Vikings – Archaeologists
Author: Luke Abbott l Suitable for: Key Stage 2, Key Stage 3+, Planning
Curriculum Area(s)
History – Invaders & Settlers
Expert Team
A team of highly regarded archaeologists working for British Heritage visit and work on a site of national interest.
Situation
We will work as though we are a team of highly regarded archaeologists working for British Heritage. Our job is to visit and work at any site of national interest and our speciality is the Viking invasion. We are very good at creating possible stories from fragments of information-and have been highly excited by the recent find of a helmet on a field. We have strong vehicles to get us almost anywhere as well as all the equipment to do the job well. We have had many commissions in the past across the UK from Scotland to Cornwall and from Wales to Clacton on Sea.
Client(s)
British Heritage
Commision(s)
We will be as though we are at the time of an archaeological discovery concerning the uncovering of a helmet made of gold by an east Anglian farmer in a field recently ploughed. British Heritage have visited the farm and have decided to call in their expert team to look further in the field as there might be other artefacts from the time of the Vikings under the soil.
Steps In
I will talk from the point of view of the farmer who has made the discovery inside the event. In other words the class will view me as though they are outside the story-looking in so to speak. I will then move them from outside the story to inside the story by asking them to imagine how a brilliant team of experts in uncovering secrets of the past might respond!
Notes
Points to watch out for:
- Talking a farmer might – is this possible for all teachers to use?
- How far does the teacher listen and respond to the class?
- Try watching for the sequence of engagement-and the building up of the company in the minds of the class.
- Keep an eye open for how the class are inducted into the use of the dramatic imagination-see above in other plans.
December 16th, 2010 at 8:02 pm
Hi
This sounds interesting, we are on the IOM so we surrounded by resources. I have organised for visiting Viking company, Altheim, to visit school towards end of January, we will be starting the project straight after Christmas. I have taught children Vikings previously but am looking to the Mantle of the Expert to give a more up to date approach. I am working with Y3 and Y4. 16 boys and 7 girls. So main problem is where to start!! There are 2 other classes, same age and size, working on the same project.
December 19th, 2010 at 11:38 am
Hi Tracey
Your project sounds very exciting. Please let us know how it goes and if we can help out in any way.