Shakespeare Project –
Year 5 have written a soliloquy in the role of Hermia and I just want to share how enthusiastic they have been and how fantastic the work that they have produced is!
Well done Year 5, I am so proud!
Thank you for your wonderful contributions. Can’t wait to display them in our Shakespeare gallery!
Our Summer 2 learning enquiry is…
The Ancient Mayans
Would you rather settle a dispute with a game of pok-a-tok or go to war and fight?
The Ancient Mayans were a very advanced and superstitious civilisation, who lived over 2300 years ago, in Central America.
They were experts in astronomy and maths, developing a complex calendar and farming systems. They worshipped many gods in many different religious rituals.
History Objectives (Direct National Curriculum Links) –
- Pupils should be taught about the achievements of the earliest civilizations – an overview of where and when the first civilizations appeared and a depth study.
- Pupils should be taught about a non-European society that provides contrasts with British history – Mayan civilization c. AD 900.
- Pupils should continue to develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of world history, establishing clear narratives within and across the periods they study.
- They should note connections, contrasts and trends over time and develop the appropriate use of historical terms.
- They should regularly address and sometimes devise historically valid questions about change, cause, similarity and difference, and significance.
- They should construct informed responses that involve thoughtful selection and organisation of relevant historical information.
- They should understand how our knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of sources.
KEY VOCABULARY:
| Ahau – The main king or lord of a Maya city-state. | Cacao – Seeds that the Maya used to make chocolate. | Cenote – A sinkhole or pit filled with water, cenotes were sources of water for the Maya and were also used as places of sacrifice.
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| Itzamna – The main god of the Maya, Itzamna was the god of fire who created the Earth. | Codex – A type of book written by the Maya that was created by one long sheet of paper that was then folded like an accordion.
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Tzolk’in – The Maya religious calendar used to track religious days and ceremonies. It had 260 days. |
| Obsidian – A hard rock that was used to make sharp edges and tools. | Quetzal – A type of jungle bird with feathers that the Maya used in their feathered clothing and headdresses.
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Stelae – A tall monumental sculpture made from stone with relief carvings made by the Maya. |
| Uinal – Word for a month in the Maya calendar. It was 20 days long. | Pyramid – A large monument with four sides that tapers at the top. The Maya build step pyramids with flat tops. At the top they built a temple to their gods.
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Popol Vuh – A book or codex that described Maya religion and mythology. |
| Haab’ – The Maya solar calendar that was used to measure time and had 365 days. | Kukulcan – The serpent god of the Maya. One of the primary gods, especially to the Itza peoples of Chichen Itza.
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Glyph – A symbol used in writing. |
HOT QUESTIONS –>
What typical things did the Mayans eat and why?
If YOU were a Mayan child, what were you likely to grow up to be?
In ancient times, how might rich Mayans have lived differently to the poor Mayans?
Can you describe/explain a Mayan religious ceremony/ritual/tradition?
How do we know what we know about the Ancient Mayans today?
What causes were there for the Maya to die out?
What remains of the Ancient Mayan traditions in modern Central America?
Our Literacy Focus
This half term, we will be reading (and writing our own versions of) Character Flaw Stories and Warning Tales.
The texts that we will be focusing on are:
Rain Player and The Hero Twins.
Here is a link to other KS2 stories and books with a Mayan theme! – https://www.booksfortopics.com/maya
To see the Weekly Timetable and Long Term Plan for Year 5 learning, please click the links below 🙂
Summer 2 Weekly Timetable 2021 Y5
Long Term Plan Year 5 2020-2021
If you are isolating due to Covid, please visit your Showbie page daily to find new work and get feedback 🙂
—>www.showbie.com<—
We recommend that your child also regularly accesses the following learning platforms:
- Times Table Rock Stars
- Reading Eggs
- Purple Mash
- Top Marks (Hit the Button)
- Oxford Owl (free E-Books!)
- https://www.worldbookday.com/world-of-stories/ (free Audio-books!)
- BBC Bitesize (a brilliant learning resource!)
Link to Year 5/6 Statutory Spellings- Look, cover, say, write, check.
Click here to download a list of suggested reading books for Year 5 children.
Supporting well-being is super important right now. Here’s a great website to lots of free well-being activities…. https://www.elsa-support.co.uk/category/free-resources/
Stay fit and healthy with some sporty challenges with ASM! –> https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw3adMR45pFcwVUrii4WGKw