Stone Age and Pre-historic Britain Booklet

This booklet includes a sequenced and comprehensive resource to cover the KS2 History study of the Stone Age and Prehistoric period in Britain.

This booklet covers:
• Chronology
• Ice Age animals
• Stone Age settlement
• Development of farming
• Study of Stonehenge
• Beginning of use of metal and the Bronze Age
• Cave art and early writing
• Sources of evidence
• Dangers in the Stone Age
• 2 Review activities

It is presented in booklet form to be an inclusive resource for students at lower key stage two. Many secondary schools use booklets to sequence and scaffold learning for students, but this approach is less common in primary schools. I was interested in how this format might be used to make history more accessible and to ensure that it is history rather than writing that is being developed.

All the information is recorded for students, and they are encouraged to interact with it to develop recall and understanding. There is a very limited requirement to record in writing – other methods have been used so that the historical thinking is key rather than writing skills.

Working through the booklet does require literacy skills in that there is a level of reading required. This may be something that a teaching assistant can work on with a student who needs support – but it is also recognised that often this support is not available for subjects such as history. Therefore, the reading level has been managed so that an alternative way of using the booklet would be with peer support. Pairing a students of differing literacy skills would allow for peer support. Both students will be able to record in the same way so there will be no obvious difference in outcome which is positive for self-esteem – but the additional independent reading experience and challenge will be positive for the student who is the stronger reader in the partnership.