Mayan Civilization Resources and Lessons KS2
Explore Mayan Civilisation at KS2
Explore how Maya city states flourished, what everyday life was like, how we know about them through archaeology and why their civilisation changed and declined.
Explore teaching resources
Everything for this history topic in one place
The enquiry sequence
Enquiry-based lessons and resources
6 activities
Using the Maya topic to look at changing interpretations
One of the hardest ideas to teach young children is that history is a construct and liable to changing interpretations. Many really dislike the fuzziness of not knowing for sure….
Read More
Mayan civilzation – planner
There are three key ideas behind this unit’s place on the curriculum. Primarily it is there to show pupils that by comparison with British society in Saxon times the Maya…
Read More
Mayan civilization KS2 – end of unit quiz
You’ve explored the incredible world of the ancient Maya — a people who built great cities, invented their own writing system, and studied the stars to make accurate calendars. Now…
Read More
Top tips for planning your KS2 history studies – Benin / Islam / Maya
Focus on why we are teaching this topic at KS2, often for the first time. Why was this civilization quite so special? Compare with society in Britain at the time,…
Read MoreMayan civilization – assessment task – What can we tell about Mayan society 1,000 years ago?
Focus skill/concept: Understanding characteristic period features and cultural diversity Using 3 images pupils are set the task to explain what they can tell about Mayan society from 1,000 years ago. …
Read More
Mayan civilization knowledge organiser – KS2
The height of Maya civilization came at the time when the Saxons were fighting the Vikings in Britain, but it was the Mayan society that was in many ways more…
Read More
Keeping up to-date with teaching of the Maya – Archaeologists uncover scoreboard for ancient Maya ball game
In the Archaeological Zone of Chichén Itzá, archaeologists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) have discovered a circular shaped stone marker they believe to be a scoreboard…
Read More12 things you need to know about the Mayan civilization before you teach it at KS2
1. The Mayan settlements were among the largest anywhere in the world in year 1000 In the year 1000 settlements like Chichen Itza were among the largest settlements anywhere in…
Read More
How to engage your KS2 boys with the Maya using football
Football is a religion. As early as 1000 year ago the ancient Mayan ball game drew huge crowds, not just for its entertainment value, but also for the religious significance…
Read MoreNew explanation as to why Mayan civilization collapsed- my KS2 kids can do better
Below is a recent short explanation as to why the Mayan civilization collapsed. I think that KS2 pupils can do better, with the right stimulus. This comes in the form…
Read MoreMayan civilization – KQ1 – Why do we study the Maya in history at KS2?
Following a brief introduction to locate the Mayan civilization in time and place, stress that we knew very little about this society until recent excavations. Then give over most of…
Read More
Mayan civilization – KQ2 – Reasons why the Maya empire grew – When so much of the land they lived in was mountain and jungle, how did the Maya manage to become so important?
This is a contentious area and historians cannot be sure so it is a quick overview type lesson. Learning objectives Pupils are able to offer at least 2 valid reasons…
Read More
Mayan civilization – KQ3 – What was everyday life in Mayan civilization? How different was it for rich and poor?
Having been introduced to the nature of Mayan society with its clear hierarchy, and having seen various models and artists’ impressions of life in Mayan city states 1,200 years ago,…
Read More
Mayan civilization – KQ4 – How can we possibly know what was life like for the Mayan people 1,000 years ago? SMART TASK
Introduction This multi-faceted enquiry ranges from scene-setting story telling, and making deductions (using the strategies Zones of Inference and Prove it!), through to creative uses of evidence with Call My…
Read More
Mayan civilisation – KQ5 – Mayan civilization and human sacrifice
KQ5 If the Maya were so civilized why then did they carry out human sacrifice? SMART TASK Please note that this can be a delicate issue to be treated with…
Read More
Mayan civilisation – KQ5 additional information – Ideas to support your teaching of the Maya religious practices
How will you present cultural practices that differ from our own, such as human sacrifice, as practised by the Maya? Are you guilty of cultural chauvinism? While human sacrifice appears…
Read MoreMayan civilisation – KQ6 – Why did the Mayan empire decline?
How can we solve the riddle of why the Mayan empire ended so quickly? When there are apparently 88 competing theories about the end of the Mayan civilisation where do…
Read MoreMayan civilisation – KQ6 – Additional information – Why did 90% of Maya ‘disappear’ around 900AD?
This article comes largely from the Historical Association website Around 900AD, most of the Maya disappeared from the historical record. Many of their cities were deserted. No more stelae [special…
Read MoreWritten by Neil Thompson
All content on Keystage history is written and quality assured by Neil Thompson, a former history teacher, county history adviser and Ofsted inspector with more than 30 years’ experience in history education.