Warm-up 12/20 topic: “End Times ?” Retrievers- Merry x-mas! Supply- Check supplies… Collectors- Product handouts. Attendance- 12/21 already?!? O-managers- Feliz Navidad! List everything you know about the Mayans (who are they, prediction of the end of the world, etc).

Background information… BrainPop Maya Inspired Education Reading Mayan Calendars -Show calendar-Mayan Calendars Written response: Do you believe that the Maya could accurately predict the end of the world? Why or why not? (1-2 paragraphs). Discuss/share

DO THE MAYANS PREDICT DOOMSDAY IN 2012? THE CULTS AND THE REALITY Inscriptions on Mayan tablets found in temples such as Tortuguero refer to 'the end' - and many internet conspiracy theories have predicted our world will be swallowed by a black hole, hit by an asteroid or devoured by ancient gods. Cults have gathered in the tiny French village called Bugarach where they hope to survive the apocalypse. Hundreds of books have been published on the subject since the Seventies, predicting Earth's demise at the hands of a mysterious planet Nibiru, or a black hole. 'The story started with claims that Nibiru, a supposed planet discovered by the Sumerians, is headed toward Earth,' says Nasa, 'These fables were linked to the end of one of the cycles in the ancient Mayan calendar at the winter solstice in 2012.' But many ethnic Mayans dismiss the apocalyptic predictions as largely a Western idea. Rather than the end of time itself, the inscriptions refer to the start of a new era. The 'apocalypse' refers to the end of a cycle of 5,125 years since the beginning of the Mayan Long Count calendar in 3113 B.C.

To believe or not… NASA Debunks Myth “I know this is not the end and I am sure the Mayan interpretation will not be filled with doom, gloom and Armageddon. This is a new beginning for every human on earth. This is a time when we evolve from a species where hate, ignorance and judgment will be replaced with love, wisdom, compassion, unity and cooperation”.