Vikings: Invaders and Settlers

Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery Trust Vikings: Invaders and Settlers For: KS 2 Duration: 2 hours These notes are intended as a guide for teachers who have been to the INSET session on Vikings: Invaders and Settlers, and are running the session independently. They are also for the information of those who are attending a session led by one of our staff. Before the Visit To run this session you will need to bring 5 adults to guide the children on the 5 tables that they will explore in the session. To make life easier for yourself and the other adults that you will bring on the day, we suggest that each adult takes one of the tables and stays on that table whilst the children rotate. The member of Tullie House staff that will be guiding the session will spend a few minutes before the session begins showing you and your adults the tables and activities. Please draw particular attention to the health and safety notes that are included in this pack. On arrival Please go to the main reception desk and hand in your confirmation of booking and your signed health and safety form. If your class need the toilet we advise you to use the main ones in the reception area. A member of the Tullie House Learning Team will be contacted and you will be taken to your session. There is space to leave coats outside the Activities Room but if you have bags as well it is better to ask at Reception for a coat bin. Before the children enter the Activities Room please remind them not to touch anything. Format of the Session This session looks at the Vikings as both invaders and settlers. As an introduction we will explore Vikings in Cumbria, using place names and a PowerPoint presentation of the Cumwhitton grave finds discovered near Carlisle. The children will then move around 4 activities. 3 will include handling replica objects which show the Vikings as warriors, traders and settlers. They will also consider Viking burials and Viking gods and legends. The session includes drama activity. The following are the object notes for each table and instructions detailing the activities for that table. Vikings: Invaders and Settlers Curriculum Learning Objectives This workshop will help support learners to develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of Viking history in Britain and the wider world by devising historically valued questions about change, cause, similarly, different and significance. They will construct informed responses that involve thoughtful selection and organisation of relevant historical information. They will understand how knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of sources. History (key stage 2) Link to Curriculum subject content: the Viking and Anglo-Saxon for the Kingdom of England to the time of Edward the Confessor English- spoken language Link to programme of study: all pupils should be enabled to participate in and gain knowledge, skills and understanding associated with the artistic practice of drama. Pupils should be able to adopt, create and sustain a range of roles, responding appropriately to others in the role. They should have opportunities to improvise, devise and script drama for one another and a range of audience, as well as to rehearse, refine, share and respond thoughtfully to drama and theatre performances. Cross Curricular Links Subject Key stage Programmes of study English 2 6. Language and literacy 6.2. Spoken language (including drama) 6.3. Reading and writing 6.4. Vocabulary development Geography 2 Human and physical Geographical skills Viking Settlers Table Notes Many Vikings settled in lands far away from where they were born, including Britain. Of those who settled in this country, many were farmers. On the table are objects related to Vikings settlers and farmers that might have been found in a Viking home. a. Pass around each of the objects. Think about what they are made of and what they were used for. b. As a group label either the Viking man or woman with the types of material he/she is wearing (answers on the table). c. On the hand out choose the best place to build a settlement and give as many reasons as you can as to why you have made your choice. The picture below is of a woman in traditional Viking dress. Label the materials that make Silk up her outfit. (Answers for teacher reference) Glass Beads Bronze Leather Wool Linen WOOL LINEN SILK GLASS BEADS BRONZE LEATHER The picture below is of a man in traditional Viking dress. Label the materials that make up her outfit. (Answers for teacher reference) Fur Wool Linen Leather WOOL LINEN FUR LEATHER Which settlement would you choose? MAP KEY Symbol Land type Resource Water Marshy flood plain Fishing Reeds Flat, lightly wooded river terrace, with good soil and above flood plain Sticks and firewood, possible agricultural Timber for building Forested uplands Game Look at the map key and decide which area you would most like to settle in. Think about how easily the site can be defended and whether it has good access to food, water and fuel. Viking Settlers Object Notes Spindle whorl/wool - Often the running of the farm was left to Viking women while the men were away fighting. One of their most important jobs was to make clothing. For this they used flax to make linen and wool which had to be spun using a spindle whorl like this. They also made colourful dyes from different types of plants including woad for blue and weld for yellow. Lucet - A lucet device like this one was used to make a braid. In more modern times children have enjoyed creating friendship bracelets in the same way. This example comes complete with instructions so that you can have a go yourself. Turnshoes - Most Vikings wore shoes. They were of a simple design and the most common leather used was goatskin. Fancier shoes had seams in a particular design or were even in the form of an inscription, and might have had colourful uppers. Antler horn toggles have also been found though shoes were normally tied with leather thongs for laces, as in this example. Bone needles. Bone was used to make all sorts of objects such as combs, hairpins, spindle whorls and needles like these. They look and feel very like plastic but are, in fact, hand hewn bone. This was a material readily available from the animals raised on the farm. Sheep skin. Most Vikings were farmers. Their land provided them with food, clothing, and materials. Two types of sheep kept by the Vikings were Manx Loghtans (now only found in the Isle of Man) and Hebridean sheep. Both breeds are very hardy and shed their wool naturally so did not need shearing. These sheep gave wool for clothing, milk for drinking, meat, butter or cheese. The Loghtan could grow up to six horns which provided material for making everyday items such as cups. Horn mug - As with bone, horn was a readily available material on the farm and was used to make household objects. This example might have been used at a feast to toast the home coming of warriors from a raid. Hollowed out horns were also used to drink from with some decorated with fancy metal rims. Spouted pitcher - Pottery items were expensive during the Viking period. This example is based on finds from Stamford in Lincolnshire which was a centre for pottery production. Here the clay was a distinctive white and when glazed took on a patchy yellow colour. This was a domestic pot and had three large ‘strap’ handles and a spout. This was the most common shape but the potters in Lincolnshire also specialised in small pots and bowls for cooking, tableware, lamps and crucibles (small pots for melting metal). Much of what they made was exported though cooking pots were used locally. Clay lamp - This example is a hand held lamp. It would have been filled with animal fat and a wick was placed in it. These lamps would have been smelly and dangerous within a thatched wattle and daub Viking house. This kind of lighting was used right up to the advent of electricity and it is interesting to compare oil lamps from different times (Roman, Tudor, Victorian) to see how little they changed. On the table there is also an example of a table lamp which would have been used in the same way. Wooden trencher - Wood was a commonly used material for serving food and was turned into bowls, cups and plates. Bracelet - Vikings loved jewellery. Wearing gold and silver was seen as a sign of wealth and status. Chieftains gave pieces as rewards for brave warriors. Less expensive materials were also used such as bronze, pewter and, for the very poorest, animal bones. As with clothing colour was important and coloured glass, amber and jet were made into pendants and rings. Highly decorated brooches were common with some examples being huge (look for the giant penannular in Tullie House). This example is a plain bracelet and could be used as a template to design something much more fancy. Cloak with brooch - Viking men usually wore loose trousers, woollen tunics, linen shirts and cloaks like this one for extra warmth. Women wore long under dresses with shorter overdresses or aprons with shoulder straps. Brooches were worn to hold clothes together. The example here is called a penannular brooch. Women often wore a pair of oval or tortoise brooches to hold shoulder straps. Two very good examples were found at Cumwhitton. Can you fasten the cloak with the brooch? Viking Traders Table Notes Vikings travelled huge distances and visited many countries, often bringing back home items to trade.

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