New
New
Year 1
Viking navigation and expansion
I can explain how the Vikings navigated over long distances to far away places.
New
New
Year 1
Viking navigation and expansion
I can explain how the Vikings navigated over long distances to far away places.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- The Vikings used the sun, moon and stars to navigate, and also followed the path of birds and other animals.
- Some archaeologists have found wooden 'sun-shadow' boards that might have been used by the Vikings to navigate.
- The Vikings used these techniques to travel long distances.
- The Vikings sailed far down the rivers of Europe to trading ports and met with traders from the Middle East and Asia.
- They even travelled as far as Iceland, Greenland and North America.
Keywords
Archaeologist - an archaeologist digs up and studies objects from the past
Evidence - evidence is something that proves an idea or fact to be true
Stars - the stars are balls of gas in space that give off light and heat
Port - a port is a place where boats load and unload, and trade happens
Common misconception
Pupils may think that archaeologists only dig up bones, like dinosaurs or extinct creatures.
Archaeologists work with all sorts of objects from the past, many of the items in museums have been dug up by an archaeologist.
Having a globe in the classroom can be a great way to show the locations of the places pupils will encounter in the lesson. Use a globe to visually show the great distances that the Vikings navigated around the world.
Teacher tip
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on
Open Government Licence version 3.0
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Starter quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
Which people sailed in longboats?
Polynesians
Ancient Greeks
Q2.
Who were the Vikings?
soldiers from Europe
fighters from Europe
Q3.
Which word means travelling along a route?
exploring
journeying
Q4.
What did Vikings use to move their longboats?
shields
scary carvings
Q5.
What was special about the bottom of a longboat?
It was wooden.
It was curved.
Q6.
What did Vikings do with their shields before a raid?
clean them
hold them up above their heads
Exit quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
Which people dig up objects from the past?
historians
students
Q2.
Archaeologists think the Vikings used to help them navigate.
computers
maps
Q3.
Vikings had no maps. How did they navigate their longboats?
They asked for directions.
They let the wind take them.
Q4.
Vikings went on journeys to reach ports. Why did they do this?
so they could live there
so they could farm there
Q5.
How did Vikings navigate at night time?
They didn't travel at nighttime.
They went slower in case they crashed.
Q6.
The Vikings travelled to lots of different ports in the east and west.
false
Additional material
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