Maya script

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/maya-script

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the script classification?Logosyllabic, featuring both logograms (word signs) and syllabograms (syllable signs)
2. What is Maya script and why is it special?Maya script is a way the Maya people wrote using pictures and sounds. It mixes pictures that stand for whole words with symbols that show how to say those words. This mix lets them write stories, math, and astronomy.
3. How do Maya glyphs work and what do they mean?Each Maya picture, called a glyph, can be a whole word or a sound. Glyphs are put together in blocks that read from left to right and top to bottom. Sometimes extra symbols help show the right pronunciation or add extra meaning.

Logogram: A written symbol that represents a complete word or morpheme.
Syllabogram: A written symbol that represents a syllable, typically a consonant-vowel pair.
Phonetic Complement: A syllabogram added to a logogram to clarify its pronunciation.
Codex: An ancient manuscript book, typically made of folded bark paper or deerskin, containing hieroglyphic writing.