Stonehenge

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/stonehenge

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How heavy is Stonehenge?Average 25 tons, with some exceeding 50 tons
2. What is the location?Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, England
3. What is the primary construction period?Neolithic and Bronze Age, c. 3000 BCE to 1600 BCE
4. Why are the stones so big and how were they moved?The big sarsen stones were quarried from Marlborough Downs and some bluestones came from Wales, over 150 miles away. Ancient builders used clever stone‑shaping and lifting techniques, and likely moved them by land and water.
5. Where does Stonehenge point to on the sky?Stonehenge is aligned to the sunrise on the summer solstice and the sunset on the winter solstice, showing that people used it as a calendar for seasons.

Neolithic Revolution: A fundamental change in human history from hunter-gatherer lifestyles to settled agriculture.
Trilithon: A structure consisting of two upright stones supporting a horizontal stone.
Aubrey Holes: A ring of 56 pits discovered around the ditch of Stonehenge, likely used for astronomical observations or burials.
Geophysical Survey: Non-invasive methods used to study subsurface archaeological features.