Pre-teaching: Who were the Anglo Saxons?

To begin our exciting History topic all about the Anglo Saxons, we have been learning some key knowledge that we will need to be successful in our topic. We also completed our History Mastermind Quiz to assess our prior-knowledge!

Tyler: 'Did you know that the Anglo Saxons believed in many Gods just like the Romans? However, they were converted to Christianity by Augustine.'

The Chronology of the Anglo-Saxons in World History

To embark on Year 5's thought-provoking journey into the Anglo Saxons, they began by discussing and ordering key events in Anglo-Saxon history on a timeline. Also, an understanding was built of where the Anglo-Saxon period fits into world history. In addition to this, each pupil analysed and drew a map of where the Anglo-Saxons came from and where they settled in Britain.

Eoin: "It was great that I could remember that the Greek civilisation began before the Romans!"

Exploring Anglo-Saxon Artefacts and Village Life and Architecture

Year 5 were fascinated to learn about the Anglo-Saxon findings at Sutton Hoo. They were impressed by the fact that this led to the most significant amount of treasure being found in an archaeological dig in England ever! The children found that this helped to understand the legacy of the Anglo Saxons too. Following this, it was up to our pupils to research, analyse and explain what certain objects were and what they could teach us about Anglo-Saxon culture. Another way of gaining an understanding of their culture was by researching what life would have been like in an Anglo-Saxon village. Previous knowledge of Roman culture aided children in making comparisons.

Oliver: "When my teacher reminded us about what we learned in Year 4 about the Romans, I was able to compare the buildings and the building materials in Roman times to that of the Anglo-Saxons."

Religion and Anglo-Saxon Legacy: Place Names

Year 5 enjoyed researching and learning about a range of Anglo-Saxon Gods. They were ready for the challenge of finding out 'golden nuggets' about Gods such as 'Thunor: God of Thunder' and Goddesses such as 'Freo: Goddess of Love'.

Olivia:"This was such a fun lesson decoding the place names that we have today!"

A Key Event in Anglo Saxon Times: The Battle of Hastings

How did the Anglo Saxon rule come to an end?

Today in class, we wrote a recount of the last few months of the rule of the Anglo Saxons. We covered the Battle of Stamford Bridge, William the Conqueror and the Battle of Hastings. By learning about these pivotal events in history, we gained an understanding of the cause and consequence of past events and how they have shaped Britain and the wider world. We also explored how the legacy of this event impacted on world history.

"I found it amazing that we were ruled  by the French for 80 years! This is why we have words with French origin in the English language such as: commence and continue!" Theo

"The English soldiers must have been exhausted by the time they reached Hastings on the South Coast after their battle in Stamford Bridge which is up in the north east of England!" Anthony

"I enjoyed learning about the Battle tactics!" Jacob

Chronology and Location of the Vikings 

Today, Year 5 embarked on a fascinating journey into our new topic- the Vikings. We created a timeline showing significant events from this period and we drew a map to show the route the Vikings took on their journeys to Britain. 

Education and Political Beliefs in the Viking Times

In this lesson, we learned about the political system of the Viking era and how education was used in each strata of society. We explained each level including the role of the King and ruling family, the Jarls, Karls and the Thralls who were effectively slaves. As our non excidet challenge, we considered the role of women in Vikings society and found that they were actually more powerful that other women in comparable societies throughout history. They were able to own land, property and to divorce their husbands. Furthermore, they were revered in battle. being known as 'shield maidens'!