Maya Civilisation Knowledge Organiser

Year 6 HistoryMaya Civilisation1 page

About this worksheet

Covering the Maya from about 2000 BC to AD 1500, this Year 6 history knowledge organiser fits on one page. A fact panel explains city-states such as Tikal, Palenque and Chichen Itza, the Maya writing system, base-20 numbers with a zero, maize farming, and the abandonment of the southern cities around AD 900. A labelled drawing of El Castillo marks the temple, nine terraces, 91 steps per side and the serpent heads. Seven key words run from Mesoamerica to cacao, and five questions with answers end the page. It is written for the England National Curriculum at KS2.

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Maya Civilisation Knowledge Organiser: Maya Civilisation - page 1

Curriculum objectives covered

Non-European society

“A non-European society that provides contrasts with British history”

The whole page. The Classic Period dates (AD 250 to AD 900) let pupils set the Maya against Anglo-Saxon and Viking Britain.

Non-European society

“Mayan civilization c. AD 900”

The page dates the decline of the Classic cities to around AD 900, and key question 4 gives four reasons for it.

What's inside this worksheet

Facts and big ideas

Four short paragraphs on city-states, writing and maths, farming and food, and continuity, noting that millions of Maya people still live in Central America.

Labelled Maya Step Pyramid (El Castillo)

A cutaway drawing with four labels: the temple sanctuary, nine stepped stone terraces, a staircase of 91 steps per side and carved serpent heads at the base.

Key Vocabulary

Seven terms with definitions, including Halach Uinic ('True Man'), glyphs, codex, pok-ta-pok and cacao used as currency.

Key questions

Five questions and answers on where and when the Maya lived, how society was organised, the role of priests, the decline around AD 900 and how we know about them today.

How teachers use it

Class timeline

Put AD 900 on the class timeline next to the Viking raids on Britain, so pupils see the two societies side by side.

Maths starter

Use the base-20 fact as a starter. Pupils count to 40 in twenties using fingers and toes, then compare it with our base 10.

Retrieval quiz

Cover the answer column and quiz pairs on the five key questions. Question 4 gives four causes of the decline for pupils to rank.

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