Stone Age Tools

Overview

This 60-minute lesson explores Stone Age tools, designed for Year 3 students, closely aligned with the National Curriculum for England: History key stage 2, specifically knowledge and understanding of changes in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age (Programme of Study). The focus is on developing historical enquiry skills by exploring artefacts and understanding their uses and significance.

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Curriculum Links

National Curriculum – History KS2:

• Pupils should be taught to:
  • Changes in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age.
  • Understand how people’s lives were affected by the tools they used.
• Key Concepts:
  • Chronology (where Stone Age fits in timeline)
  • Cause and consequence (why tools changed)
  • Historical interpretation (why tools were useful)

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils will:

1. Identify and name different Stone Age tools.
2. Understand what materials Stone Age tools were made from and why.
3. Explain how these tools helped people survive and changed over time.
4. Develop enquiry skills by examining tool replicas and artefacts.

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Resources Needed

• Replica Stone Age tools (or high-quality images if replicas are unavailable)
• Large printed timeline showing Stone Age periods (Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic)
• Whiteboard and markers
• Worksheet with matching activity (tool pictures and uses)
• Clay or playdough for hands-on modelling activity
• “Stone Age Survival” fact cards (simple explanations of tool uses)

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Lesson Structure

1. Introduction (10 minutes)

• Begin by showing the Stone Age timeline on the board. Briefly explain when the Stone Age was and its three main phases.
• Use simple language explaining that people did not have shops or machines, so they made their own tools from things like stones and bones.
• Pose a question: “Why do you think people needed tools?” Record a few student responses to stimulate thinking.

2. Exploration and Discussion (15 minutes)

• Show real or replica Stone Age tools (or images) one by one. Let children pass them around in small groups (carefully if real objects).
• For each tool, ask:
  • “What do you think this tool was used for?”
  • “What material is it made from? Why do you think they chose this material?”
• Read aloud or give out simple fact cards about each tool’s use (e.g., flint hand axe, bone needle, scraper).
• Link to the survival theme – how tools helped with hunting, making clothes, or building shelters.

3. Practical Activity: Tool Modelling (20 minutes)

• Using playdough or clay, ask students to create their own Stone Age tool based on what they have learned (could be a hand axe or scraper).
• Encourage them to think about shape and function:
  • “What shape would your tool be? Sharp? Flat? Pointy?”
• While the children work, circulate and ask questions prompting deeper thinking about form and function.
• Display and briefly discuss some creations with the whole class.

4. Consolidation and Assessment (10 minutes)

• Hand out a matching worksheet where pupils match pictures of Stone Age tools to their uses (e.g., cutting meat, scraping hides).
• Review answers together.
• Ask a few pupils to share one new thing they learned about Stone Age tools.
• Summarise key points:
  • Stone Age people made tools from stone, bone, and wood.
  • These tools helped them hunt, build, and survive.

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Assessment and Differentiation

• Formative assessment:
  • Questioning during discussion to gauge understanding.
  • Observing children’s explanations when handling tools and making their own.
  • Worksheet completion and accuracy.
• Differentiation:
  • Simplify worksheet with word banks for SEN pupils.
  • Provide extra support with modelling task by giving step-by-step prompts.
  • Challenge more able pupils by asking them to explain how tools improved from early to late Stone Age.

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Extension Ideas (for homework or future lessons)

• Research and bring in an example of a modern tool and compare it to Stone Age tools.
• Write a short diary entry imagining a day in the life of a Stone Age child using tools.
• Explore cave paintings linked to Stone Age lifestyles.

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Reflection for Teachers

This lesson combines tactile, visual, and discussion-based learning to engage Year 3 pupils deeply with the Stone Age theme, encouraging enquiry and historical thinking, crucial elements of the National Curriculum. The modelling task helps cement understanding by encouraging creative expression of historical concepts. Using artefacts and replicas introduces 'real' history which can fascinate and inspire young learners.