Year 5 Topic Overview
Summer Term 1
HOOK
Who were the Mayans?
When and where did they live?
What was the Mayan civilization like?
Year 5 teachers will bring this ancient civilization to life with our
‘search into the unknown’. During our hook day, the children will
investigate the Mayans from pictures and other historical sources.
They will then experience Mayan life in a carousel of activities, including games, fact
finding using IPADs, Mayan Maths and even human
sacrifice!
Throughout the topic, they will use their enquiry skills to
unlock the secrets of
the Mysterious Ma-
Main Focus
The topic will focus upon:
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Literacy—short stories and newspaper reports
History—finding out about Mayan life
Geography—location, map work
ICT—internet research skills and editing using IMovie
If your child
enjoys our rich text,
they may also like:
Topic Words
RICH TEXT
Learning Experiences
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Reading ‘The Chronicles of
Harris Burdick’
Mayan Day
Maths investigations
Historical enquiry
Group work
Role play
Short stories
News broadcasts—filming
Newspaper reports
Computer research
Editing news reports on the
Topic Words
Outcome
On Friday 26th May, at 9:15am, we would like to invite you in for a
‘Mayan cinema screening’. Each class will have their own news
broadcast to show which will be based on the children’s newspaper
reports.
You will be able to enjoy watching the broadcast filmed by the children and experience getting to know the Mayans through
‘information stations’.
Geography Challenge
Label the countries of North
and South America.
Bronze=1 task
Silver =2 tasks
Gold=3tasks or more
Literacy Challenge
History Challenge
Design a Mayan menu.
Create a game that teaches people
about the Mayans. Can you find
some weird or
disgusting ‘Horrible Histories’ style
Home Learning Activities
History Challenge
Geography Challenge
Design and create a Mayan God or
Goddess. It could be a painting, a
collage or a
sculpture.
Imagine you are a Mayan
architect. Design a pyramid. Write a
list of materials and explain why
you have chosen them.
Art/DT Challenge
Maths Challenge
Create a Mayan headdress .
OR
Create a model home for the
Mayans.
Research the Mayan n
umber system and write out a
multiplication grid using their
number system.