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| The Giant Stones of Stone Age England |
If stones could speak : unlocking the secrets of Stonehenge by Aronson, Marc — National Geographic, 2010--936.2; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 6.4 Text, photographs, and explanatory maps and illustrations document archaeologist Mike Parker Pearson's study of Stonehenge and the surrounding area, describing what he found and what the artifacts reveal about the site and its history. This book presents some of Pearson’s new ideas about Stonehenge. Archaeology at its best, with vivid photography. Explore the mysterious circle of stones while new questions are raised and new ideas are shared from unusual sources.
Background: The first trip my family made to England, my sons wanted to visited Stonehenge. Somehow, there’s a draw to that location. I was disappointed--it was out in the middle of nowhere with few interpretive resources. This summer friends of mine visited England with their young family--again the kids wanted to visit Stonehenge. Much has changed since my first visit, and has become a major tourist attraction complete with what people like and dislike about a tourist destination. I guess it’s the mystery of the place. Who built it? Why?
Ten years after my first visit, my husband and I did a hiking trip within England’s Lake District. Guess what we found? More Stonehenge type circles and our “guide” declared that all the circles were calendars of sorts. That same trip we went to Ireland, and discovered another circular “calendar” but underground except for a slit through which the sun shone on the spring equinox.
And, ten years later, I was asked to review a book about Stonehenge. While reviewing the book, I was led to a series of websites in England that share some of the more recent theories about Stonehenge for adults. That book appears on the very brief booklist. I recommended the book with reservation; I recommended it because it is more readable and shorter for young readers than the Inspiration Book.
Now, how would I use the Inspiration Book? The topic of Stonehenge is usually an ancillary topic in upper elementary and middle school. Consequently, I wouldn’t spend a great deal of time on the topic with the whole class. Rather, I’d ask that student or group of students who is curious to research the topic when the whole class is studying the Stone Age (another topic that is ancillary in most curricula). OR, I would take one library lesson to share the resources listed below in the order they are presented: Aronson on history and Wonderopolis. Then I’d divide the group in half for Internet exploration of the remaining websites. I would ask the students in each group to look for answers to two essential questions: What was the purpose of Stonehenge? How was it built?
Conclude with a comparison of each group’s work. Ask for answers to the questions one at a time and write those answers on the white/chalkboard or chart. If they agree, star that answer, if they disagree make no marks. Finally, use the book tools in the Inspiration Book to read aloud what Aronson says regarding the two questions.
You could conclude with the quiz at the KidsDiscover site.
- Marc Aronson on History http://www.teachingbooks.net/slideshows/aronson/MA_OnHistory.html
- What Is Stonehenge? K-5 | Activity, Video, Website Today’s Wonder of the Day takes a look at some mysterious stones! http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/what-is-stonehenge/
- Stonehenge Engineering 6 to 12 | Audio, Instructional Resources, Lesson, Media Objects/Elements A new hypothesis explaining how prehistoric people transported the huge slabs of rock to create Stonehenge. Includes 4 questions to answer. http://sciencenetlinks.com/science-news/science-updates/stonehenge-engineering/
OR
Kids Discover feature http://www.kidsdiscover.com/spotlight/stonehenge-for-kids/?wpss-routing=results#wpss_survey
Related Books:
Stonehenge by Raum, Elizabeth — RiverStream, 2015--936.2; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.0 Stone mystery -- Building Stonehenge -- Looking for clues -- The purpose -- Visiting Stonehenge. "Describes the mysteries behind Stonehenge, one of the ancient wonders of the world, including how and why it was built, the people who built it, and what the ruins are like today. OP
Stonehenge by McDaniel, Sean — Bellwether Media, 2012--936.2; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 5.1 An ancient mystery -- What is Stonehenge? -- Searching for answers. Briefly describes Stonehenge, looks at theories about how this ancient monument was built, and explains how the structure was restored after people took some of the stones.
Stonehenge by Henzel, Cynthia Kennedy — ABDO, 2011--936.2; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 5.4 Circles on the plain -- From hill to henge -- Starting Stonehenge -- Moving bluestones -- The sarsen giants -- Along the Avenue -- Symbols in the sky -- Digging deeper -- The threat of time -- That Stonehenge feeling -- Secrets in the stones. Traces the history of Stonehenge, describes its features, explains how this structure was put together, and discusses how visitors have damaged Stonehenge over time and the current efforts to protect it.
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