Answering questions about historical finds

A Year 3 History lesson

As part of the QCA History unit Invaders and Settlers, a Year 3 class followed up work on Sutton Hoo by using materials on the British Museum web site. Working as a whole class and in groups, the children researched finds from the Sutton Hoo site. Some children extended their work by using the BBC Anglo-Saxons web resources.

From their earlier work, children were already aware of the significance of the historical site. The teacher used a data projector to introduce the British Museum Children's Compass to the class. She used the Anglo-Saxon tour as a starting point.

In the second session, the children took the tour themselves in pairs, playing the games and finishing activities as they wished. In the computer area, the whole class were able to do this together, with the class teacher and a teaching assistant in support.

In the third session, pupils were asked to choose a specific Sutton Hoo find to investigate. They were given copies of the artefact enquiry sheet from BECTa's Local History project. Most of the pupils were able to complete the task. The framework provided by the questions helped them to infer from the evidence presented by the artefact.

The Children's Compass site contains information about a number of finds from Sutton Hoo.

In the fourth session the class were asked to complete a grid with information about a number of different finds at Sutton Hoo, using the tour. Some children found this a challenge, as it required them to investigate more than one find at a time.

As an extension, some children were shown the BBC Anglo-Saxons web site and played the interactive games. Many pupils said that the BBC site was easier because there was less reading. They commented that the British Museum site "made us think"!

What helped in making these lessons effective?
	Each session was taught as a three part lesson, with an introduction, a main activity and a discussion at the end.
	Only one site was used at a time, and time was taken to introduce children to its features.
	The ICT skills required were kept to a minimum.