The Maya Topic

#TheCompleteTopic17lessons

The Maya KS2 topic contains seventeen individual lessons across five subject areas. Each lesson contains a detailed lesson plan, engaging slides for the teaching input, differentiated worksheets and many other resources, including pictures, worksheets, games and quizzes, leaving you free to enjoy this Mayan adventure with your class!

Don't forget to view our bumper collection of free and premium downloadable Maya resources. These printable PDFs are ready to use.

#AllARTLessonsinTopic

Download this Mayan Art KS2 planning pack to give your Year 3 or Year 4 class three great Mayan art projects to get stuck into as part of their cross-curricular Maya topic. Explore and recreate a Mayan funeral mask, use clay to create Mayan stelae, investigate and recreate the Bonampak murals...whether you decide to teach one of the Mayan art activities or all three, there's sure to be something to engage your children and challenge their artistic creativity!

These Mayan Art KS2 lessons come fully prepared and ready to teach: there's a detailed lesson plan for each lesson, a corresponding slideshow for the teaching input, differentiated activity ideas, and a range of printable resources to support your class as they carry out their Mayan art activities independently. All you need to do is download, teach and enjoy with your class!

#AllDTLessonsinTopic

Download this Mayan DT project to challenge your Year 3 or Year 4 class to create their own Mayan temple! Including a detailed lesson plan, a slideshow for the teaching input, differentiated activity ideas, and a range of printable resources, this KS2 DT lesson comes completely planned and ready to teach. All you need to do is provide the materials!

#AllGEOGRAPHYLessonsinTopic

These three Mayan Geography lessons for KS2 children are a great way to help your class understand more about the Mayan civilisation by learning where in the world they lived, what it is like there, and meet modern Maya who still live in the area.

Each of these Mayan Geography lessons comes ready-prepared with a straightforward lesson plan, a corresponding slideshow for the teaching input, differentiated activity ideas and a range of printable resources to support children as they carry out their independent learning. It's all there just ready for you to download and teach to your class, meaning you can deliver engaging and challenging lessons without having to spend hours of your own time planning!

#AllHISTORYLessonsinTopic

Download this ready-to-teach series of ancient Maya History lessons for KS2 to explore the fascinating Mayan civilisation with your Year 3 and Year 4 class. Your children will be finding out where the Maya lived, what their lives were like, and how their society was organised, as well as investigating the evidence they left behind and uncovering some Mayan mysteries.

With lesson plans, informative and engaging slides, differentiated worksheets, fun activities, games, pictures and more, these Mayan Civilisation KS2 History lessons for Year 3/4 provide everything you need to immerse your class in this rich culture and give them a detailed overview of this period in Mesoamerican history.

#AllPSHELessonsinTopic

These three KS2 PSHE lessons are the perfect way to embed PSHE into your Maya topic! Your Year 3 or Year 4 class will consider the implications of the Spanish conquest on the Mayan people they found living in Mesoamerica, explore the concept of a hierarchy and how our social structure compares to that of the ancient Maya, and compare the lifestyles of the Maya with our modern lifestyles to assess which is healthier.

Each of these three fascinating lessons comes fully planned and ready to teach with straight-forward lesson plans, slideshows for each of the teaching inputs, differentiated activity ideas and a range of printables resources, including worksheets, picture cards and challenges.

#Lesson1ArtMayanMasks

This Mayan Masks KS2 lesson gives your Year 3 or Year 4 children the chance to make their very own Mayan masks! The lesson starts by looking at the funerary mask of Lord Pakal that was found at Palenque and the story of how it was discovered, before going on to explore why the Maya wore masks and looking at further examples.

The included slideshow presentation for the teaching input then goes through some step-by-step photos for how children can make their own Mayan masks using papier mache. Children can then have a go for themselves, or alternatively use the Mayan masks template included in the set of printable resources, to make their own colourful Mayan masks.

This Mayan Mask Art lesson comes fully prepared and ready to teach – all you need to provide are the art materials!

#Lesson2ArtMayanArtefacts

This Mayan Artefacts KS2 Art lesson challenges your Year 3 or Year 4 class to recreate Mayan artefacts using clay. Looking particularly at the Maya's stone-carving and pottery-making skills, your class will be shown some examples that have survived from the Mayan civilisation and consider what we can learn from them.

They will then be challenged to work with clay to create their own artwork in the style of the Maya. There are options to create a Mayan tile, stele or coil pot, with helpful step-by-step instructions for each to get your children started.

#Lesson3ArtTheBonampakMurals

Take your class inside the Bonampak temple to explore the famous Bonampak murals in this fascinating KS2 Art lesson for Year 3 or Year 4. The lesson starts by explaining how, in 1946, two Maya took an American photographer inside the ruins of the Bonampak temple in Mexico. Inside were the Bonampak murals, painted around the year 800. The included slideshow presentation shows photos of the Bonampak murals and challenges your class to describe what they can see.

