Excursion-linked lesson plans and materials
© Elac
Stonehenge (Level B1 to C1)
Instructions
Before the lesson:
Get some pictures of Stonehenge – the more
the better – and decorate the classroom with
them. There are some at the end of these
materials.
Stage 1
Put students in to groups of 3/4 (preferably
mixing up nationalities and abilities so that
some of the more able students can support
the lower ability ones). If possible, organise
the room so they can work and talk together
comfortably.
Point out the pictures of the henge and get the
class to look at them.
Ask students if they know what it is, where it
is, who built it and what purpose it had. Only
tell the students that it is called Stonehenge.
Stage 2
Give students both the facts and questions
about Stonehenge.
In pairs/3’s, students have to read the
information and match the questions with the
facts.
The correct answers are:
1=H
2=B
3=F
4=C
5=G
6=D
7=A
8=E
Check the answers as a class.
Stage 3
Focus on point 7, what Stonehenge is made
of. Fact 7 states that the stones used to make
Stonehenge weighed 4 – 25 tonnes, were up
to 6 metres tall and had to be transported 240
miles to get to where they are now.
Question to put to the students; How did the
Druids move these stones 240 miles to
Wiltshire and leave them in a ‘standing’
position?
How the activity works
1) Students work in groups of 3/4 to come up
with suggestions on how this was
achieved.
2) You can provide students with activity
vocabulary sheet which maybe useful.
Get students to go through sheet and
highlight unfamiliar words and go through
as a class eliciting meanings where
possible. (Add to the list if you thing of
anything else that might be useful)
3) Students should write down their ideas
(they can use drawings as well). 10min
4) Each group has 2-3 minutes to explain
their ideas in front of the class (they can
use the white board to demonstrate with
drawings).
Note: Students should try to take in to
consideration what materials and tools would
have been available at the time … so no
cranes, trains or lorries!
It has also been suggested that as the stones
came from Wales, part of the ‘journey’ may
have been by sea.
Plenary (10 minutes minimum)
Discuss the best ideas that have come out of
the class – possible problems and/or solutions.
Explain that no one knows for sure exactly
how the stones were transported, but there are
various theories.
Use the questions from the Introduction to do
a Quick Quiz to see how much the students
remember about Stonehenge.
Make sure all students take away a copy of
the information for them to have as a
reference on their excursion to Stonehenge.
www.elac.co.uk | www.elaceducation.com
Activity Vocabulary Sheet
Verbs
to pull
to move
to push
to stand
to lift
to chop
to roll
to tie
to dig
Materials
rope
trees
wood
boat
stone
Adjectives
sharp
huge
vast
heavy
round
enormous
Tools
axe
hammer
spade
www.elac.co.uk / www.elaceducation.com
Stonehenge Facts
Match the questions (A – H) to the paragraphs (1 – 8)
1) Stonehenge is located on the
Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire,
England about 137 km
Southwest of London.
2) Although there is no specific
evidence about who built
Stonehenge. It is believed
that Druids built it.
(Note: Druids were people
who lived in Britain in the
years before the birth of
Jesus. Their jobs were similar
to that of Priests, Judges,
Academics and Teachers.)
3) Stonehenge was constructed
somewhere between 3100 –
1100 BC.
4) Stonehenge
and
its
surroundings were added to
the UNESCO's list of World
Heritage Sites in 1986.
5) It is estimated that more than
thirty million hours of labour
was
required
for
the
construction of Stonehenge.
6) Stonehenge is the best known
among the nine hundred
stone rings which exists in the
British Isles.
7) Two types of stone were used
for
the
construction
of
Stonehenge. The 'bluestones'
which weighed almost four
tonnes and were brought from
240 miles away. The other
type of stone used was the
'Sarsen' stones which had a
height of about six metres and
weighed twenty-five tonnes.
(Note: An African elephant
weighs 8.25 tonnes)
8) Most archaeologists believe
that Stonehenge was used for
ritual activities. Some also
believe that it was also used
as
an
astronomical
observatory.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
QUESTIONS
What is Stonehenge built of?
Who built Stonehenge?
How important is Stonehenge?
Are there other examples of
stone circles like Stonehenge in
Britain?
What was Stonehenge used
for?
When was Stonehenge built?
How long did it take to build
Stonehenge?
Where is Stonehenge?
www.elac.co.uk / www.elaceducation.com
www.elac.co.uk / www.elaceducation.com