New
New
Year 5

Seafaring Vikings

I can describe how Viking raids on the British Isles were part of a bigger story of seafaring and expansion.

New
New
Year 5

Seafaring Vikings

I can describe how Viking raids on the British Isles were part of a bigger story of seafaring and expansion.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The Vikings also began to raid monasteries in Ireland, founding Dublin in the 9th century.
  2. The Norse were seafarers who travelled and settled widely across Europe, as far away as Byzantium.
  3. In the 9th century, they settled in Iceland, and in the 10th century Erik the Red is said to have reached Greenland.
  4. Erik’s oldest son, Leif Erikson, travelled as far as North America, calling the land he discovered Vinland.

Common misconception

Pupils may think the Vikings only raided places and left.

Vikings expansion involved sailing to explore new places which they often raided for goods. The Vikings then began to settle and trade in these places.

Keywords

  • Fortified - fortified means to provide a place with defenses, such as walls, to protect it against attack

  • Expansion - expansion often means becoming more permanent and larger in size

  • Seafaring - seafaring means regularly travelling by sea

  • Saga - a saga is a story of achievements or events in the history in Old Norse or Old Icelandic

Take time to look at maps to show how far the Vikings explored.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of serious crime

Supervision

Adult supervision required

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).

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6 Questions

Q1.
Complete the sentence. A is a rapid, surprise attack which normally involves stealing something.
Correct Answer: raid, Raid, rade, Rade
Q2.
What is a building lived in by a community who follow religious vows called?
Correct answer: a priory
a church
a cathedral
Q3.
What is the correct historical name for a book or document written by hand?
a newspaper
Correct answer: a manuscript
a magazine
a leaflet
Q4.
In what year did the Vikings raid Lindisfarne Priory?
790 CE
783 CE
Correct answer: 793 CE
Q5.
What was the name given to the boats that Vikings used to raid the priories?
barges
Correct answer: longboats
narrow boats
canal bots
Q6.
Which statements are correct about where and why Viking raids happened?
Vikings only raided sites in England.
Correct answer: Vikings raided religious sites for the valuable objects.
Correct answer: Vikings started to raid sites across the British Isles.
Vikings raided religious sites as they wanted to kill monks.

6 Questions

Q1.
Complete the sentence: The correct word for a place with defences, such as walls, to protect it against attack is .
Correct Answer: fortified, Fortified
Q2.
Order the events of Viking expansion, starting with the earliest.
1 - The Vikings raided Ireland.
2 - The Vikings established a fortified camp in Dublin.
3 - The Vikings settled in Dublin.
Q3.
Where does evidence of Viking expansion often come from?
ancient scrolls
Correct answer: burial sites
written records
paintgs and tapestries
Q4.
Which statements about the Vikings expansion are correct?
Vikings only raided places and then left and moved on.
Correct answer: Vikings would often settle in places where they had raided.
Correct answer: Vikings only explored new places by land.
Vikings often explored new places by sea.
Q5.
What is the name given to the accounts about the Vikings early settlement in Iceland, written 200 years later?
the Icelandic Stories
the Icelandic Scripts
Correct answer: the Icelandic Sagas
the Icelandic Scrolls
Q6.
Match the dates to the correct description of events in the expansion of the Vikings.
Correct Answer:870 CE,The Vikings arrived in Iceland.

The Vikings arrived in Iceland.

Correct Answer:985 CE,Erik the Red discovered Greenland.

Erik the Red discovered Greenland.

Correct Answer:1000 CE,Leif Erikson discovered Vinland.

Leif Erikson discovered Vinland.

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