Mayan Civilization Resources and Lessons KS2
When teaching the Mayan civilization unit at KS2, you are advised to use the medium-term planner from which all the outstanding lessons flow. Starting with exploring the reasons why the Maya topic is on the curriculum, pupils learn how the Mayan civilization grew so strong when the odds against it were so huge. They then devote most time to exploring the characteristics features of the Mayan society and comparing it with the state of Britain at the same time i.e. about AD1100.
To help pupils develop the use of evidence, they are asked to work out how we can be so sure about what life was like for the Maya a thousand years ago. The topic concludes with an open-ended enquiry which challenges pupils to work collaboratively to create their own plausible answer to the riddle of why the Mayan civilization came to such an abrupt end.
Planner, assessment task and knowledge organiser
| All Mayan civilization Key Questions | Historical focus |
|---|---|
| KQ1 – Why do we study the Maya in history at KS2? | Historical significance |
| KQ2 – How did the Maya manage to become so important? | Causation and development |
| KQ3 – What was everyday life in Maya civilisation? How different was it for rich and poor? | Everyday life and diversity |
| KQ4 – How can we possibly know what life was like for the Maya people 1,000 years ago? | Evidence and archaeology |
| KQ5 – If the Maya were so civilised, why did they carry out human sacrifice? | Beliefs and interpretations |
| KQ6 – Why did the Maya civilisation decline? | Causation and historical debate |
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….
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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…
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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,…
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Mayan 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. …
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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…
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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 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…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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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.