Additional Activities
- Position papers:
- Illustrations:
- Skits:
- Reports:
In a position paper, the student is asked to imagine an event from an historical perspective of his or her choosing and then write a letter, diary entry, or another type of responsive paper in which he or she details a character's reactions to an event. Each paper could also be crafted as multiple entries to chart a shift in events or attitudes. Some possible topics for this unit are describing the first encounter between Cortes and Montezuma from either the Aztec or Spanish perspective, or the progression of relations between the conquistadors and the Aztecs over time. If the class is comfortable with the complexities of Amerindian alliances to the Spanish, that could be another possible perspective to explore in these papers.
Students illustrate an event from the reading that they find compelling by imitating the style of the Aztec codices.
Students work in groups to write and perform a scene based on a reading. Some possibilities include imagining a discussion of soldiers under Cortes' command on the advisability of venturing inland in Mexico, or the councilors to Montezuma discussing how the Spaniards should be treated.
Students can individually or in a group choose a character or topic that interests him or her and research and present through oral, written, or visual means the information they found illuminating. Possible topics include: Montezuma; Dona Marina; Cortes; Bernal Diaz; Francisco de Aguilar; Aztec religious beliefs, scientific and technological achievements; the growth of the Aztec empire; the growth of the Spanish empire.
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