Imagine you are the leader of a wandering tribe and you have arrived in a new land where you would like to settle. 
Your task is to choose where you would like to settle and to convince the other members of the tribe that your choice is a good one. Think about the advantages of your choice and the disadvantages of the alternative places. Think about how the Aztec leaders persuaded their tribes. Be creative!
Leave your work as a comment below.
I’m going to convince my tribe to live near the lake as we will have a nice place to live. The river next to us is a good place to wash and we can burn water to make salt. At the other side of us there is a wood so we can cut down the trees and can make them into all sorts of gadgets. Another problem is food and water which will be no problem as we can kill the animals in the forest and eat them and get water from a near by oasis that I’ve already found. One of the key problems is protection which by the water we sadly don’t have but that will easily be solved with our amazing fighting skills. The forest and mountains are both terrible places to live. There is a live volcano that will kill us and the rest of the tribe if it erupts. Living by the river is also good because we won’t be bored as we can make sandcastles! The most obvious reason is what happened yesterday, we saw a snake on a tree eating its own tail, we are destined to live here.
By Billy
In my opinion, we want to settle in an opening in the woods where water is next to us. If we settle near water, there will be energy for the tribe. If we are close to the woods, we can also breathe much more easily as the trees will provide clean fresh air. An opening in the wood will give us space to grow crops and have animals grazing to give our tribe more energy.
We can attack with animals in the woods and fight till the end of the battle. We can surprise our enemies as we will be hidden. Animals need water so there is water nearby and this will help the animals to be healthy. We could win every battle with strong and fierce animals.
If we have water, we can wash our clothes so we are all comfortable so we fight better. We can also keep ourselves clean so we stay strong and healthy and so be strong warriors.
If we have water there will be fish for us to eat with the crops and meat from our animals that will graze in the opening.
We can live in tents or ne treehouses to be safe and have a teamtalk together and then fight. We also have protection in the woods from bad weather and we have shelter. If we do this, we could be champions.
I have chosen to lead my tribe to the lake edge because it has water, fish and birds and frogs to eat. We can hollow out trees to make boats and sail to other tribes to trade. We can get reeds from the lake edge for building things. We can use trees from the forest for making our long house and weapons and we can grow squash, beans and corn where they grew.
My tribe should come with me because I think this is a good place to settle and the Gods said, “If you see an 8 eyed fish eating a crocodile that is where you should go.” I did see that!
I think we should settle in the mountains because we would have a height advantage, so our enemies would have to run up the steep hills to fight us and we would get to run downhill to attack. Our weapons would travel further downhill and enemies weapons would not go far. We could make our weapons out of wood and stone.
Another advantage is water. You might be thinking that the main lake is far away, but there will be lots of different lakes on the mountain. We could also wash our bodies in these lakes.
We could plant food such as potatoes, carrots and many more. And then grow them, then harvest them. We could eat and trade these foods.
We could chop some trees down and make a village. We could also have a viewpoint where we could see if any enemies are coming. We would live amongst the trees because it would be hard to locate us.
I think the mountains are better than next to the lake because it could flood. They are also better than in the lake because in the lake you would drown. They are also better than the dessert because in the dessert you wouldn’t get any water causing you to be so thirsty that you would die.
This is why we should settle in the mountains.
The valley is the best!
It is completely covered with trees so if any tribes try to attack us they will not succeed in doing so because they will get completely lost in the trees. Any tribes that attack from above won’t be able to do it because we will create a stone wall from the top.
Now you might think how will you get sunshine and water, well we will set in a valley with a stream through it. However we get sunshine by creating a huge hole in the mountain which will allow sunlight into the valley, but what if tribes see that hole and think let’s go inside and attack?! We will put soldiers up there to guard it and plus they can see tribes from faraway.
We will get food by searching the valley for animals to eat. We can also grow crops in the lush green grass.
