Year 6 · History · A non-European society · Lesson 3

Maya achievements

Maya achievements: base-20 numbers with dots, bars and a shell for zero, glyph writing on stelae and codices, calendars and astronomy, compared with Anglo-Saxon learning.

13-minute video lesson

Teaching, worked examples and 20 practice questions solved step by step.

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What your child will learn

Read and write Maya numerals
Explain the importance of zero
Describe Maya writing
Explain Maya calendars and astronomy

The method

Bars (5s).
Dots.
Dots on top.
Shell for 0.

Key words: Maya numerals, base 20, zero, glyph, codex, calendar.

Worked examples

The first three practice questions from the lesson, with every step.

Question 1

What is a dot worth in Maya numbers?

Step 1: 1

Answer: 1

Question 2

What is a bar worth?

Step 1: 5

Answer: 5

Question 3

What symbol meant zero?

Step 1: s...

Answer: a shell