"Myths And Their Transformations,"
	Mayan And Aztec Creation Myths - Regina Parga, Lathrop Intermediate
	I am a seventh grade English Language Development/Language Arts teacher at Lathrop Intermediate School in Santa Ana. The seventh grade students I teach are at least two years below grade level. This means that I must choose materials which are at about the fifth grade reading level and still meet the seventh grade curriculum guidelines. Since part of the seventh grade state standard curriculum in Social Studies is the study of ancient civilizations, I feel that a unit about Mesoamerican mythology would enrich the state curriculum for Social Science while addressing my students' English language development needs. Specifically, I am focusing on Mayan and Aztec creation myths. The Mayan myths which I have chosen to focus on all originate from the Popol Vuh as translated by Dennis Tedlock. Though I would not use this book as my entire core literature, I would use excerpts from the Popol Vuh as supplemental material. For the Aztecs, I am using the book, The Flayed God: The Mesoamerican Mythological Tradition , by Roberta H. Markman and Peter T. Markman, as my primary source. The overall goal of this unit is for students to gain a better understanding about the Mayan and Aztec civilizations, their cultural beliefs, religion, values, and their contributions to our society today.