Mastermind

As well as completing our weekly History lessons the children also independently complete 'History Mastermind' Quizzes on Google Classroom to help improve their knowledge and understanding of the History topics which have been studied throughout their time at our school.

Understanding who were the Anglo Saxons and where did they come from?

The last Roman soldiers left Britain in 410. New people came in ships across the North Sea – the Anglo-Saxons. The Anglo-Saxon age in Britain was from around AD410 to 1066.

They were a mix of tribes from Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands. The three biggest were the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes. The land they settled in was 'Angle-land', or England.

If we use the modern names for the countries they came from, the Saxons were German-Dutch, the Angles were southern Danish, and the Jutes were northern Danish.

This work shows our understanding of where they came from.

Who were the Anglo Saxons?

During this lesson, we explored what we learn about the Anglo Saxons from the evidence that has been found. One such site was Sutton Hoo. This is thought to be a burial site of an Anglo Saxon warrior king. The most impressive find was an ornate ceremonial helmet. We have learned that they were skilled craftsmen and jewelers and that they travelled to other parts of the world due to the the semi precious stones that were found inlaid in the artefacts. The hoard of money proves that they had some form of a monetary system. We really enjoyed being Archeologists!

The Last Anglo Saxon Kings: The Battle of Hastings

Were able to explain and retell the events of the Battle of Hastings by creating a structured account of this major historical event. Furthermore, we thought about the question of the legacy of this battle and the impact that this had on Britain. We wondered whether England would still be ruled by France/Normandy should the course of history been different.

Neve: "I wonder if this is why we have so many French words in our English language?" 

Significant People

We had great fun discovering information about the Anglo-Saxon kings, explaining key aspects of their reign and devising our own question for a professional historian relating to legacy of the Anglo-Saxon kings.

Thomas: "We discussed whether or not we believe King Alfred should of been titled 'King Alfred the Great'."

Exploring Artefacts- Who were the Vikings?

This lesson, Year 5 explored various artefact replicas from the time of the Viking times. We used our understanding of this period to infer what the objects may have been used for, if we have anything similar today and what this object can tell us about the Viking people. We were also able to examine the significance of these artefacts and what they can tell us about the Vikings. 

Housing and Architecture in Viking Times

This afternoon, Year 5 annotated a diagram of a typical Viking home in order to develop our understanding of how they Viking people lives and what materials they used to build their homes and shelters. It was interesting to learn that they would house the livestock inside of the home in order to protect them from the weather and from thieves! 

Viking Education and Political Beliefs

The children developed their understanding of the Viking education system and political beliefs by   researching and annotating an image of the social hierarchy triangle.