Yesterday I was praying and a goddess whispered in my ear, “If you see a double headed bird flying over a valley you must settle here!” and then out of nowhere a double headed bird flew over a valley with a stream in it!
So I think that this is a good place for us.
If I was an Aztec, I would settle in the forest and cut down the trees to make a village, close to a lake. Then I would create a barrier out of rocks around it, so my village territory is clearly marked and I would make sure my village people did not allow anyone to cross the barrier. (We would slit their throats if they did!)
We would get food from hunting animals that live in the forest, along with finding berries and seeds. The forest also provides materials to make huts from branches and leaves. We would make spears out of the branches and tie sharp rocks onto them. From the lake we would have fresh water and hunt fish.
I have not chosen a mountain to live in because they can be remote and it is hard to climb them, and food and water is harder to find, and the weather can be harsh. You can see for miles around from a mountain top, which could be useful if some angry Aztecs were coming your way, so I would like my forest to be slightly higher up than the surrounding land!
The disadvantage of living right by a lake is it could flood, and it is very open and not protected, so I would want to be set back in a forest by a lake. I would not want to live in a desert because apart from being hot, you wouldn’t be able to build anything easily because all you would have is sand and there is no water in the desert is well. I would definitely not want to live in the desert!
“Oh look! It’s the eagle on the cactus eating a snake pointing west to the desert … what does this mean captain?”
“The Gods sent this for us and they say if you see an eagle on a cactus eating a snake pointing in a certain direction, that is the direction you must travel in and settle there,” replied the captain. “The desert is the best place to stay because we can go to edge of the lake and get some water. Also we can see if anyone is trying to attack us from the mountains forest, lake or woods! We can also go hunting at night in the woods that are right next to us and make a roast with a fire made with sticks. We could go and attack other tribes next to us at night, all agree?”
“Yes captain!” the tribe answered.
“It is not good to live at the lake because when it rains it will flood and the people living there will drown, all agree?”
“Yes captain!”
The captain continued, “It is the not good to live at the mountains because there is an active volcano next to you and if it erupts we will die or get very badly wounded and we wouldn’t be able to fight when someone’s attacking you, all agree again?”
“Yes captain!”
“Also you shouldn’t live in the woods because when there’s thunder or lightning one of the trees could fall down and you could be next to the tree that falls and you would die because the tree would fall on top of you, all agree?” the captain continued.
“Yes captain!”
“And finally you shouldn’t live at the edge of the lake because when it rains the oasis will rise with water and when you try to escape to the desert it could fall on you and although you think you will fall straight through the water because it falls so fast and you couldn’t stand at all!”
“Yes captain!”
The captain finished off with an announcement. “OK so we are living at the desert then. Hurry now unpack and set the tents up, we will start building houses and fortresses for us to live and pray in.”
“Look over there, it is the sign of the eagle on the cacti with a snake in its beak so that’s where we should live.” said Fred.
“Yes, I see it but we think we should live in the wood in tree houses and here’s why…” said Phillip.
“It is safer because it is hard for other to attack you in the trees from the ground and you can see them coming from a long way away. You can still throw spears at them from above. It is close to the river for water. In the forest, you can forage and hunt. You are safe from floods because the forest is on higher ground than the river and even if it did flood we are at the top of trees.” Phillip continued.
“But why is that better than the other places?” asked Fred.
“It is not too hot unlike up near the volcano. You are camouflaged unlike the grass land. You won’t get squashed by an avalanche unlike the valley. You won’t flood when it rains unlike the valley and river.” Phillip said, “The volcano will erupt and will kill everyone on it.”
“I suppose your right” Fred said, “come on, let’s start building.”
‘Tribe we are going to settle by the edge of the lake!’ I am the leader of the Aztecs and I am telling my tribe to settle by the edge of the lake. I will tell you why I want to live here.
My first reason I would live there is because we can catch food very easily. We can hunt animals that come to get a drink from the lake and shoot them because they will be tired and will not have the energy to run. The woodland is terrible because the animals are active and the desert is just sandy dunes!
