Settlement during the Mesolithic Era
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe how humans lived in the Mesolithic Era.
Key learning points
- The Mesolithic Era began around 12,000 years ago.
- Britain was attached to the mainland but sea levels rose making it an island, reducing contact with the rest of Europe.
- The first evidence for houses in Britain and Ireland comes from the Mesolithic Era; a lot of evidence is from campsites.
- Mesolithic people hunted wild animals, fished and gathered wild plants, likely moving camps in different seasons.
- Howick house is called ‘Britain’s oldest house’ with its remains suggesting it was built c.7600 years ago.
Keywords
Mesolithic Era - the Mesolithic Era was the middle period of the Stone Age
Settlement - a settlement is place where people come to live in
Campsite - a group of temporary shelters is called a campsite
Common misconception
That a campsite is used for holidays.
Discuss the difference between campsites in the Mesolithic Era and a campsite today to highlight the differences.
Teacher tip
Children could work in small groups to build a model Mesolithic Era campsite or settlement out of small sticks and leaves or through junk modelling. Ensure children use and carry the sticks safely.
Equipment
small sticks, leaves, scissors, glue, string, junk modeling
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Where does the Stone Age get its name from?
Q2.How many sections is the Stone Age divided into?
Q3.Starting with the earliest, put these periods of time into the correct order.
Q4.Which foods would hunter-gatherers eat?
Q5.Where did early humans get their food from in the Early Stone Age?
Q6.Another name for the Paleolithic Era is the ...
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.How many years ago did the Mesolithic Era begin in Britain?
Q2.What caused Britain to become an island?
Q3.Which things did hunter-gatherers need to survive in the Mesolithic Era?
Q4.Mesolithic people most likely set up temporary settlements and moved around. Why do archaeologists think they moved around?
Q5.The Mesolithic Era is also called ...
Q6.Archaeologists discovered evidence of a Mesolithic shelter in Howick on the Northumbrian coast in Britain. They made a replica. What shape do archaeologists believe the shelter was?
To help you plan your 3 history lesson on: Settlement during the Mesolithic Era, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 3 history lesson on: Settlement during the Mesolithic Era, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 history lessons from the Stone Age Britain: what do archaeologists think they know about it? unit, dive into the full primary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.