Archaeologists found a round stone in Mexico that was used as a scoreboard for a game played by the Maya people a long time ago. The stone has two players in fancy headwear carved in the middle, and writing around them. The experts are trying to understand what the writing means. The stone was found in a building called Casa Colorada in Chichen Itza, where many other buildings are. The experts think the stone was at the entrance of the building around 1,200 years ago. It was buried in the ground for a long time and was discovered by an archaeologist. The stone is very special because it has writing on it, and that is rare for the Maya. The game that the stone is for is called pelota. It is played with a heavy ball, and people wear special gear to protect themselves. The game has been played for 3,000 years.
Original news source: Chichen Itza: Archaeologists discover scoreboard for ancient Maya ball game (BBC)
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Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– PELOTA DRAWING
Instructions: Draw a simple picture of the pelota game on the board (two players with special gear, a heavy ball). Ask the students to come up to the board and label the items in English. Encourage them to use complete sentences, e.g. “This is a heavy ball.”
– MAYA HEADWEAR
Instructions: Show a picture of the two players on the scoreboard and ask the students what they notice about their headwear. Explain that it is called “fancy headwear” and ask the students to create their own fancy headwear using paper and crayons. Encourage them to describe what they are making in English.
– BUILDING DESCRIPTION
Instructions: Draw a simple diagram of Casa Colorada on the board with a box for the scoreboard. Ask the students to come up with words to describe the building and label the different parts (e.g. entrance, scoreboard). Encourage them to use English words they already know, and help them with new vocabulary if necessary.
Comprehension Questions:
1. What did archaeologists find in Mexico?
2. What was the stone used for?
3. What is carved in the middle of the stone?
4. What are the experts trying to understand?
5. Where was the stone found?
6. How long ago might the stone have been at the entrance of the building?
7. Why is the stone very special?
8. What is the name of the game that the stone is for?
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Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
Archaeologists found a round _______ in Mexico that was used as a scoreboard for a game played by the Maya people a long time ago. The stone has two players in _______ headwear carved in the middle, and writing around them. The experts are trying to understand what the _______ means. The stone was found in a building called Casa Colorada in Chichen Itza, where many other buildings are. The experts think the stone was at the entrance of the building around _______ years ago. It was buried in the ground for a long time and was discovered by an archaeologist. The stone is very special because it has writing on it, and that is _______ for the Maya. The game that the stone is for is called pelota. It is played with a heavy ball, and people wear special _______ to protect themselves. The game has been played for _______ years.
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Discussion Questions:
Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.
1. Have you ever played a game with a ball?
2. What kind of special gear do people wear to play pelota?
3. Do you think it would be fun to play pelota?
4. Have you ever found something interesting buried in the ground?
5. What is your favorite game to play?
6. Do you like to learn about history?
7. What is your favorite thing to learn about in history?
8. Have you ever seen a building that is very old?
9. Do you think it is important to learn about the past?
10. What do you think the writing on the stone means?
11. Have you ever seen fancy headwear like the players on the stone are wearing?
12. Do you think the game pelota is still played today?
13. What kind of ball game do you like to play?
14. Have you ever visited a place with many old buildings like Chichen Itza?
15. Do you think you would like to be an archaeologist and discover things like this stone?
Individual Activities
Vocabulary Meanings:
Match each word to its meaning.
Words:
1. archaeologists
2. scoreboard
3. Maya
4. building
5. writing
6. entrance
7. pelota
8. gear
Meanings:
A) Protective equipment worn during a sport or activity
B) A game played by the Maya people with a heavy ball
C) People who study ancient civilizations and artifacts
D) A structure with walls and a roof, such as a house or office
E) Words or symbols written on a surface
F) The place where you come in to a building or area
G) A tool used to keep score in a game
H) An ancient civilization that lived in Mexico and Central America
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Multiple Choice Questions:
What did archaeologists find in Mexico?
(a) a wooden spoon
(b) a glass bottle
(c) a metal sword
(d) a round stone
What was the stone used for?
