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Iron Age KS2

This ready-to-teach Iron Age KS2 History lesson for Year 3 and Year 4 will help you show your class what life was like in Iron Age Britain. Your children will explore farmsteads and hillforts, look at Celtic and Roman influences on Britain, and read accounts of society at the time from Roman writers who visited Britain. Not only will this Iron Age KS2 lesson plan help your children learn about this fascinating prehistoric era, but it will also help develop their historical enquiry and reasoning skills.

 

This Iron Age KS2 History lesson includes:

  • a detailed lesson plan with differentiated activities
  • a slideshow for the teaching input
  • a range of printable resources for independent learning activities

This lesson is part of a Prehistoric World (Stone Age to Iron Age) Cross-Curricular Topic for Year 3 and Year 4.

Iron Age KS2 Lesson Pack

£2.99

Scroll through the pictures for a preview of the lesson's resources:

Iron Age KS2 slideshow example 1
Iron Age KS2 slideshow example 2
Iron Age KS2 slideshow example 3
Iron Age KS2 slideshow example 4
Iron Age KS2 slideshow example 5
Iron Age KS2 slideshow example 6
Iron Age KS2 worksheet example 1
Iron Age KS2 worksheet example 2
Iron Age KS2 lesson plan example 1
Beacon Hill Iron Age Hill Fort, located in Newbury, Berkshire, United Kingdom

Iron Age

When was the Iron Age?

Prehistory is split into three main categories, based on developing technologies and the materials people used at the time: Stone, Bronze and Iron. The Iron Age comes after the Stone Age and Bronze Age.

Prehistory timeline

The Iron Age began at different times in different locations around the world. It is thought that the earliest Iron Age started c.1200 BCE, in the Middle East and south-eastern Europe.

Why is it called the Iron Age?

The Iron Age was a period of time where people moved on from using bronze to using iron as their main material for making tools and weapons. Iron was first made from iron ore by the Hittite Empire in the modern-day region of Turkey, but they kept the method a secret. When their empire collapsed in 1200 BCE, the secret got out and spread.

Iron Age Britain

The Iron Age in Britain began c.800 BCE. Iron tools were stronger than bronze - this made farming easier, and as a result, settlements grew in size. People lived in clans (groups of people, usually related). Different clans could band together as a tribe. Tribes were led by warrior kings. Tribes often fought one another with iron weapons.

Iron Age Houses

By the Iron Age, most people in Britain lived in farmsteads with one or more houses, sometimes defended by a big ditch. In the north, houses were made of stone and turf but in the south, they were made of earth, timber and straw.

 

The Iron Age earthworks of Maiden Castle, Dorset

The Iron Age earthworks of Maiden Castle, Dorset

Iron Age Hill Forts

Hill forts are a type of earthworks which means that the earth around the fort was manipulated into ridges and ditches to act as defence. Lots of hill forts were built during the Iron Age, and many were densely populated as they offered some safety from tribal attacks.

When did the Iron Age end in Britain?

The Iron Age in Britain ended in 43 CE with the Roman invasion.

 

When should children learn about the Iron Age?

According to the National Curriculum History objectives, children should be taught about the Iron Age in KS2:

  • changes in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age

Non-statutory suggestions include teaching children about Iron Age hill forts: tribal kingdoms, farming, art and culture.