Maya Planning

A fully-resourced unit of 10 history lessons for KS2, covering the Maya Civilization history topic. This KS2History planning pack includes 10 detailed lessons plans, each with accompanying pupil resource sheets and Powerpoint slides.

The ten sessions in this unit aim to give an overview of the history of the Maya Civilization, with a particular focus on the period leading up to the height of the civilization in AD 900. As with all KS2History.com units, there is an emphasis on allowing pupils to consider the sources of evidence that form our understanding of this period of world history. The unit also takes the opportunity to draw contrasts with comparable themes from British history.

The aims of the unit for pupils are:

• To gain an overview of significant people, places and events from the Maya Civilization
• To explore how the geography of the Maya area impacted trade, daily life and the growth and decline of the civilization
• To consider broader historical context and draw links with British history and other familiar aspects of world history
• To become familiar with historical sources and debates, to address misconceptions and to use accurate vocabulary relating to the Maya Civilization.

This pack contains everything you need to teach this unit, including differentiated activity ideas so that it can be adapted to the needs of your class. The Powerpoint text is also editable.

The planning pack covers the following lessons:

1. What was the Maya Civilization?
2. How did the landscape of the Maya area affect trade?
3. How did Maya settlers survive and thrive in the rainforest?
4. What do Maya ruins tell us about city-states?
5. How useful are the pictures of Frederick Catherwood as a source of information about the Maya?
6. Did the Maya invent football?
7. Why was maize so important to the Maya people?
8. Who was Pakal the Great?
9. How did the Maya keep track of time?
10. What is the mystery of the abandoned Maya cities?

This resource includes 1 x PDf file (containing all lessons and resources) and 10 x separate PPT files.