Maggie s Activity Pack Name Date Places to Visit in Mexico! Seeing the Heavens at Chichen Itza While people in Europe were still in the Dark Ages, the Mayans had done many interesting things. They mapped the heavens. They came up with the only true writing system native to the Americas. They were great mathematicians. Long ago in the Mexican state of Yucatan, the Mayans did a lot of building. The place is called Chichen Itza. This name comes from Mayan words. The word Chi means mouth. Chen means well. Itza is the tribe that lived in the area. One well known building is El Caracol. It is a round building with a tower. Inside there is a spiral staircase. The top has small windows in the walls. These windows face the points of the compass. The Mayans used El Caracol as an astronomical observatory. They also used it for religious ceremonies. The Mayans had advanced ideas. Chichen Itza comes from Mayan words meaning mouth, well, and a Mayan tribe. El Caracol was used to study space. Maggie is reading about Mexico. Read each chapter that tells about places to visit. After you read, give each chapter a title. Then write 3 main ideas about the chapter. For example, in the first chapter on the next page, one of the main ideas is that this city is now a World Heritage Site. You might write: Now a World Heritage Site.
_ Guanajuato is the capital city of the Mexican state of the same name. Long ago, the people thought the place was ugly. That is why they gave it the name they did. Guanajuato comes from words that mean place of frogs. This is because they thought the area was only fit for frogs! But then the Spanish found silver in the area. Money from silver mining helped pay for beautiful buildings in the city. Today there is a university in it. The buildings have a Spanish flavor. There are winding streets, covered bridges, and beautiful arches. There are many churches and Nations named it a World Heritage Site. The center of the town is at the bottom of a steep canyon. This means the streets are very steep. Don t plan on riding in your car. They re not allowed. Instead you can move through the subterraneo. This used to be a sewer. Now it s an underground street! It s fun to see the Callejon del Beso. Translate this into English and you have Street of the Kiss. The street has this name because it is so narrow that two people can lean out of their windows and kiss!
Visit the Gray Whale National Park, and you won t be sorry. Between January and March these gentle mammals of the sea migrate from the cold waters off Alaska. They come down the Pacific coast of the United States to the warm water in and around Scammon s Lagoon. Here they have their baby gray whales. Be sure to take your binoculars. You can take a boat tour to see these animals and their offspring. These big babies are about 15 feet when born. They tip the scales at 2,000 pounds. The mothers and babies don t seem to mind human visitors. Some of them will even swim close enough for you to pet them! But be careful, the mothers weigh about one ton per foot! In March, mother and baby start the long migration back to colder waters. A gray whale travels about 15,000 miles each year! Here s a fun gray whale fact: just as people are right handed or left handed, whales prefer one side over another. Over 90% of gray whales are right-sided!
Just off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula is a little island called Isla Mujeres. You can take a ferry to this small fishing village. You can shop, swim, or sunbathe. This is a good place if you like to snorkel. The reefs have many colorful fish. Bring your mask and fins to see this underwater world in action. There is a wonderful underwater park at the south end of Isla Mujeres. Many brightly colored fish call this reef home. There is even a snorkeling area where you can swim with nurse sharks! If you are a good diver, you can visit The Cave of the Sleeping Sharks. This place was discovered by a local fisherman. He swam into the cave and saw some sharks. He was surprised because they did not attack him. He dove down further. He saw the sharks were sleeping with their eyes open! The mixture of salt and fresh water makes the sharks sleepy. But be careful! These ARE wild animals. We can never predict their behavior!
Over 300 species of birds call the Celestun Wildlife Refuge home. Mexico declared this area a Special Biosphere Reserve in 1989. This is because flamingo and other birds come to the area to feed. There are different environments in the refuge. Mangrove swamps are found here. Mangroves are one of the few trees that can live in salt water. They are important to the food chain. Like all plants, the mangroves use the sun s energy to make organic material. Many little invertebrates eat this organic material. Fish, birds, and mammals eat invertebrates. There are also salty mudflats here. Flamingoes love these mudflats. The only wild population of flamingoes in mainland North America lives in this area. Flamingoes live in large flocks. Each flock can number thousands of birds. They spend their time wadding in knee deep water. They are seen along the muddy salt flats of the Celestun Wildlife Refuge. They eat tiny organisms. It is the chemicals in their food that give flamingoes their pink color.
