Indiana Social Studies WH.3.6
The Standard
Compare and contrast the developments and achievements of the Maya, Aztec, and Inca civilizations.
2026 Indiana Academic Standards: K-12 Social Studies
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students compare how the Maya, Aztec, and Inca governed, grew food, kept records, and built cities. They use specific examples and place major developments on a timeline.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can explain that Maya cities used glyphic writing, Aztec farmers built chinampas, and Inca officials used quipu. They can describe a shared need, such as producing food, and explain different responses. They know the Aztec and Inca empires reached their height after 1300 CE.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may treat the three civilizations as one empire or assume they used the same writing system. They may call quipu alphabetic writing or place the Aztec and Inca empires at their height before 1300 CE.
How to Assess It
- Give students a three-row chart labeled Maya, Aztec, and Inca. Ask for one achievement in each row, one difference between two civilizations, and the names of the two empires that peaked after 1300 CE.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Build paper models of an Inca terrace and an Aztec chinampa, then label how each supported food production.
Show a map and ask, 'How did geography shape farming for each civilization?' Have students support each answer with one example.
Give pairs nine fact cards, including glyphs, chinampas, and quipu, to sort by civilization and defend two choices.
Compare a photo of modern hillside farms with an Inca terrace image, then label how each uses steep land and controls runoff.
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