Teaching the Vikings - Families [Resources for teaching Viking history to 4-6 year olds]

Developed by UCC Archaeology, these resources will help teachers to bring the life of the Vikings alive for Junior and Senior infant classes (4-6 years old).  Based on UCC research expertise the Teaching the Vikings platform uses state of the art knowledge of the Vikings to explore the concept of Viking ships, using archaeological, historical and artistic source evidence and to discuss the importance of ships in war, trading, and funerary rites.

The package provides tools for teaching approaches, assessment and linkages to the curriculum to enable the child to

    * become familiar with aspects of the lives of the Vikings
    * examine and become familiar with evidence from the periods studied, especially evidence which may be found locally

This is a series of interlinked activities designed for primary school teachers to use in their History classes. These activities focus on Viking Age families and are designed to introduce Infants to similarities and differences between Viking families and their own families.

Students will

• develop their understanding of ‘family’ as a connecting concept between the Viking and the contemporary world.
  
• identify family members in Viking families and use the Family Tree concept to link these family members and their positions in their own families.
• use role play to develop their empathy with the similarities between Viking families and their own families