Handout
Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies

Famsi: Dictionary of Maya Hieroglyphs

For Students 9th - 10th
John Montgomery's Dictionary of Maya Hieroglyphs is a unique reference to the hieroglyphic writing of the ancient Maya that presents over 1,200 hieroglyphs or glyph compounds. Each entry includes the hieroglyph, phonetic transcription,...
Website
Canadian Museum of History

Canadian Museum of History: Maya Civilization

For Students 4th - 8th
Lots of information about many facets of the Maya civilization. Covers the history, people, geography, languages, cities, society, cosmology, the calendar, and lots more. Includes a glossary and a timeline.
Website
Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies

Famsi: Southern Belize Epigraphic Project: Hieroglyphic

For Students 9th - 10th
Report of a 13 year study of the least documented hieroglyphic of the Mayan culture in Belize and their possible meanings. Site can be viewed in English and Spanish.
Website
Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies

Famsi: Primary Standard Sequence (Of Mayan Hieroglyphs) 2003

For Students 9th - 10th
PDF document that shows structure of Mayan glyphs and translation, including spelling patterns and syntax. Photographs and charts show how meaning is derived from hieroglyphic strip.
Handout
PBS

Pbs Nova: Reading Maya Hieroglyphs

For Students 9th - 10th
Part of a larger site from PBS on Mayan culture, this page refers specifically to the Mayan form of writing through hieroglyphs.
Article
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Maya, an Introduction

For Students 9th - 10th
The Maya civilization (300-900 C.E.) was one of the most sophisticated in the pre-Columbian Americas. It extended from southeastern Mexico across modern-day Guatemala, Belize and the western parts of Honduras and El Salvador. The Maya...
Handout
Wikimedia

Wikipedia: Maya Script

For Students 9th - 10th
Detailed information on the Maya system of writing. The article explains the history of Maya script and how it was deciphered.
Website
PBS

Pbs Nova, Lost King of the Maya

For Students 9th - 10th
A site focused on the dynasty of the Mayan empire. Includes some great audio and video clips.
Website
Other

Early Maya Writing at San Bartolo, Guatemala (2006)

For Students 9th - 10th
Click to download full PDF article documenting that Mayan writing system was already in place in 100 B.C. Move cursor over trowels to navigate this site.
Lesson Plan
Yale University

Yale the Maya Culture of Mesoamerica

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
This lesson unit on Mayan culture focuses on Mayan art. It can be adapted to various grades and features classroom activities, student resources, a bibliography, and the like.
Website
BBC

Bbc: Excavations and Techniques: Naachtun: A Lost City of the Maya

For Students 9th - 10th
An Indiana Jones type of adventure. Imagine a lost city deep in the jungles! Site provides information on the Mayan city of Naachtun and the culture of the Mayan.
Website
Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies

Famsi: Investigation and Conservation at San Bartolo (2002)

For Students 9th - 10th
Excavation reveals murals in tunnels and earliest example of painted hieroglyphic script in Maya Lowlands.
Handout
Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies

Famsi: The Jolja' Cave Project (2001)

For Students 9th - 10th
Three caves containing pre-Columbian artifacts, murals, and hieroglyphs are documented in this report. Also of interest is commentary on the reports of modern Ch'ol Mayans with regard to ancient belief and current religious belief.
Lesson Plan
ReadWriteThink

Read Write Think: Using Snowflake Bentley as a Framing Text for Multigenre Writing

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Using Snowflake Bentley as a model, students create a working definition of multigenre text and then use that definition to create their own multigenre piece about winter or another theme.
Handout
The History Cat

The History Cat: Cracking the Mayan Code

For Students 9th - 10th
Discusses the Maya system of hieroglyphic writing. It was viewed by Spanish invaders as the work of the devil and most of the written materials were destroyed under the orders of a Spanish priest whose goal was to convert the Mayans to...
Handout
Other

Ancient Scripts: Writing Systems

For Students 9th - 10th
History and definition of writing, plus extensive information on the types, families, and regions of written languages. For each language, you'll find information on when and where it was used, the people who used it, and what it looked...