Noni the Blacksmith Lesson Ideas For Key Stage One - Lesson Ideas

Oct 1, 2026

A set of three Key Stage 1 history lesson ideas based on Noni the Blacksmith, using the narrative to explore Iron Age life on the Blackdown Hills. The lessons emphasize the historic landscape, iron working, and how everyday life differed from the present, supported through discussion, group comparison of similarities and differences, drawing and labeling tasks, and music/lyrics. Activities align with England’s National Curriculum for Key Stage 1, encouraging both local study and oral retelling skills.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time38 min

AccessFree to download

Lesson one

Whole class

Independent Work

Plenary

Extension - Resources

Lesson two

Noni the Blacksmith Lesson IDEAs For Key stage One The following three lessons ideas are based on the book Noni the Blacksmith. They use the story as a basis for exploring life in the Iron Age on the Blackdown Hills. The lesson ideas aim to enable children to learn about the historic landscape of the Blackdown Hills and iron working in the Iron Age through narrative, music and creative experiences. The lesson ideas focus on the unique and special landscape of the Blackdown Hills. A place which, in the past, provided everything people needed to make iron. The lesson ideas are linked to the National Curriculum in England, Key Stage 1 History Program of Study. The Iron Age and the start of the use of iron can be studied as an example of ‘events beyond living memory that are significant nationally’. For pupils who live on or near the Blackdown Hills, the lessons could be part of a local study which looks at ‘significant historical events, people and places in their own locality’. (National Curriculum in England 2013) Lesson one | Year Group | Subject | | | --- | --- | --- | | Year 1 and Year 2 | History – The Iron Age in the Blackdown Hills | | | Key Learning Objectives | | | | To identify similarities and differences between ways of life in the Iron Age and the present day. | | | | Learning Outcomes | | | | Children will be able to list a range of differences and similarities between their life and life in the Iron Age. Children will be able to draw a picture of an Iron Age house and compare it with their house. | | | | Teaching Sequence | | Key Questions | | Whole class
Read Noni the Blacksmith to the class.
Explain that Noni lived on the Blackdown Hills in a time called the Iron Age. Show when the Iron Age period (c.800 BC to 43 AD) was on a class timeline.
Look at the illustrations in the book. Highlight that Noni lived in a roundhouse. Explain it had only one room and an open fire in the middle. The roof was thatched and the walls were made of wood and mud. Encourage the children to begin to think about how life was different for Noni compared with their lives today.
Split the class into four groups. Give half of the class the picture of Noni and Dum Dum (see resource sheet 1) and ask one group to list all the differences they can identify, comparing their lives with Noni’s life in the Iron Age. Ask the second group with the same picture to see if they can find any similarities between their lives and that of Noni’s in the Iron Age. Give the other half of the class the picture of Noni’s Daddy the blacksmith (resource sheet 2) in front of the roundhouses. Ask one group to look for similarities and the other group to look for differences.
For example: Noni lived in a roundhouse, we live in rectangular houses; Noni’s clothes were different in style; there were no cars, Noni used Dum Dum the horse to transport things; Noni collected resources from the land, not from a shop; there was no electricity in the Iron Age
Each group can then share the similarities or differences they found with therest of the class.
Independent Work
Using resource sheet 3, ask the children to draw an Iron Age scene showing the roundhouse that Noni lived in and any other detail they’ve remembered from the story. Underneath that picture ask them to draw themselves, their house and any other details that show any similarities or differences between the two periods. Encourage them to include as much detail as possible and suggest they label the differences and similarities on their picture. | | Why do you think the Iron Age was called the Iron Age?
What is the shape of Noni’s house? What shape is your house?
What type of clothes is Noni wearing?
What transport does Noni use?
Where do you think they cook their food?
What things are important to Noni? What things are important to you?
Why was her knife so precious? | | Plenary | | | | Ask the children to sit in a circle. Encourage them to imagine

FAQs

What do the Key Stage 1 lessons focus on in Iron Age history?

They use the story to explore life on the Blackdown Hills during the Iron Age, including the landscape and iron working, and how daily life compared with the present.

How does Lesson one help children compare life in the Iron Age and today?

Children read the story, examine book illustrations, then work in groups to identify differences and similarities, followed by independent drawing of an Iron Age scene and themselves.

What activity is used in the plenary for Lesson one to reinforce oral storytelling?

Children imagine sitting in a roundhouse, learn that people did not use writing in the Iron Age, and then read or sing “Noni’s Song” as an example of oral retelling.

Oct 1, 2026

Uploaded by supergirl