"Master Mayans" was developed for a sixth grade social studies class. The students had spent a third of the year's curriculum studying the Mayan culture, and had a good working knowledge of the material. The program is designed as a complement to the subject matter studied in the class.
There are two educational goals to "Master Mayans." The primary goal is to develop students' ability to manipulate and understand glyphs, and thereby appreciate the non-linear Mayan language. The secondary goal is to test and strengthen students' knowledge of the Mayan culture. The program includes questions on art, music, architecture, social iniation, and much more. However, it is the glyph manipulation that is central to the program.
The program has two sections: a question-and-answer section and a glyph manipulation section. Students answer questions to gain glyphs, which they then phonetically arrange to spell an English word. Students may also bypass the question-and-answer section to practice on glyph manipulation.
"Master Mayans" is a well-executed exploration of glyph manipulation and the Mayan culture. While it was designed as part of a particular curriculum, the detailed instruction manual ensures that anyone can experience - and succeed at - glyph manipulation.
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