LKS2 Topic: The Romans in Britain Block B: Life in Britain before the Romans
Session 1 Celtic Round Houses
National
History: Continue to develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British
history (what Britain was like before the Romans came); Begin to learn about Iron Age culture.
Curriculum
Teaching
To understand key terms relating to the Celtic period.
Objectives
National
English: Discuss a text in a similar style to the writing they are planning, to understand and learn
from its structure, vocabulary and grammar; Draft and write non-narrative material, using simple
Curriculum
organisational devices.
Teaching
Objectives
Resources
To draft, write and publish a leaflet using the features of information texts.
Weblinks
Picture of a cut away round
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/building-a-celtic-house/5265.html - This
house showing the inside; A4
film clip shows how a round house was constructed; http://resources.woodlandspaper; Pens; Pencils; Coloured
junior.kent.sch.uk/homework/celts.htm - An informative, attractive historical site for
pencils.
children.
Whole class: Tell chn that today we will begin to learn about what Britain was like before the Romans came. Explain that
this time was called The Iron Age because a group of Europeans had become expert at taking iron out of rock (called iron
ore) and making it into tools and weapons. These people were known as Celts. They came to Britain around 500 years
before Jesus was born. This date is written 500 BCE which stands for Before the Common Era. The Celts soon spread and
settled across Britain. Today we will find out what sort of houses the Celtic people lived in. Show the BBC film clip on
building a round house. How do we know what Celtic homes were like? From the post holes left in the ground. What do we
call people who piece together the past from evidence they find in the ground? Archaeologists. Look at the Woodlands
Junior site and scroll down to the section on Celtic Houses. Read it together.
Why did Celts use wood, straw, mud and dung? Because they were readily available. What was different about Celtic
homes in the north? They used stone for the walls. How would archaeologists know this? Stone walls may have survived.
Why might northern Celts have used stone? Possibly more stone available. What do you think it would have been like inside
a round house? Dark, smoky (because there was a fire in the centre), earth floor, a cooking pot over the fire, animal skins to
sit or sleep on. Tell chn that they are going to make an information leaflet on Celtic round houses for visitors to an Iron Age
museum. Explain that it will be an “open up the flaps to look inside” type leaflet. Take a piece of A4 paper (landscape) and
fold the 2 outside edges to the centre to make a double door, open-flap leaflet. Explain that chn will draw a large round
house on the front (with the split in the centre) and put a title at the top. Inside they will draw the inside of the round
house in the central section showing as much detail as possible (timber framework, walls, simple tools, pottery, fire,
animal skins, etc.).
Medium/ Hard
Easy
Make and illustrate the leaflet as shown. Then write the
heading “How a Celtic Round House was Built” on the left hand
flap and the heading “Inside a Celtic Round House” on the right
flap. Ask chn to write a paragraph on each, including as much
detail as possible to make their leaflet interesting and
informative for the museum visitors.
Make and illustrate the leaflet as shown. Then label all
the features of the interior, using a ruler to draw lines
from each to the outer flaps. Some chn may be able to
annotate the labels with brief explanation.
Teacher to support as required.
Plenary Ask a selection of chn from each group to show their leaflets. What would visitors to the Iron Age museum
learn about Celtic round houses? Are they interesting? What details have been included?
Outcomes
Children will
 Understand what sort of homes Celtic people lived in
 Produce an attractive, interesting and informative leaflet
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