Curriculum Resources

« All Topics

Guatemala

Guatemala is a nation torn between the past and the future, struggling to enter modern global society while clinging to a tumultuous, yet proud past.  Home to volcanoes, colonial architecture, ancient Maya archeological sites, and over 20 modern indigenous languages, it borders Mexico, Belize, and the Caribbean and Pacific Coasts, giving it an incredible range of natural beauty.

Lesson Guides and Classroom Activities

La Camioneta Film Discussion Guide
Grade Levels: 5–8, 9–12
Subject Area(s): Spanish, Social Studies
This is a Discussion guide created by CLAS for La Camioneta, a film by Mark Kendall. Includes central themes, context, discussion questions and further explorations for the classroom. 
The Amazing Twins: Ancient Maya Tales from the Popol Wuj
Grade Levels: K–4, 5–8, 9–12
Subject Area(s): Spanish, Math
Written in the Western Highlands of Guatemala around 1550 and translated into Spanish in the 18th century by Friar Francisco Ximenez, the Popol Wuj is one of the most important indigenous texts of the New World. This is a resource guide created as a companion to The Amazing Twins: Ancient Maya Tales from the Popol Wuj, a puppet show created by Vanderbilt CLAS and the Nashville Public Library.
CLAS is committed to supporting cultural awareness among K-12 students. Culture boxes consist of materials and curriculum from different countries to create a stimulating, hands-on experience for students. To learn more about what is inside each culture box, click here.

Lesson Plans

PDF Barrilete Construction Instructions
PDF Día de los Muertos: An Introduction
Booklet El Día de los Muertos - History and Customs (English)
Booklet El Día de los Muertos Historia y Costumbres (Spanish)
PDF Guatemala Culture Box
PDF La Camioneta Film Discussion Guide
Booklet The Amazing Twins: Ancient Maya Tales from the Popol Wuj

CLAS Lending Library Resources

DVD Cracking the Maya Code (2008)
Book Exploring Art of the Ancient Americas
Book I, Rigoberta Menchú: An Indian Woman in Guatemala
DVD La Camioneta (Guatemala, 2012)
Magazine Mysteries of the Maya
Book Popol Vuh: A Sacred Book of the Maya
Book The Ancient American World

CLAS Workshop Presentations

PPT Ancient Symbols and Modern Cultures of the Americas
PPT Apocalypse Now?
PDF Calendar and Math
PDF Día de los Muertos Celebrations in Guatemala
PPT Do Indigenous Groups Disappear?
PPT Maya Cosmology, Ritual and Religion
PPT Maya Hieroglyphs, Calendars, and Math
PPT Maya Math and the Calendar
DVD Rigoberta Menchú: Healing Communities Torn by Racism and Violence
PPT The Ancient Maya (Part I)
PPT The Ancient Maya (Part II)