Grade 6 Students Become Incan Chasqui Runners

By Savanna Kuisle, Grade 6 History Teacher

Close your eyes and imagine yourself standing in the Andes Mountains along one of the Incan Empire’s famous highways. Sunlight filters through the misty clouds that hang low over the mountains. Feet pound hard along the ground, and urgent shouts drift across the open space. A relay runner rushes past with an urgent message for the Sapa Inca (Incan Emperor). But when you open your eyes, you’re standing on the TAS track, watching Grade 6 students running furiously. They pass messages to their relay teammates in the hopes of being not just the fastest team but also the most accurate.

At the end of our Inca unit in Grade 6 History, students engaged in this interactive learning experience to help them review content and have fun! Incan chasqui runners were essential to how the Sapa Inca managed his vast empire. These messengers would listen to a verbal message, run one mile to deliver that information to the next runner, and then return to their station to await the following communication. With this system, messages could travel up to 150 miles per day along the well-maintained roads of the Inca Empire. Our students gathered in teams of six, each stationed at a different location around the track. The first runner received a question (e.g., “What did the Incas eat for meat?”). They then had to deliver that message (and hopefully the answer!) to their next team member. The final chasqui on the team had to run as quickly as possible to the Sapa Inca (one of the history teachers) with what they hoped was the correct question and answer. Teams who delivered the incorrect message were given a time penalty before their team could start the next round. Students quickly realized that being a good listener was essential to being an effective chasqui runner. If you dashed off before hearing the entire message, your team’s communication system would fall apart! The team that “won” the game earned some tasty gummy bears…not quite the same as the guinea pigs that the Incas enjoyed eating, but our students were quite pleased with their prize.