The lesson then goes on to challenge your class to either use pastels to recreate sections of the murals, or decorate and construct a 3D net to create their very own Bonampak temple model.

#Lesson4DTMayanTempleModels

Challenge your class to make a Mayan temple model in this fun DT lesson for Year 3 or Year 4 – the perfect way to embed Design & Technology teaching into your Maya topic! The included slideshow for the teaching input takes a look at some different Mayan temples and challenges your class to think about what different materials, tools and techniques they could use to recreate their own.

During their independent learning activities, your class will then design, make and evaluate their own Mayan temple model, using whichever process they think best.

This KS2 DT lesson comes completely planned and ready to deliver to your class. There's an easy-to-follow lesson plan with three-way differentiation plus an alternative activity, a slideshow for the teaching input, and a set of printable resources to support children as they make a Mayan temple model.

#Lesson5GeographyWheredidtheMayanslive

Where did the Mayans live? In this lesson, your KS2 class will use a variety of maps to help them locate Mesoamerica and the modern-day countries that now occupy Mayan lands. They will explore different types of maps and consider which are most helpful when locating countries and cities, as well as using online maps to explore the area in which the Maya lived.

This lesson comes with an easy-to-follow lesson plan, an engaging slideshow for the teaching input, differentiated activity ideas and a range of printable resources, including a Maya map, to support your class as they learn where the Mayans lived.

#Lesson6GeographyExploringMesoamerica

This Exploring Mesoamerica KS2 Geography lesson gives your Year 3 or Year 4 class the chance to explore the physical geography of Mesoamerica and compare it to the UK. They will look at a variety of sources of information, including graphs and charts, to help them find out what Mesoamerica is like, specifically in terms of climate. There is also the opportunity to use the 'street view' function on an online map to explore the area for themselves to see what features they can see.

#Lesson7GeographyModernMaya

Introduce your class to the modern Maya in this KS2 Geography lesson as they find out about the Maya people who still live in Central America today. Your Year 3 or Year 4 children will use a variety of sources of information to find out facts about the lifestyle of modern Maya, and to compare this to the lives their ancestors led.

An easy-to-follow lesson plan, slideshow and printable worksheets and other resources are all included in this Maya Geography lesson, leaving you free to deliver a great lesson without having to spend hours on planning!

#Lesson8PSHESpanishConquestoftheMaya

This thought-provoking KS2 PSHE lesson for Year 3 or Year 4 explores the Spanish conquest of the Maya and what the Spanish did (both intentionally and unintentionally) when they invaded. Your children will consider the positive and negative effects of this conquest on the Maya, and debate whether they think the Spanish were right to invade and conquer the Mayan people.

This lesson is ready to download and teach. There's a lesson plan with three-way differentiation, a slideshow for the teaching input and a range of printable resources to support your class as they explore and ponder the Spanish conquest of the Maya.

#Lesson9PSHERulersandResponsibilities

This interesting lesson explores the concept of a hierarchy and compares hierarchies in the Mayan and modern governments. It then goes on to explore the role of a leader and teaches your class about the responsibilities leaders have to those they are leading. Your children can then decide what rules they would apply at school if they were in charge!

This lesson has a detailed lesson plan, a slideshow for the teaching input, differentiated activity ideas and a range of printable resources to support your class as they carry out their independent learning activities.

#Lesson10PSHETheMayaLifestyle

This Maya Lifestyle PSHE lesson for KS2 children challenges your Year 3 or Year 4 class to consider exactly what a healthy lifestyle is before looking at the kind of diet and exercise the Maya enjoyed. They will then compare this to modern lifestyles and consider which they think is healthier and why. There is also the chance to taste test some delicious and healthy Mayan foods!

This lesson comes fully prepared and ready to teach with a lesson plan, a slideshow for the teaching input, differentiated activity ideas and a range of printable resources to support your class as they carry out their independent learning activities.

#Lesson11HistoryMysteriousMayanRuins

The first lesson in this ancient Maya History pack for KS2 starts by introducing your class to the Spanish conquistadors and tells them the story of their conquest of the Aztecs and consequent expeditions deeper into Mesoamerica. Your Year 3 or Year 4 children will look at some photos of the mysterious Mayan ruins the Spanish discovered deep in the rainforests and generate questions that the conquistadors might have asked, as well as questions they would like to find the answers to themselves.

This lesson is completely planned and ready to deliver to your keen historians – there's an easy-to-follow lesson plan, a slideshow for the teaching input, differentiated activity ideas and a range of printable resources to support your children as they investigate the mysterious Mayan ruins.

#Lesson12HistoryExploringMayanArtefacts

This Mayan Timeline KS2 History lesson starts by looking at some of the Mayan artefacts that archaeologists have found, deducing what they can teach us about the Mayan civilisation, before finding out how these artefacts have helped historians establish a Mayan timeline.