(a) a hat
(b) a doorstop
(c) a scoreboard
(d) a toy
Who played the game that the stone is for?
(a) the Egyptians
(b) the Romans
(c) the Maya people
(d) the Vikings
How many players are carved in the middle of the stone?
(a) five
(b) two
(c) three
(d) four
What is the game called that the stone is for?
(a) soccer
(b) basketball
(c) baseball
(d) pelota
How long has the game been played for?
(a) 10 years
(b) 1 year
(c) 100 years
(d) 3,000 years
Where was the stone found?
(a) the beach
(b) a mountain
(c) a forest
(d) Casa Colorada in Chichen Itza
Why is the stone special?
(a) it is small
(b) it is round
(c) it has writing on it
(d) it is heavy
True or False Questions:
1. Archaeologists found an old stone in Mexico.
2. The stone was used for a game called pelota.
3. The stone was found in a building called Casa Colorada.
4. The stone was discovered by a builder.
5. The stone has two players carved in the middle.
6. The game has been played for 300 years.
7. The stone has rare writing on it.
8. The game is played with a light ball.
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Write a Summary:
Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
Writing Questions:
Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.
1. What did archaeologists find in Mexico?
2. What is on the stone that the archaeologists found?
3. Where was the stone found?
4. Why is the stone special?
5. What game is the stone for?
Answers
Comprehension Question Answers:
1. What did archaeologists find in Mexico?
– Archaeologists found a round stone in Mexico.
2. What was the stone used for?
– The stone was used as a scoreboard for a game played by the Maya people.
3. What is carved in the middle of the stone?
– Two players in fancy headwear are carved in the middle of the stone.
4. What are the experts trying to understand?
– The experts are trying to understand what the writing around the players means.
5. Where was the stone found?
– The stone was found in a building called Casa Colorada in Chichen Itza.
6. How long ago might the stone have been at the entrance of the building?
– The stone might have been at the entrance of the building around 1,200 years ago.
7. Why is the stone very special?
– The stone is very special because it has writing on it, and that is rare for the Maya.
8. What is the name of the game that the stone is for?
– The game that the stone is for is called pelota.
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Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:
(1) stone
(2) fancy
(3) writing
(4) 1,200
(5) rare
(6) gear
(7) 3,000
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Vocabulary Meanings Answers:
1. archaeologists
Answer: C) People who study ancient civilizations and artifacts
2. scoreboard
Answer: G) A tool used to keep score in a game
3. Maya
Answer: H) An ancient civilization that lived in Mexico and Central America
4. building
Answer: D) A structure with walls and a roof, such as a house or office
5. writing
Answer: E) Words or symbols written on a surface
6. entrance
Answer: F) The place where you come in to a building or area
7. pelota
Answer: B) A game played by the Maya people with a heavy ball
8. gear
Answer: A) Protective equipment worn during a sport or activity
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Multiple Choice Answers:
1. What did archaeologists find in Mexico?
Answer: (d) a round stone
2. What was the stone used for?
Answer: (c) a scoreboard
3. Who played the game that the stone is for?
Answer: (c) the Maya people
4. How many players are carved in the middle of the stone?
Answer: (b) two
5. What is the game called that the stone is for?
Answer: (d) pelota
6. How long has the game been played for?
Answer: (d) 3,000 years
7. Where was the stone found?
Answer: (d) Casa Colorada in Chichen Itza
8. Why is the stone special?
Answer: (c) it has writing on it
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True or False Answers:
1. Archaeologists found an old stone in Mexico.
Answer: True
2. The stone was used for a game called pelota.
Answer: True
3. The stone was found in a building called Casa Colorada.
Answer: True
4. The stone was discovered by a builder.
Answer: False
5. The stone has two players carved in the middle.
Answer: True
6. The game has been played for 300 years.
Answer: False
7. The stone has rare writing on it.
Answer: True
8. The game is played with a light ball.
Answer: False
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