We can plant trees and crops with water and build boats to trade with other tribes. We can also build our houses with the wood and live in a cosy house. Our crops will supply with juicy fruit. When enemies attack it’s easy to get away on our boats. The desert is silly because it’s hard to run on sand.
Hello I’m here to persuade you to living in the lake. It is best to live in the lake because the most important the gods sent us here. Some people would say, “No living in the lake is the worst because you only have fish and water there to entertain you. Also all you eat is fish and fish and fffiiissshhh!!!! When we have beautiful lamb and cows to eat. Also how are you supposed to build all you stuff on water ,how are you supposed to get all your supplies and everything?” And we actually survived in the lake, in fact we became powerful and began to spread and conquer other tribes. But of course the Spanish Armada came and conquered us because they were the strongest of all the people and countries. Did you know that the Aztecs were around as the same time as the Tudor period? The message from the God that told us were to live was a eagle sitting on a cactus chewing a snake. There you go that’s why you should live in the lake!
Today we arrived at a place that would suit the needs of the tribe. The forest we had been walking through cleared to reveal a lake. The clear blue water of the lake provided refreshment and could also give you fish like carp. The surrounding trees can provide shelter and wood. The forrest can also provide food as many animals and birds live there.
The mountains on the other side of the lake could provide stone for making tools and arrowheads. We could build a wall to protect us from attacking tribes and use the mountain to keep an eye out for any invaders. We should settle by the lake instead of the mountain, as we would be more sheltered from the weather.
As an Aztec leader I would settle in a forest. The reasons I would settle in a forest is that we are surrounded by plenty of wood, which we can use to build homes, furniture, make fires and to make weapons to defend and attack. We can hunt deer and other animals for food and fish from the river. We will have water to drink and wash from the river. We can eat berries from the bushes and fruits from the trees. We can use plants for medicines.
The reasons we would not settle in a cave is because it would be dark and we would have to go outside to get food and water. There might be bears living in the cave, so it could be dangerous. High up in the mountains would not be ideal as there is no river for water, it could get very cold and travelling will be difficult. On the lake shore there could be flooding and in the valley as the hills are steep it may be difficult to grow crops and build homes.
My tribe and I would settle in the desert.
The advantages of living in the desert would be:
1. We will not starve because we can tame snakes and they in turn will kill scorpions which we can eat. There is also other kinds of food in desert eg dates, and also some of the plants are edible.
2. We will not die of thirst because we can get fresh water from the oasis to drink and also use for food. We can also get water from the cactus plants.
3. We will build our houses near the oasis as we will have supply of twigs, leaves from the cactus plants and sand.
The disadvantages of living in the desert would be:
1. We can get burnt by the sun as there is not much shelter.
2. Growing things will be hard.
If we were in the woods, we can be set on fire by being struck by lightning or also being blown up by a volcano. Or if we lived near an ocean or lake we could have floods and can die.
That is why my tribe and I would live in the desert .
I think at the edge of the of the lake is the best place to stay because of the fresh water you get is delicious and all of the fish, you can have a feast with it. You could go for a swim if you want some exercise although there are piranhas which have razor-sharp teeth which can kill you in an instant. This is a disadvantage but we can solve this because we always record the time the piranhas come to eat the fish so when its not the time for them to eat the fish that’s the time we go to swim.
We have tons of space to build on and the rest of my tribe love building they say its a gift from the gods. We have a powerful tribe we are always working on making new weaponry like bow and arrows, slingshots and even knives. We have the opportunity to cut down the trees and make fires but we have to be very carful otherwise we can burn the whole forest down. I train my tribe very well so if there’s trouble they can help.
I think that we should settle in the mountain as we have an advantage of attacking and seeing our enemies. We can easily get to water and the forest and if the lake floods we can use rope and a wooden bucket to get more water. We can ambush our enemies.
