GQ: How far did the Vikings forge a legacy?

Expedition lead: M. Voltaire
Curriculum: STEAM, Humanities and Arts
Phase/Year group: Secondary, Year 10
Delivery date: Autumn 2017

The first expedition of Year 10 for the Class of ‘21 was called ‘Vikings’ where students studied the Viking Expansion c.750-c.1050. 

The expedition began with an immersion where students met a ‘real Viking’ and from his story first discovered what the Vikings were not, where they looked at some of the misconceptions that people have of them. They also worked as Viking craftsmen where they used techniques in metal working to produce simple weapons and jewellery.

The guiding question; How far did the Vikings forge a lasting legacy?, encouraged students to examine the Viking expansion from their homelands in c.750 across areas of Europe and into Britain with a specific focus on the settlement of Jorvik. From this students looked at key areas of Viking life from the Volga Vikings, the Vikings as invaders and settlers and important Kings during this period.

Students visited Jorvik Viking centre in York to complete fieldwork and studied Viking artefacts and narratives to get a greater understanding of the Viking expansion and the legacy that they left behind.

In STEM students looked at some of the technological developments of the Vikings and how they used Earth’s resources to forge weapons, tools and create a fleet of technologically superior longships which powered the expansion through trade and invasion.

The final product for the expedition was an informative leaflet which contained a first person narrative of a historically significant Viking and an evaluation of an artefact such as a weapon or jewellery, and the scientific processes that the Vikings perhaps unknowingly used to create it.

Learning targets

• I can examine what Viking life was like in Scandinavia during 750.
• I can examine the nature of Viking expansion and their interactions with other cultures.  
• I can explore the cause and consequence of Viking raids on Europe.  
• I can investigate  the nature and extent of Viking settlements.
• I can compare the Viking kings conquests .
• I can read, understand and respond to Blood Brothers
• I can critically respond and develop an informed personal response to Blood Brothers 
• I can use textual references, including quotations, to support and illustrate my thoughts, ideas and views about Blood Brothers
• I can analyse the language, form and structure used by the writer to create meanings and effects,
• I can explain how the Vikings extracted and utilised Earth’s resources
• I can describe the chemical processes used to give Ulbferht steel it’s unique properties
• I can produce a narrative using language, accurately, imaginatively and creatively to engage the reader

Legacy

Both the Admiral and Skipper version of Raiders and Invaders are available in the XP Trust Shop – including as part of an Introductory Bundle.