Guadalajara is the second biggest city in Mexico. It is a busy business center. But it also is known for the wonderful artists and craftsman who work here. The city has many monuments, parks, fountains, and tree-lined streets. One of the most famous dances in the world, the Mexican hat dance started here. You can do this dance by learning 4 easy steps. Repeat 1, 2, 3, 4 in your head. Move your feet and arms. Clap your hands. Mariachi bands were also born in this city of art. Mariachi refers to a kind of music and to the group that plays this music. Today you will see mariachi musicians dressed in silver studded outfits wearing wide-brimmed hats. The people play different instruments like violins, guitars, and trumpets. The songs they play and sing can be about heroes, politics, love, and even animals! The best time to visit Guadalajara is October. There is a month long festival that takes place. You will hear Mexican music, attend art exhibits, and see many wonderful local crafts. _
Write Your Own Chapter! Now it s your turn to write your own chapter for the Places to Visit in Mexico book. Look at the notes about the waterfalls of Agua Azul. Write your chapter. Then give it a title. Be sure to write the facts to remember! The Waterfalls of Agua Azul waterfalls in state of Chiapas get turquoise hue from limestone riverbed water flows along Tulija River tumbles hundreds of meters over rock terraces 1980 area declared protected natural area. bring film to take pictures pack your swimming suit can swim in the river be careful, currents are strong camp along its banks enjoy sights and sounds of jungle leave time for bird-watching in jungle
Poetry Match: Read these short rhymes about the Mexican places of interests. Write the name of the place. Hear the music of the marvelous mariachi band Do the dance from south of the Rio Grande This is a center of Mexican folk art So in this city, your tour should start! This is a beautiful jungle scene With falls that are a bright turquoise green But strong currents here are characteristic, So if you swim, be realistic! These big gray mammals come from afar To winter in this Mexican reservoir They have big babies, it is true And you can even pet a few! They wade along in muddy salt flats, And they re one-legged acrobats Their color is nice, you must admit They got it from eating an invertebrate! Streets winding up and down There s even one underground, This World Heritage Site you just can t miss, Be sure to see the Street of the Kiss! You might think you need to be very brave To swim in this underwater shark cave, But the sharks here just dream and yawn It s a brackish water phenomenon!
Dear Colleague, Many of you study Mexico so we decided to bring you a two part activity packet to help you build your files for this popular unit of study. I know this packet is long, and that is why I formatted it so you can choose to have your students do the entire activity or only part of it. You may want to leave out the Write Your Own Chapter page, or you omit the poetry matching page. Some of you may want to have your students read only 3 of the chapters and then have children write their own chapter. The activity is formatted so YOU can make the choice just how much or how little you want your students to do. I wanted to have children write their own chapter titles and important ideas to remember because I ve found that when children do their own writing, they are then more aware of the techniques used by publishers to help them with their study skills. Using titles and concepts boxes is such an important Reading in the Concept Areas skill, and it is my hope this activity will heighten your students awareness of the many ways book publishers try to help young readers comprehend and remember nonfiction material. Happy teaching, Kathy Titles and important ideas to remember will vary. I always have children share their answers and ideas. Following is a suggested chapter on Agua Azul. If you love turquoise, you ll want to visit the Agua Azul waterfalls in the state of Chiapas near the border of Guatemala. These beautiful falls get their bright turquoise hue from the limestone riverbed. The water flows along the Tulija River and tumbles hundreds of meters over rock terraces. In 1980 this colorful area was declared a protected natural area. You ll want to bring along plenty of film to take pictures of the intense contrast between the shiny turquoise water and brilliant green of the surrounding jungle. Be sure to pack your swimming suit, too. You can swim in the river. But be careful, the currents are strong. You might want to camp along its banks instead and enjoy the sights and sounds of the jungle. Be sure to leave some time for bird-watching in the jungle. Poetry Match: (in order) Guadalajara The Waterfalls of Agua Azul Gray Whale National Park Celestun Wildlife Refuge Guanajuato Isla Mujeres (The Cave of the Sleeping Sharks)
Goals: Students will read 5 nonfiction articles about places in Mexico. These places have a variety of themes: zoology, economic, history, geography, and cultural. To help develop nonfiction reading skills, students will write titles and identify the main ideas in each article. They will then demonstrate the ability to write nonfiction by writing their own article using notes provided for them. A fun page of rhymes is included for students to demonstrate their recall of the Mexican place characteristics. This activity is available on both the primary and intermediate levels. The activity correlates with the IRA/NCTE Standard, Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.