Now for negatives:
– the ground isn’t right to farm
-if the volcano eruptes we will burn to death
– gases in the air
– volcanos are the same plates as earthquakes and can cause earthquakes.
If we live in the lake we will drown from the flood.
If we live in the woods we might get abushed.
If we live in the desert we can get killed by scorpions and cobras and thirst to death.
If we live in the valley they can attack us from the side.
I hope I have persuaded you to live on the mountain.
Here I am with this wandering tribe. We have found a place where we can settle. There is mountain with a huge field around it and a lake. We are going to settle in the trees by the edge of the lake. The trees are good as they block out any sounds making it easier for us to sleep. Also if other tribes try to attack us the trees will act like a shield to protect us. There are lots of birds in the trees which we can kill for food. We can go to the lake for fresh water which we need for drinking and washing, it is really close so we don’t have to walk far. There is also a lot of fish in the lake which is good for food.
It is a good place to settle as we can see for miles if we climb to the top of the trees. We could also see for miles if we climbed up the mountain however there is a disadvantage of being so close to the mountain…..it is a live volcano! It could erupt at any time. We chose to settle in the trees rather than really close to the lake as we didn’t want to get flooded. Also if we settled in the lake itself if you can’t swim you could drown. But because we are in the trees we are safe because we are so high up. Obviously we have to be careful not to fall out of the trees otherwise that could be the end of some of our tribe!
I am the leader of a wondering tribe and I have arrived in a new land. I have found a great place to settle.
This place is vast with flat lands to grow crops with the most richest of sails, due to the perfect climate. There are four seasons all year round. There are fresh water rivers and lakes from the mountains all around. We are close to the sea for seafood. The vast land has fields of grass perfect for livestock like cows, sheep , chickens and horses.
The mountains have man made paths so the tribes can watch for miles for enemies coming. There are forests all around beneath the mountains for hunting. These will also give the tribe wood for fires and building. These are the advantages of my choice.
The disadvantages of this place to settle are that it is so vast we need to build villages all around. This is so enemies can’t steal our livestock or attack us.
I will convince other members of the tribe that my choice is a good one by give them a safe place to build their homes, for their families. They will also be able to grow crops and fish and hunt for their food. There will be plenty of ways to feed their families. I will create a village atmosphere where all the crops and produce can be traded.
I think the side of the lake is the best place to settle because we will be near a source of fresh water to drink and cook with. As there will be a lot of fresh water from the lake we will be able to grow crops and use the lake water to make sure the crops have enough to drink. There will hopefully also be fish as a source of food that we can catch in the lake.
The lake will be near a wood as the river that runs into the lake will mean that trees can grow. The wood from the trees will be very important to build a fire to keep our tribe warm and to cook with. We will also be able to make weapons out of the wood, to hunt animals and make fishing rods. We can also use the wood from the trees to make a shelter to keep us out of the cold and wet. We need wood from the forest but we do not want to live in the forest because there are animals and we will not be able to see around us so easily
The negatives about living at the side of the lake is that the lake can flood, but we are a clever tribe, so we dug a very big ditch around our camp to keep the flood water out. The ditch can also keep our enemies and wild animals out. The last negative about the side of the lake is that we do not have a good view, like we would on top of a mountain so we cannot see people who want to conquer our tribe and steal our food. The ditch will help keep them out but we will also build tall towers out of wood and keep a look out.
So that’s all for today and please think the side of the lake is best.
I’m the leader of an Aztec tribe and we should live by the lake next to the woods because we will have access to better food and equipment to help us survive. We have a better chance of surviving in the woods than any other area because our bodies are used to moist areas. All th hunting skills we have learnt would have no use because of the desert doesn’t have trees and we are used to hunting with trees around us. The bad side of living by the lake is we get flooded due to the lake overflowing.
We are better off living by the lake because the mountain conditions are very cold and there are very active volcanoes and can cause a lot of destruction to our villages. The valleys are bad because they are next to the mountains.