The new National Curriculum document suggests a couple of topics for teachers to plan, but it’s not very encouraging as there’s a glaring error in the very first. “Late Neolithic hunter-gatherers” should read “Late Mesolithic hunter-gatherers”. By the late Neolithic, around 3000 – 2200 BC, people were practising pastoral farming, mainly with cattle, although they did also hunt and gather some food too. But it’s the Mesolithic (c. 8000-4500 BC) and earlier where we think of the people as being primarily hunter-gatherers.
Also, to say that Stonehenge reflects Bronze Age religion ignores completely anything in that landscape other than the erection of the stones, which was one of the last things to happen on Salisbury Plain.
It’s difficult to know exactly what primary school teachers already know about the Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age, and therefore what they might want help with. We have made a start with some teacher’s information booklets, and we’re planning to write off the shelf lesson plans, but is there anything else that could be useful?
With this in mind, we’ve created a survey to find out what teachers are planning and what kind of support they’re looking for. If you have time, please complete the survey.
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