Word Wall: The Incas are called the Children of the Sun. We
suggest a huge sun might work well as the container for your words.
You might use a snow capped mountain, or even a llama.
Key Words: Words you may wish to include on your
word wall as you discover them in your unit of study are: Andes Mountains, Sapa
Inca, terrace farming, Machu Picchu, Cuzco and Cusco - different spellings, same
city, Children of the Sun, llama, quipu
Doorway into your classroom: Create an entrance to the Inca Empire high in
the Andes Mountains.
On the hallway side of the door into your classroom, cut some snow capped
mountain peaks on construction paper. Label your peaks the ANDES MOUNTAINS.
Over your door, add a sign Cuzco/Cusco. Use both spellings because the kids will
see both spellings in their study.
Closing Class Each Day: Close with a sentence that reminds the kids what we
are studying. With the Incas, you might want to close each day with "See you
tomorrow from the top of the world, the Andes Mountains."
As we are sure you are aware, the Andes Mountains are not the tallest mountains
in the world. The Himalayas are the tallest. If a student does not challenge
your statement, you will need to point this out. Then add, “To the Incas, the
Andes Mountains were the top of the world.”
Inca Empire Vocabulary Games
