In Year 4, the children have been learning all about the Vikings! First, they learnt where the Vikings came from and what parts of Britain they invaded. The children were shocked to learn that they invaded the North of England where they lived. Then, the children learnt about Viking place names that we still use today. On a map, the children identified these places by looking at what the ended in (e.g. –thorpe, -by, -ham, -ness) and they learnt that York was a Viking town.
After that, the children created a timeline of the Vikings along a sword. They found out the Vikings first raided Britain in 787AD and were eventually driven out of England by William the Conqueror in 1066. The children learnt about the struggle for power between the Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings, who were both trying to live in Britain around the same time.
Next, the children learnt about the Vikings homes, and how we know how they looked like through archaeological digs, such as the ones in York. The children looked at photos from the dig and understood why the homes and other artefacts had been preserved so well.
Finally, the children learnt about Viking warriors. They drew their own based on the information they had read. Their warriors wore items like chainmail and helmets and had weapons/tools like swords and axes.
