The Anglo-Saxons, Vikings & the Normans

Many teachers will be familiar with aspects of these societies from earlier versions of the National Curriculum.  The Curriculum 2014 introduced new areas such as the relations with the Scots and the continuity with the Normans.  These societies have often proved popular with plenty of interesting sources including archaeology and artefacts.  This is a crucial area of study with children given an opportunity to learn about the origins of so much of the United Kingdom.  There is plenty of scope for a range of fascinating historical investigations using a range of key historical concepts.

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  • The Coronation

    Article

    On 6 May 2023 King Charles III, together with Camilla, the Queen Consort, will be crowned in Westminster Abbey. The Coronation provides rich opportunities for history lessons at both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. At Key Stage 1 it naturally lends itself to Key Stage 1 ‘changes within living...

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  • The Normans

    Multipage Article

    This Topic Pack gives you a brief summary on the Normans.

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  • The Vikings - Primary E-CPD

    Multipage Article

    The purpose of this unit is to provide for teachers' subject knowledge on the Vikings. This reflects a need for up-to-date and scholarly historical knowledge, but this also demonstrates that it is essential to see the Vikings as having diversified experiences and impacts over time in a variety of geographical contexts...

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  • The Vikings in Britain

    Article

    Professor Henry Loyn provides an update on recent studies of the Viking Age. Interest in the activities of the Scandinavian people in Britain during the Viking Age, c 800-1100 A.D., has been strong in the last half-century or so, and it is good to pause and assess contributions to the...

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  • The Vikings in Britain: a brief history

    Article

    Viking Age | In Britain: background | Short history | King Alfred | Later raids & rulers | Key concepts < This resource is free for everyone For access to hundreds of other high-quality resources by primary history experts along with free or discounted CPD and membership of a thriving community of...

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  • The Vikings: ruthless killers or peaceful settlers?

    Article

    This article outlines how one Year 4 teacher approached the topic of the Vikings. The teaching of The Vikings allows for a range of historical concepts to be explored such as: Chronological understanding – how long did Viking influence last? Where does it appear on the timeline of Britain? What...

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  • The gall nuts and lapis trail

    Article

    We are used to images of monks copying out texts in a very ornate manner. Books such as the Lindisfarne Gospels still absolutely amaze us with their colour, style and appearance. It must have taken hours and hours to copy out a text like that. But how was it done? And how did the monks make the inks they...

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  • The strange death of King Harold II: Propaganda and the problem of legitimacy in the aftermath of the Battle of Hastings

    Article

    How did King Harold II die at the Battle of Hastings? The question is simple enough and the answer is apparently well known. Harold was killed by an arrow which struck him in the eye. His death is depicted clearly on the Bayeux Tapestry in one of its most famous...

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  • Using the back cover image: Sandbach Crosses - an Anglo-Saxon market cross

    Article

    This image is a reconstruction, or interpretation, by Peter Dunn, an artist, of what Sandbach Crosses might have looked like in the ninth century. They are one of the few remaining Anglo-Saxon stone crosses in the country. They stand in the market place in Sandbach, Cheshire. You can find a...

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  • Viking and Anglo-Saxon struggle for the kingdom of England

    Article

    The Vikings will be familiar territory to many primary teachers. For many, therefore, this section of the history curriculum should cause fewer headaches than others. This does not mean, however, that it is all straightforward. This article contains a number of elements that teachers might welcome including a timeline of...

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  • Viking traders

    Article

    Please note: this lesson was produced as part of the Nuffield Primary History project (1991-2009) and pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum. It is part of a full sequence of lessons available here. Enactive learning - a Viking trading game to help children understand the full variety of Viking life and culture. They were so...

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  • Viking travel

    Article

    Please note: this lesson was produced as part of the Nuffield Primary History project (1991-2009) and pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum. It is part of a full sequence of lessons available here. How did the Vikings travel so far? Using photos to investigate a Viking longboat. (See Gokstad ship for links to photographs.) Key...

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  • Vikings: Egils Saga

    Article

    Please note: this lesson was produced as part of the Nuffield Primary History project (1991-2009) and pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum. It is part of a full sequence of lessons available here. Key questions in this lesson were: What did the Vikings value?  What can we discover from sagas and poetry? (These resources...

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  • Vikings: who were they?

    Article

    Please note: this lesson was produced as part of the Nuffield Primary History project (1991-2009) and pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum. It is part of a full sequence of lessons available here. This resource is free to everyone. For access to hundreds of other high-quality resources by primary history experts along with free...

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  • What can you tell about the Vikings from a chess piece?

    Article

    Alf Wilkinson looks at one artefact, and asks what it tells us about the Viking world, and Viking links with other societies and civilisations. In 1831, on a lonely beach on the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides, someone – we are not quite sure who – made an...

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  • What makes good primary history?

    Article

    This is the 5th in a series of 5 sessions arising from the 2005 KS2-KS3 History Transitions Project: Transition training session 1: Historical Enquiries & Interpretations Transition training session 2: Using ICT in the teaching of history Transition training session 3: Extended writing in history Transition training session 4: Joan of Arc -...

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