During their independent learning activities, your class can then either explore some of these Mayan artefacts further or place facts in chronological order on a Mayan timeline.

Completely ready to go, this lesson comes with a lesson plan with three-way differentiation, a slideshow for the teaching input and a range of printable resources.

#Lesson13HistoryMayanCityStates

Your class will explore the Mayan city states in this KS2 History lesson as they find out how Mayan society was structured and organised. The lesson starts by challenging your class to think about how our society is run and who makes our decisions before comparing this with how Mayan society was structured. They will find out about different groups of Mayan people from kings and nobles to slaves and farmers, as well as how the Maya lived in various independent city states.

Download this fascinating Mayan City States lesson to teach your class about Mayan society...and all without having to do any planning of your own! We've got it all covered (lesson plan, slideshow, worksheets and other printables, and differentiated activity ideas) so you can just click and teach!

#Lesson14HistoryMayanGodsandReligion

Be prepared for a few gruesome facts in this Mayan Gods and Religion KS2 History lesson as your class find out what the Maya believed in and how this affected their daily lives. Your Year 3 or Year 4 class will explore some of the Mayan gods and what they demanded from the Mayan people, including bloodletting and human sacrifice, as well as learning about the role of priests and beliefs about the afterlife.

With a comprehensive lesson plan, a set of engaging slides for the teaching input, differentiated activity ideas, worksheets, information sheets and a Mayan creation story sheet, this Mayan Religion KS2 lesson is completely ready for you to download and teach.

#Lesson15HistoryMayanDailyLife

This Mayan Daily Life KS2 History lesson is a great way to challenge your class to use their historical inquiry skills as they research what daily life was like for the Maya. The included slideshow presentation poses some questions for the children to consider about Mayan daily life and how they can find out answers to questions they have about this.

During their independent learning time, they can use a variety of sources of information, including the information sheet, picture cards and other resources included in this planning pack, to find the answers to the questions they want to know about what everyday life was like during the Mayan civilisation.

#Lesson16HistoryMayanWriting

This fascinating Mayan Writing KS2 History lesson teaches your Year 3 or Year 4 class about Mayan hieroglyphics, how and when they were translated, and what the Mayan writing system teaches us about the Mayan civilisation. It goes on to explore the Mayan number system (giving your KS2 class the chance to do some Mayan Maths!) and the Mayan calendar.

This Mayan Writing KS2 lesson is completely ready for you to download and teach, and comes with a lesson plan, an engaging slideshow for the teaching input, differentiated activity ideas and a range of printable resources to either challenge your class to some Mayan maths or to help them make their own Mayan calendar.

#Lesson17HistoryEndoftheMayanCivilisation

The final lesson in this Mayan History series explores what brought about the end of the Mayan civilisation. It starts by exploring the evidence for battles between Mayan city states, as recorded on stelae and other artefacts, before considering why these records suddenly disappeared from history around the year 900. At this time, the Mayan cities were abandoned and the great era of the ancient Maya was at an end. Your class will think about what the possible causes of this might have been before choosing which they think is most likely.

This lesson has a lesson plan, a slideshow for the teaching input, differentiated activity ideas and a range of printable resources to support children as they carry their out their independent learning activities.

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Curriculum Objectives covered

• KS2 - to improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing with a range of materials
• KS2 - to improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including painting with a range of materials
• KS2 - to improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including sculpture with a range of materials

• KS2 - use research and develop design criteria to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing products that are fit for purpose, aimed at particular individuals or groups
• KS2 - generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through discussion, annotated sketches, cross-sectional and exploded diagrams, prototypes, pattern pieces and computer-aided design
• KS2 - select from and use a wider range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks [for example, cutting, shaping, joining and finishing], accurately
• KS2 - select from and use a wider range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their functional properties and aesthetic qualities
• KS2 - evaluate their ideas and products against their own design criteria and consider the views of others to improve their work
• KS2 - apply their understanding of how to strengthen, stiffen and reinforce more complex structures

• KS2 - locate the world’s countries, using maps to focus on Europe (including the location of Russia) and North and South America, concentrating on their environmental regions, key physical and human characteristics, countries, and major cities
• KS2 - understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography of a region of the United Kingdom, a region in a European country, and a region within North or South America
• KS2 - describe and understand key aspects of physical geography, including: climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts, rivers, mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes, and the water cycle
• KS2 - describe and understand key aspects of human geography, including: types of settlement and land use, economic activity including trade links, and the distribution of natural resources including energy, food, minerals and water
• KS2 - use maps, atlases, globes and digital/computer mapping to locate countries and describe features studied

• KS2 - a non-European society that provides contrasts with British history – one study chosen from: early Islamic civilization, including a study of Baghdad c. AD 900; Mayan civilization c. AD 900; Benin (West Africa) c. AD 900-1300