that the Aztecs worshipped. Because his name means Smoking Mirror, his form has a mirror in place of one of his feet. He was known as the protector of slaves and punished wrong-doers by sending them sickness or by giving them poverty and slavery. This god also received a sacrifice every year on the fifth month.
The Aztecs adopted Xipe Totec, the god of new vegetation and spring, as a god during 1469-81. He wore masks and always had new, flayed skin on him. Another god was Quetzalcoatl, the god of morning and evening star. He was a symbol of death and resurrection, but also was one of the major gods for the Aztecs. The rest of the gods were important as well. These gods are Chalchiuhtlicue, god of the water and Tlaloc, god of rain.
The pyramids are beautiful, each with its own different style of design. The pyramids were usually a place to worship the gods and also make the sacrifices, such as human sacrifices. The

Step 4:
Who are the different members of Aztec society? What are their roles? Choose an artifact that represents the social order of Aztec society.
The Aztec society consisted of three classes: the slaves, the commoners and the nobles. The slaves were poor and worked for the nobles and the commoners. The kids of the poor could be sold into slavery but they could also buy their own freedom. The commoners were the most abundant social group and were known as the macehualtin. They were usually engaged in agriculture and common trades. Although most of their products were sold, they were allowed to keep their products as well. Many commoners were allowed to own areas of land for a lifetime but the lowest group of commoners, the peasants, were not (they only were allowed to farm). The nobles were nobles through birth, priests and/or those who proved themselves and earned their rank. The nobles, along with the warrior and priests, were the most respected in Aztec culture. The nobles received the top positions in the government and the leader was a noble as well. Overall, the slaves worked as maids etc for the nobles and commoners, the commoners were the farmers and looked over the agriculture, and finally the nobles held the top positions in the government.

Step 5:
The Aztecs have a spoken language. What was it called? Did they use any other forms of communication? Include an example of either written or visual language of the Aztecs.
The Aztecs spoke a language known as Nahuatl, a language spoken by many Indian tribes in western North America. In this language, pictographs were used to communicate through writing. Some of the pictographs represented sounds of syllables and others symbolized ideas and thoughts. It is said that that the Aztec writing came from the Mixtec writing and is logographic. This language is not written in alphabetical form but written with pictures and symbols known as glyphs.

Step 6:
How did the Aztecs grow food and what was their main crop? Did they trade and with whom? Did they have a currency (money)? Find an image for your exhibit about making a living Aztec style.

The Aztecs grew their crops in many places. One of the major places was the terraces. The terraces were steps going down a hill to control the amount of water passing through. They also built chinampas which helped the growth of the crops. The chinampas were built by making big reed mats and covering them up with mud. The chinampas were rooted to the ground through plant roots; however, they did seem to float. The chinampas helped to extend the area for crops to grow on. Therefore, many crops were able to grow, such as corn, chili peppers, squash, tomatoes, beans and many more. Their main crop was corn because it was used to make their main food, tlaxcalli, a thin cornmeal pancake or more commonly known as tortilla. Scooping up food and wrapping up food were a few of the reasons why tlaxcallis were important to Aztec civilization. The Aztecs also ate meat such as deer, rabbits, ducks, geese, turkeys and dogs.
Trade was very important to the Aztecs and therefore, they traded with many other cities and civilizations. They traded with the people in the Maya zone and even the people in today’s Panama! The Aztecs had many different types of currency but cacao was the main form of currency.

Step 7:
Discuss the Impact of Spanish Contact 1519 from both the Aztec point of view and the Spanish point of view. Find an image depicting this event.
Spanish point of view: the Spanish believed that it was a good thing that they arrived in Tenochtitlan. They appreciated the Aztecs and admired their wealth and gold. They didn’t like the fact that the Aztecs sacrificed human beings for their gods. They wanted to preach Christianity and convert them. Cortes was treated like a god when he arrived in the city but realized that if a war was to break out, the Spaniards were greatly outnumbered. Therefore, he arrested Montezuma, to prevent him from plotting a war against the Spanish. While Cortes went to fight the army that arrived to arrest him, he left a man in charge. However, this man arrested leaders and killed some Aztecs fearing that they would attack them. The Aztecs revolted and attacked them. Many Spaniards fell and therefore, it was called the night of tears. Soon though, Cortes managed to recapture the city and destroyed the inhuman Aztec civilization.
Aztec point of view: the Aztecs didn’t like the Spanish invading their city and disrupting the peace that the Aztecs had. The emperor Montezuma, heard of the attack from the Spanish and believed that Cortes was actually the god, Quetzalcoatl, in the form of a human being. Luckily for Cortes, he arrived the year that the prophecy mentioned above was to come true and therefore, Montezuma decided to welcome Cortes with open arms. Soon, he began to doubt Cortes and didn’t believe he was a god. He decided to give Cortes a big sum of Aztec gold, hoping that he would leave. Unfortunately, Cortes had heard about the Aztec’s immense wealth and wanted even more. Cortes then decided to hold the emperor prisoner hoping to gain more Aztec riches. One time, while Cortes was away, the man left in charge, treated the Aztecs very cruelly and massacred many Aztecs at a religious ceremony. Soon that became the last straw and the Aztecs began lashing out. They surrounded the Spaniards and killed them. Cortes, under great pressure, let Montezuma go and hoped he would calm them down. But, the fierce warriors of the Aztecs thought Montezuma was a traitor for going with Cortes and killed him as well. The Aztecs continued living in their style but the Spaniards spread a disease to them a disease called small pox. Cortes was in a lot of despair and fought back. Fortunately, the Aztec over threw them and killed them. After a few years, Cortes built up his army again and went back to fight the Aztecs. Unfortunately, he won. He conquered the once great city and over 40,000 Aztecs lay dead.

Step 8:
Discuss La Malinche or Dona Marina. Debate her positive/negative impact on Mexico past and present. What does the term Mestizo refer to? What influences remain today from Aztec culture of the past

She was known as Dona Marina or La Malinche, the slave, interpreter, secretary, mistress and mother of the first Mexican. The very mention of her name still stirs controversy among the Mexicans and Spanish. She had many positive and negative impacts on Mexico. She was born as an Aztec but was given away by her mom to some traveling traders. Soon she became a slave and was sold to Cortes. She helped with the negotiations between Cortes and Montezuma when he arrived in the Aztec Empire. She knew the Aztec language and Mayan language and quickly picked up the Spanish language. She was a loyal servant and loved her master.
Positive: she helped with the negotiations between Cortes and the Emperor Montezuma by translating what Montezuma said to Spanish and vice-versa. Due to her translating skills, she saved many lives from being lost. She was a strong, determined and fearless woman who is said to have protected Mexico from its fierce and blood-thirsty rulers. She also helped make the first friendly relations between the Aztecs and Spaniards.
Negative: through her negotiations, she allowed Cortes to convert the Aztecs into Christianity and prevent them from continuing their own religion.