During the second half of the autumn term, Year 6 learnt about the Ancient Maya. In the penultimate week of the term, Year 6 became archaeologists in their history lesson.
The children were tasked with an excavation activity; they needed to dig through sand to find information, clues and primary sources that would explain how the ancient Maya civilisation declined.
In groups, the children were equipped with brushes and a large tray of sand. The first task was to find a puzzle piece that had a factor that contributed to the decline of the Maya - an example being disease. Next, they would read through diary entries, analyse graph data, examine art pieces and assess letters between people from the ancient Maya... all of these clues and sources enabled Year 6 to see how their factor impacted the people of the time.
Once loaded with clues about their factor, the children began making notes and judgements on sugar paper, in preparation to present their findings to the rest of the class.
After the excavations and presentations, Year 6 understood that the Ancient Maya civilisation declined due to a variety of factors. This active learning about a topic that is considered to be quite complex by historians was handled with keen inquisitiveness and grace by the Year 6 pupils. Congratulations on uncovering the factors behind the downfall of the Ancient Mayan Civilisation, Year 6. You have been fantastic historians and archaeologists!
