Local History Study · Summer Term

Our Area in Prehistory

Searching for evidence of Stone, Bronze, or Iron Age activity in the local region, using maps and local museum resources.

About This Topic

Year 3 students explore evidence of Stone, Bronze, and Iron Age activity in their local region. They study maps to analyze geographical features like rivers, hills, and soil types that would attract prehistoric settlers. Students evaluate archaeological clues such as flint tools, round barrows, hill forts, and field boundaries. Local museums offer artefacts, timelines, and expert insights that reveal regional prehistory.

This unit fits the KS2 Local History Study and Stone Age to Iron Age Britain requirements. It links history with geography, teaching students to interpret evidence and question sources. They learn how settlements changed over time due to new technologies like metalworking and farming improvements. This builds enquiry skills and a connection to their community's past.

Hands-on approaches make prehistory vivid. Students mark potential sites on maps, sort replica artefacts, or role-play archaeologists. Active learning benefits this topic because it turns distant eras into relatable discoveries, sparking curiosity and deepening understanding through direct engagement with local evidence.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze local maps to identify geographical features that would have attracted prehistoric settlers.
• Evaluate the significance of different types of archaeological finds, such as flint tools or pottery fragments, as evidence of prehistoric activity.
• Explain how artifacts and displays in a local museum can help us understand the lives of people in the Stone, Bronze, or Iron Ages in our area.
• Compare the potential settlement patterns of the Stone Age with those of the Bronze or Iron Ages based on local geographical evidence.

Before You Start

Understanding Maps and Symbols

Why: Students need to be able to read and interpret basic map symbols to identify geographical features relevant to settlement.

Introduction to Local Geography

Why: Familiarity with local rivers, hills, and land types provides a foundation for analyzing potential prehistoric settlement sites.

Key Vocabulary

Prehistory	The period of human history before written records began. In Britain, this includes the Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age.
Archaeological evidence	Physical remains from the past, such as tools, buildings, or bones, that archaeologists study to learn about ancient people.
Settlement site	A location where people lived or established a community in the past, often chosen for access to resources like water or shelter.
Artifact	An object made by a human being, typically an item of cultural or historical interest, such as a tool, pottery, or jewelry.
Chronology	The arrangement of events or dates in the order of their occurrence, helping us understand the sequence of different prehistoric periods.

Active Learning Ideas

Stations Rotation: Local Site Analysis

Prepare stations with Ordnance Survey maps, aerial photos, and topo models of local areas. Students identify settlement-friendly features like water sources and defenses, then sketch and justify one site per station. Groups rotate every 10 minutes and share findings.

⏱ 45 min·Small Groups

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Pairs: Artefact Evidence Sort

Provide cards or replica images of flint tools, pottery, and metalwork labeled by age. Pairs sort them into Stone, Bronze, or Iron Age piles and explain reasoning based on material and design. Discuss as a class to refine categories.

⏱ 30 min·Pairs

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Whole Class: Museum Virtual Tour

Use a local museum website or video tour focused on prehistoric collections. Pause to note three pieces of evidence and their stories. Students contribute to a shared class map pinning regional finds.

⏱ 50 min·Whole Class

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Individual: Prehistory Field Journal

Students create a journal page with a drawn map of their route to school, marking potential prehistoric spots and predicted evidence. Add notes from class research to explain choices.

⏱ 25 min·Individual

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Real-World Connections

Local archaeologists from the county archaeological service regularly survey land before new building projects, using ground-penetrating radar and careful excavation to find and preserve prehistoric sites like flint mines or burial mounds.

Museum curators at the [Insert Name of Local Museum] carefully research and display artifacts found within a 20-mile radius, explaining how discoveries of Bronze Age metalwork or Iron Age roundhouses inform our understanding of ancient farming and community life in our specific region.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Prehistoric people only lived in caves everywhere.

What to Teach Instead

Most built homes from wood, earth, or stone suited to local landscapes. Model-building activities let students construct roundhouses or forts, showing variety and helping them visualize evidence on maps.

Common Misconception

No prehistoric evidence exists in modern built-up areas.

What to Teach Instead

Sites often survive under fields or parks; aerial photos reveal cropmarks. Map hunts and site visits challenge this by uncovering local barrows or tools, building confidence in regional history.

Common Misconception

Museums invent stories without real proof.

What to Teach Instead

Curators use dated artefacts and scientific methods. Handling replicas and museum talks demonstrate verification processes, with group discussions reinforcing trust in evidence-based history.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

Provide students with a simple map of the local area showing a river, hills, and woodland. Ask them to circle two locations that would have been good for prehistoric settlement and write one sentence explaining why for each.

Discussion Prompt

Show images of different types of prehistoric evidence (e.g., a flint arrowhead, a bronze axe head, a fragment of pottery, a hill fort outline on a map). Ask students: 'Which of these items do you think is the strongest evidence for people living nearby? Why?'

Quick Check

Ask students to name one way a local museum helps us learn about prehistory. Then, ask them to name one geographical feature that might attract a prehistoric settler.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I find prehistoric evidence in our local area?

Start with Ordnance Survey maps and Historic England records for scheduled monuments like barrows or enclosures. Check local museums for flint finds or metal detector reports. Aerial photos from Google Earth reveal cropmarks; involve students in plotting these on class maps for collaborative discovery.

What geographical features attract Stone Age settlers?

Stone Age people favored river valleys for water, fishing, and transport, plus sheltered spots with flint sources. U-shaped valleys or coastal edges provided resources. Map activities help students predict sites by overlaying modern features with these needs, linking geography to history.

How active learning helps teach local prehistory?

Active methods like map quests, artefact sorting, and simulated digs engage Year 3 senses and curiosity. Students physically mark sites or handle replicas, making abstract timelines personal. This boosts retention, as collaborative evidence hunts reveal patterns only group work uncovers, fostering ownership of local heritage.

Why use local museums for Iron Age study?

Museums display regional hill fort models, quern stones, and brooches with context from excavations. They offer handling sessions and timelines showing Iron Age farming advances. Virtual or in-person visits connect national changes to local life, with students questioning curators to practice historical enquiry.