History · Year 3 · The Stone Age: Hunters and Gatherers · Autumn Term

Early Human Migration to Britain

Investigating the routes and reasons for the first human migrations into Britain during the Palaeolithic era.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS2: History - Stone Age to Iron Age Britain
• KS2: History - Changes in Britain from the Stone Age

About This Topic

Early human migration to Britain in the Palaeolithic era focuses on the first arrivals around 900,000 years ago. Students investigate routes across land bridges like Doggerland, exposed during ice ages when sea levels dropped. They analyze geographical factors such as rivers, mountains, and coastlines that guided paths, alongside push factors like harsh climates and scarce food in southern Europe, and pull factors including rich hunting grounds with mammoths and deer in Britain.

This topic anchors the Stone Age unit in the National Curriculum, building pupils' sense of chronology and linking history with geography. Children learn to explain changes in Britain over deep time and predict challenges like predators, cold weather, and unfamiliar terrain faced by hunter-gatherers entering new lands.

Active learning benefits this topic greatly. When students trace routes on tactile maps, role-play crossings with props, or sort evidence cards into timelines, abstract prehistoric events become concrete adventures. These methods spark curiosity, improve spatial reasoning, and encourage collaborative predictions about migrant challenges.

Key Questions

1. Analyze the geographical factors that enabled early humans to reach Britain.
2. Explain the push and pull factors that drove early human migration.
3. Predict the challenges faced by early migrants entering new territories.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze maps to identify potential land bridge routes used by early humans migrating to Britain.
• Explain the push and pull factors that motivated early humans to migrate from mainland Europe to Britain.
• Predict the primary challenges early human migrants likely encountered upon arriving in prehistoric Britain.
• Compare the geographical features of mainland Europe with those of prehistoric Britain that may have influenced migration.
• Classify evidence that suggests the presence of early humans in Britain during the Palaeolithic era.

Before You Start

Basic Map Skills

Why: Students need to be able to interpret simple maps to understand geographical locations and routes.

Introduction to Prehistory

Why: A foundational understanding of time periods and the concept of 'long ago' is necessary before studying specific eras like the Palaeolithic.

Key Vocabulary

Palaeolithic era	The earliest period of human history, characterized by the development of stone tools and hunter-gatherer lifestyles.
Land bridge	A strip of land connecting two landmasses that is usually submerged by the sea, exposed during periods of lower sea levels.
Sea level drop	A decrease in the average height of the ocean's surface, which can expose land bridges and alter coastlines.
Hunter-gatherer	A member of a nomadic group that obtains food by hunting wild animals and gathering wild plants.
Migration	The movement of people from one place to another with the intention of settling, permanently or temporarily.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Britain has always been an island with no land connections.

What to Teach Instead

Lower sea levels during ice ages created walkable bridges like Doggerland. Mapping activities with rising water simulations help students visualize changing geography and correct fixed mental maps through peer discussion.

Common Misconception

Early humans moved to Britain just to explore for fun.

What to Teach Instead

Migrations followed survival needs like food and milder climates. Role-play challenges builds empathy for push-pull realities, as groups negotiate decisions based on evidence cards.

Common Misconception

Palaeolithic people had no skills to survive challenges.

What to Teach Instead

They used stone tools and fire; evidence from sites like Happisburgh shows adaptation. Sorting artefact cards into 'solutions' categories reveals ingenuity through hands-on classification.

Active Learning Ideas

Mapping Activity: Doggerland Routes

Print large maps of Ice Age Europe and Britain. Students use yarn to trace land bridges and mark animal paths with stickers. Groups discuss how sea levels affected routes and share one key finding with the class.

35 min·Small Groups

Role Play: Migration Challenges

Set up an obstacle course with hoops for rivers, tunnels for caves, and soft toys as predators. Groups migrate across while carrying 'supplies' like stones for tools. Debrief on push-pull factors and real challenges.

45 min·Small Groups

Card Sort: Push and Pull Factors

Prepare cards with images and labels like 'cold weather' or 'plenty of deer'. Pairs sort into push or pull piles, then justify choices using evidence from a short video clip.

25 min·Pairs

Timeline Build: Arrival Milestones

Provide a blank timeline strip. Whole class adds dated events like 'land bridge forms' or 'first tools found' using sticky notes. Students predict next challenges for migrants.

30 min·Whole Class

Real-World Connections

• Archaeologists, like those working at the National Museum of Scotland, study ancient tools and fossil remains to reconstruct the lives and journeys of early humans who first settled in Britain.
• Geologists study ancient coastlines and ice core data to understand past sea levels and climate changes, helping us visualize how land bridges like Doggerland might have formed and disappeared.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

Provide students with a simple map showing Europe and Britain connected by a land bridge. Ask them to draw arrows indicating the direction of migration and write one reason why early humans might have moved north.

Quick Check

Ask students to work in pairs. Give each pair a card with a factor (e.g., 'cold weather', 'new animals to hunt', 'rising sea levels'). Have them explain whether it is a 'push' or 'pull' factor for migration to Britain and why.

Discussion Prompt

Pose the question: 'Imagine you are one of the first humans arriving in Britain. What three things would you be most worried about, and why?' Facilitate a class discussion, encouraging students to justify their predictions based on the lesson.

Frequently Asked Questions

What routes did early humans take to reach Britain?

Primary route was across Doggerland, a now-submerged plain linking East Anglia to the Netherlands during ice ages around 900,000 years ago. Other paths followed rivers from southern Europe. Use maps to show how retreating ice opened access, with evidence from tools at sites like Happisburgh confirming arrivals.

How do you teach push and pull factors for Palaeolithic migration?

Use visual cards with scenarios like fleeing glaciers (push) or following herds (pull). Students sort and debate in pairs, linking to modern examples like animal migrations. This reinforces cause-effect thinking aligned with curriculum skills.

How can active learning help students understand early human migration?

Active methods like obstacle course role plays and collaborative map-tracing make 900,000-year-old events feel immediate. Students physically experience challenges, predict outcomes in groups, and connect evidence to stories. This boosts retention, spatial skills, and engagement over passive lectures, fitting Year 3 attention spans.

What challenges did early migrants to Britain face?

Key hurdles included cold interglacial swings, predators like wolves, dense forests, and river crossings. Without settled farms, hunter-gatherers relied on tracking skills. Simulations and evidence discussions help pupils grasp adaptations like tool-making from flint sites.