Chichén Itzá

First graders put a twist on the classic construction paper sculpture lesson by adding ancient Mayan stepped pyramids.

My classes meet once per week for fifty minutes. This lesson took about three full class periods.

On Day 1: We learned all about lines through kinesthetic movements, practice identifying lines in artworks. We created the base for our sculptures by drawing as many lines

On Day 2: We reviewed our kinesthetic movements and types of lines, found lines in Mayan artwork, and read and discussed Mario's Mayan Journey by Michelle McCunney. Then students created and cut out their stepped pyramids on 8.5x5.5" typing paper with a guided drawing tutorial. First, we folded the paper in half. Then we drew a zig-zag/stepped line from top to bottom. Next, we cut it out! This part took a little extra monitoring to be sure they ended up with one pyramid instead of two zig zag pieces of paper. Oh the excitement of getting to use scissors! Then we took a black crayon and added two diagonal lines for the steep staircase and horizontal lines close together for details. We added horizontal lines further apart for the larger stones. An image of The Pyramid of Kukulcan at Chich’en Itza was on the screen as we worked and a small image is attached to the Yucatán Peninsulaula on a world map in our classroom.

On Day 3: We passed out the manilla paper covered in lines that they made on day one, and the pyramids from day two. We folded our pyramid in halfStudents received 6 or 7 (my supply was modest at the start of the semester) pre cut 1x12" strips of construction paper in greens, browns, blues, and yellows to help it look a little more like rainforest vegetation. We demonstrated how to add "feet," how to create curved, zig-zag, and diagonal lines with folding. They had so much fun!

We displayed them on a shelf above our open restroom sinks (elementary school restrooms are an interesting thing). The students and staff enjoyed it.