1. The Aztecs
Seat work
Students will quietly enter the room, find your seats and discuss your three sticky notes on pages with your row group.

2. The Aztecs Artificial island built by the Aztecs. Chinampa
What was a union of three Aztec kings.
The Triple Alliance
Who choose a new Aztec king when an old one died.
A Supreme Council of nobles

3. How do you meet your daily needs
The Aztecs
How do you meet your daily needs
for food, shelter, clothing, and safety?
After students write about their own needs, have them suggest ways in which the Aztecs worked to meet their own needs. When you have finished this section, encourage students to go back and see whether any of their predictions were true.

4. Key Ideas The Aztecs built a powerful empire through conquest.
Aztec kings led a strong government and
ruled a society organized into clearly defined
social classes.
The Aztec capital city, Tenochtitlan, featured
advanced engineering and impressive
architecture.

5. Key Terms basin—bowl-shaped area
The Aztecs
Key Terms
basin—bowl-shaped area
chinampa—artificial island built by the Aztecs
dike—wall to hold back water
absolute monarchy—system of government
in which the monarch has unlimited power over
the government
aqueduct—channel that moves water over a
long distance
Students should use the Word Wise feature in this chapter of their Student Journal to explore Key Terms.

6. The Aztecs
Land of the Aztecs
How did their location in the Valley of Mexico help the Aztecs build an empire?
What advantages did Lake Texcoco
offer as a setting for a city?
In addition to answering the questions above, have students compare and contrast the geography of the Maya civilization and the Aztec civilization.

8. The Aztecs
Seat work
Students will quietly enter the room, find your seats and discuss your three sticky notes on the assigned web pages with your row group.

9. Land of the Aztecs What were chinampas?
How did the Aztecs expand their empire?
About how many people lived
in the Aztec empire by 1500?
Encourage students to explore the idea of the chinampas and how this innovation enabled the Aztecs to feed a growing population.

10. Aztec Government The Triple Alliance was a union of three Aztec kings.
The Aztecs
Aztec Government
The Triple Alliance was a union of three Aztec
kings.
The three kings cooperated on decisions
affecting the Triple Alliance.
Councils and ministers helped make decisions
affecting Tenochtitlan.
Each Aztec king had an absolute monarchy over
his Kingdom.
The nobles controlled the villages.
Refer students to the Aztec Government diagram in Section 2 of the student edition. Discuss with them how the Triple Alliance enabled conquered city-states to support the efforts of the larger Aztec empire. How did this strengthen the empire?

11. Aztec Government A Supreme Council of nobles helped choose a new
The Aztecs
Aztec Government
A Supreme Council of nobles helped choose a new
Aztec king when an old one died.
Conquered city-states had to pay tribute to
the Aztec conquerors.

12. Aztec Society Which Aztec gods were most important?
The Aztecs
Aztec Society
Which Aztec gods were most important?
What happened to prisoners the Aztecs captured?
Discuss the role of religion in Aztec society, especially the connection between religion and warfare.

13. Aztec Achievements The Aztecs built aqueducts to carry water to
Tenochtitlan.
In the walled plaza, Templo Mayor was the
largest structure.
Help students understand that the Aztec tackled complex engineering and architecture projects without modern tools or technology. Encourage students to image how these achievements might lead to a sense of civic pride in a society.

14. Aztec Achievements Aztec artists were known for goldworking,
The Aztecs
Aztec Achievements
Aztec artists were known for goldworking,
jewelry-making, and featherwork.
The Aztecs were skilled orators and poets.
Aztec influence continues to the present,
especially in Mexican cooking.
Some of today’s most popular foods are those
with Nahuatl names: chocolate, tomato, and
avocado.
Review with students the different aspects of Aztec life and Aztec achievements in order to assess their understanding of the complex society of this group.

15. What distinguishes one culture from another?
The Aztecs
What distinguishes one culture from another?
Workbook page 239
Have students write a one-sentence summary of Aztec culture for each topic in the table. Remind them that this graphic organizer may be found in their Student Journals.