Grade 3 Spring History - World Cultures in Depth and Toolmaking Across Time: Four Cultures, Six Source Types, and the Story of How Humans Have Solved Problems
History · CUL
G3 (CA HSS 6.7 preview at G3-light; KS2 History 'past non-European societies'; NCSS-1,3,7)
hist.g3.s.cul.andean_inca_depth
Andean/Inca region deep-dive with Quechua and Aymara own-voice sources
Study the Andean region in depth across two lessons. Establish geographic setting (Andean cordillera, altiplano, Lake Titicaca). Trace pre-Inca and Inca history (Wari c. 600-1000 CE; Tiwanaku c. 600-1000 CE; Inca state c. 1200-1572 CE; Pachacuti's reign c. 1438-1471). Examine quipu accounting (MG-10), Andean terraced agriculture, Inca road and chasqui-runner system, and Andean weaving. Maintain present-tense protocol for living Quechua and Aymara cultures. Use vocabulary: cordillera, altiplano, ayllu, ayni, quipu, chasqui, terrace, llama, vicuna, Cusco.
Mastery threshold
85%
Min instances
10
Typical minutes
50
Spaced intervals (days)
1, 3, 7, 14, 30, 60
Prereqs
Common misconceptions
- 'Inca civilization ended in 1572 and Andean people disappeared' - the unit directly refutes this by centering CONTEMPORARY Quechua and Aymara cultural practitioners (CTTC weavers, contemporary Aymara musicians, present-day Inti Raymi celebrations).
- 'The Inca were primitive because they had no wheels or iron' - the unit teaches that they had llama caravans (not wheel-and-axle but a mobile transport system) and worked bronze and other metals; the absence of certain technologies reflects environmental adaptation, not deficit.