Our Topic this term is entitled 'The Mayans'

What were the contemporary similarities and differences between the Ancient Maya and British civilisations? The Ancient Maya spanned from 1100 BC to 1502 AD, coinciding chronologically with the British Stone Age through to the Tudors. The location of the Ancient Maya can be found through map work and the accurate use of compass directions. Through studying trade, food, gods and calendars, we can compare the lives of two contrasting civilisations. Many aspects of the lives of the Ancient Maya continue to feature in our lives today, such as chocolate, astronomy and architecture. Weaving was used to create textiles and clothing throughout this time span; we will develop this skill.

 

After using our history timeline, we found out that the ancient Maya were not the only civilisation living at this point in history. We made link with our previous learning about the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. We created timelines to demonstrate that more than one civilisation could thrive at the same time.  

 

This term, we are learning about the ancient Maya. We have been learning about the foods that they ate and discovered that cacao was incredibly important to them. We found out that the ancient Maya created a hot chocolate drink from their cacao beans. However, we realised that it would not taste as sweet or milky as a modern hot chocolate as they did not have access to livestock or sugar! 

We have continued to develop our clay skills this term by creating a Maya chocolate pot. We focused on how we could effectively join two pieces of clay together.  

In preparation for our learning landing, we have been learning about weaving. We found out that the ancient Maya used vivid colours, dyed with natural items, to weave patterns to create baskets and items of clothing.