1. Abandoned Places – Ancient Cities
Students
What is wrong with these place?
Find Machu Picchu and Colorado in the atlas and mark it on your map.

2. Abandoned Places – Ancient Cities
Today we are learning about…
how physical geography can make some places uninhabitable using the case study of Machu Picchu/Mesa Verde.
By the end of the lesson…
ALL can describe what the place is like and was like (Level 3-4)
MOST will be able to suggest reasons for the place being abandoned (Level 5)
SOME will be able to use evidence to back up their theories (Level 6)

3. Why did people disappear from the city?
Using the resources, find the answers to the following questions:
What was the place like in the past?
What is the place like today?
Who lived there in the past?
What happened to the people?
Why did people disappear from that place?
Students
In 15 mins you will need to verbally present your theory explaining why people disappeared from the city to the class. 3

4. The Theories
Students 4

5. The Answer People could not grow enough food, so had to move.
In Mesa Verde the cause was drought.
In Machu Picchu it was infertile soil.
Students 5

6. Abandoned Places – Ancient Cities
Today we are learning about…
how physical geography can make some places uninhabitable using the case study of Machu Picchu/Mesa Verde.
By the end of the lesson…
ALL can describe what the place is like and was like (Level 3-4)
MOST will be able to suggest reasons for the place being abandoned (Level 5)
SOME will be able to use evidence to back up their theories (Level 6)