Teach-Primary-Issue-19.3

Age – the Palaeolithic, the Mesolithic and the Neolithic eras ( slide 8 ). Tell the children that we are going to find out what life was actually like during the Mesolithic era using a range of sources. Clarify the word source , and explain that it means evidence that tells us about the past. Show the children a video clip of what Star Carr in Yorkshire might have looked like in 9,000 BCE ( slide 9 ). Ask pupils to make notes on mini whiteboards: how are the houses constructed?Why do you think people settled here?What might have been nearby that they needed to survive? How and where did they get their food? Pupils might mention that Star Carr is near a river for food/water – you could use this opportunity to make links to other civilisations they have studied that settled next to a river (i.e. Ancient Egyptians). Discuss pupils’ answers together and note down their ideas. Ask the children to examine sources showing aspects of Mesolithic life using images of tools and homes ( slides 10-13 ). If possible, use pages 2-3 from A Street Through Time by Anne Millard, and ask pupils to discuss what they can see. Get pupils to work in pairs, using the sources to complete a table outlining what houses, food, and tools and weapons looked like in the Mesolithic era ( slide 14 ). Finish the lesson by getting pupils to report back on what they found out and discuss each area of Stone Age life together. You might discuss that the arrowheads and fishing hooks show they hunted for their food, for example. Assessment Can pupils explain what homes were like and how Mesolithic people found food? Can children use a range of sources and make notes of their findings? WEEK 3 Learning objective l What were homes like at Skara Brae? Begin the lesson by introducing the settlement of Skara Brae, which dates from the Neolithic era. Show pupils the virtual tour of Skara Brae ( slide 17 ). Show the plan of Skara Brae ( slide 18 ) and give pupils time to discuss it – explain that many of the houses in the settlement were connected by tunnels. Ask pupils why they think this might have been useful. Ask the children to look in pairs at the images of Skara Brae ( slides 19-21 ) and to note down what they can see in each house including any furnishings and decorations. Pupils should then discuss how these houses are similar to and different from the homes of Mesolithic hunter-gathers at Starr Carr. After discussing together and as a class, get the children to draw and label a plan of one of the houses, using photos of Skara Brae to help themwith as much detail as possible. Next, ask them to create a detailed plan of a house, including what they can see inside. Finish by asking pupils to report back on what they found out using the sources. How do they know that people in Skara Brae had become more advanced during the Neolithic period? Pupils could write a short response using stem sentences ( slide 22 ). Assessment Can children identify what homes were like in Skara Brae? Can they compare homes in Skara Brae with Mesolithic houses and explain why these were more advanced? WEEK 4 Learning objective l Why was the discovery of bronze so important? Begin the lesson by recapping what types of tools people used during the Stone Age. Ask the children to explain what materials were used, and how they were used. Pupils should be able to recall that stone and flint were the main materials used for tools and weapons, and that these things helped early hunter-gatherers provide food. Show pupils examples of artefacts that were made during the Bronze Age ( slide 25 ). Discuss what the objects have in common and what each one would have been used for. After discussing together, explain that they are made of bronze, a metal alloy that is produced by melding copper and tin ore. Explain that bronze was first brought from Europe to the UK by the Beaker people, who were good at metalworking, and that this helped to change what life was like. Watch the video about the Bronze Age ( slide 26 ) and ask the children to note down why they think the production of bronze was so important. Emphasise that bronze didn’t just allow people to make better tools and weapons, but also enabled people to produce luxury goods, which meant they could trade with other places. Pupils should then work to create a poster about why bronze was such a beneficial material, thinking about: why was bronze such a useful material? How did it change society in Britain? What could people living in the Bronze Age now do that they couldn’t before? Assessment Can children explain why the discovery of bronze was so important and some of the ways it changed life in Britain during the Bronze Age? F EATURE S S C I ENC E www.teachwire.net | 23