History Workshop

Lesson: History

Class: Year 3 Year: 2024 - 2025

02.09.2024

Stone Age to Iron Age Workshop

Dr. John Hill, an archaeologist from a local university, visited our class to help us learn more about our history topic. Dr. Hill began by teaching us about the timeline of Early Man. The children were able to recall information from their lessons about Early Man and the Paleolithic period. They discussed cave paintings and the animals that lived during that time. Dr. Hill also introduced the concept of ‘Doggerland’—an area now submerged under the sea—and explained how no one lived in Garswood or St Helens or the surrounding areas during that period.

Dr. Hill talked about how people travelled, and some children remembered the term ‘nomadic’, referring to a lifestyle where people moved from place to place without settling. They also discussed Skara Brae, an ancient settlement. He taught us more about hunter-gatherers, explaining how they gathered berries and painted caves. They used iron from rocks to make red paint and charcoal from burnt wood to make black paint.

The children were given various artefacts to study, which helped deepen their understanding. These included a mammal’s tooth, a megalodon shark tooth, and bones from other ancient animals. He also talked about Stone Henge and his job as an Archaeologist, how they found Stone Age bones of an animal and talked about this with children.

As Dr. Hill moved through the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods, he explained how people during the Neolithic period began farming. He also showed how historical evidence supports these findings.

Historical Enquiry Question

How do historians know about the Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age?

The children were eager to find the answer to our enquiry question. Dr. Hill explained his role as an archaeologist and how artefacts are found by digging deep into the ground. He also shared how his expert team can date these artefacts based on where they are found.

Dr. Hill introduced the children to radiocarbon dating. He explained it by asking the children to take deep breaths, saying that carbon is present in the air. Every time we breathe, we take in a type of carbon called ‘carbon-14’, and this helps scientists determine how old an item is.

Next, Dr. Hill taught us about the Bronze Age. During this time, people began to settle in one place and farm the land instead of constantly traveling.

Finally, he discussed the Iron Age and how iron was easier to find, shape, and use than bronze. The children were fascinated by the bronze and iron artefacts and learned where these items were discovered. They used their newfound knowledge to ask insightful questions and participate in discussions.

By the end of the session, some children even decided they wanted to become archaeologists!