For this 100-minute history lab, students will visit 10 stations and learn about some of the achievements of the Maya, Aztec, and Inca to answer the essential question: Just how much talent did Mesoamerican's have? What made the Maya, Aztec and Inca societies so advanced? At the stations, students will examine sources that include a chart, advertisement, letter from Cortes, and even Snapchat pages. Afterwards, they will write an informational essay about one achievement per civilization.

To prepare the stations, you just have to:
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1. Print Exhibits for History Lab for each station. I print 4 each so that each within the 4-member student group can read along. I print them on card stock and in color. Two stations require videos: Exhibit 9 - Mayan Astronomy  and Exhibit 4 - Weaving a Bridge at Q'eswachaka. Make sure you download them. If your students have iPads, you can always use QR Codes. I have QR codes on the evidence so that students can use their iPads and a QR Code Reader app  to access to videos. 

I place them in big envelopes and place a Sticker that identifies the evidence on each envelope. I purchased sticker printer paper from Amazon.

2. Copy a Student Journal for each student. 

3. To start the history lab with your class, take them through  the PowerPoint Presentation and the attachments that go within the presentation: Timer for Lab Powerpoint, and  History Lab Trailer.

4. With collaboration at the forefront of my mind, I design the labs to require no intervention on my end. Students rotate through the stations. They become used to hearing the bell at the end of the timer that signals its time to move and they move to the next station without prompting. 

Because they are able to collaborate and do the work completely independent of me, I am able to focus on their collaboration techniques. I listen for their use of the Collaborative Roles and give them feedback and assess their collaboration using the Collaboration Scoring Guide. 

FUN TWIST: At times, I make this a fun challenge by giving the group the collaborates the best hats or a trophy of some sort. Throughout the lab, I'll move the trophy or hats to the group that is doing really well collaborating. The group that is in possession of the trophy or hats at the conclusion of the lab, wins a small prize.

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