Art and Archaeology of the Ancient Maya:

Assessments
In-Class Assessment:
In this activity, students will demonstrate their knowledge of major stylistic attributes
throughout ancient Maya prehistory. This assignment will be completed in groups of 3-4 people.
Each group will receive a packet containing photos of 10 artifacts or structures which date to
various periods of Maya prehistory. Working together as a group, students will complete the
following activities:
Part 1: (20 minutes): Order your objects chronologically, using what we have learned in class as
your guide
NOTE: You may use your book and other resources for this activity
Part 2 (15 minutes): Support your answers!
For each object, provide a short description of the diagnostic stylistic attributes you have
identified
Part 3 (10 minutes): Share and compare
Swap your handout with a nearby group to compare your answers
Part 4: (5 minutes): Class Discussion
Share what you and your swap group found
Did you all reach the same conclusions?
If not, where did you differ?
Goals:
The goal of this activity is to encourage students to apply what they have learned about
stylistic attributes and seriation of Maya artifacts to objects with which they are less familiar.
Objectives:
Upon completion of this activity, students will have an improved understanding of the
stylistic seriation of Maya art and architecture, including the specific attributes which typify each
time period.
Rubric:
As an in class activity with peer assistance, it is assumed that all students will eventually
come to make the correct identifications. Thus, this assignment will be collected as an ungraded
assessment. The handout students use to list their chronological designations and stylistic
attributes will be used to account for these assessments in hard copy, and can also serve as an
indicator to me where the students are having difficulty (looking for wrong answers). Further,
through listening in on group discussions and engaging in wide class discussion, I will be able to
gauge where students are in their understanding.
Justification:
This assessment is directly relevant to the course objective that specifies students will
become familiar with the various stylistic attributes that typify the various periods of Maya

prehistory. Furthermore, this activity will help contribute to the broader objective of being able to
identify major sites and monuments, as the ability to assign temporal context based on visual
analysis will help students to identify sites and objects with which they are not familiar. The
application of these skills ensures that students can gain a basic understanding of even unfamiliar
objects they may encounter.
The direct application of these skills is in line with my teaching philosophy in that it
helps students to develop critical thinking skills. By taking a known set of attributes and applying
it to unknown objects, students will have a better understanding of the process of stylistic
seriation, as well as be able to recollect these hallmarks more easily. Furthermore, the use of
another group to check answers against emphasizes that student peers can be a valuable resource
for learning, rather than privileging instructor knowledge. And finally, the use of small group
discussion to segue into a class discussion helps to create an environment in which students are
comfortable speaking.
Out of Class Assessment:
During Week 10 of the Edited Volumes major evaluation, students are required to turn in
a copy of their respective chapters to be peer reviewed during class. While these peer
assessments will take place entirely in class, students will be required to take their peers notes
home with them and conduct a self-assessment of their work. This self-assessment is not for a
grade, but rather is intended to encourage revision and improvement of their final paper. These
assessments should address both the contents of the peer review and any additional areas of
improvement the student sees in their own paper.
Goals:
The goal of this activity is for students to reflexively assess their own work with a focus
on improving their final product, incorporating both peer and self-review.
Objectives:
Upon completion of this activity, students will gain a better understanding of how to
review, edit and improve their own work for publication. By incorporating reviewer (and,
eventually, editor) comments into this process, students will gain insight into the peer review
process.
Rubric:
As this exercise will serve as an assessment of student paper progress, it will not be
assigned a grade. Rather, students will receive a completion grade in order to ensure
participation. The rubric provided to students will instead focus on reflexivity and selfassessment, with questions pertaining to their papers. These will include organization and
coherence, quantity and quality of resource materials, and other topics.
Justification:
This assessment is representative of course goals and objectives which state that, through
this class, students will develop the skills necessary to conduct independent research. These skills
include finding and citing scholarly sources, formulating a thesis driven argument, writing a long
form essay, and the review and resubmission process. Through their specific topics, students will
also develop their knowledge of major Maya places and artifacts.
This assessment is also in line with my teaching philosophy, as students will incorporate
peer reviews into their self-assessments, highlighting the importance of the students peers as a
source of assistance and valuable input.