Vikings: who were they?

Who were the Vikings and what were they like? Did they have horns on their helmets?

An introduction to a five-week Viking unit for 9- and-10-year-olds.

What concepts of the Vikings and their civilisation had the children already formed? We began by asking them to write down what they knew, then what they wanted to know, about the Vikings. This approach will work for any topic, at any age.

Question-posing by children introduces them to the methods of historians, whose questions drive their investigations.

In discussing, writing and pooling their statements the children are calling upon prior knowledge, clarifying ideas and concepts, and practising their speaking and listening skills.

by Jacqui Dean