What were the Vikings really like?

We wrote diary entries from the perspective of Anglo-Saxon's who witnessed the first of the Viking settlements in Britain.

Comparing the lives of Anglo Saxons and Vikings

We collaborated on a Compare and Contrast Map comparing the lives of the Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings

Summary by Eliza

The Vikings were a group of people from modern-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden, who began to settle in Britain during the eighth century. The Vikings shared many similarities with the Anglo-Saxon people, who had invaded and settled in Britain after the withdrawal of the Romans.

The Vikings and Anglo-Saxons both wore clothing made of natural materials such as wool and linen. Viking men wore trousers, long sleeved tunics and a leather belt tied at the waist. Anglo Saxon men similarly wore tunics, but would also wear brooches, pins and buckles to secure their clothes. Viking women wore full length dresses with an over dress and a headband. In much the same way Anglo-Saxon women and girls wore long dresses and head cloths.

The Anglo Saxon and Vikings both built their homes from wood and straw. Anglo Saxon homes were often small wooden huts with a straw roof and had just one room in which the whole family lived. Viking homes however were long and rectangular but still made of wood. They were large so they could keep their animals safe from cattle thieves.

Some of the words we use today can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings. The word ‘Wednesday’ is believed to come from the Anglo Saxon ‘Wodnesdoeg’ which was named for the god Woden – it mean’s ‘Woden’s day’.  Vikings gave Thursday to us. Thursday is named after Thor (Thor’s Day) the god of thunder.

The Vikings believed in Christianity after the Anglo Saxons. A monk called Augustine convinced the Anglo-Saxon King Ethelbert of Kent to convert to Christianity and slowly the rest of the country followed. Before Christianity the Vikings believed in their own gods Odin (God of War), Thor (God of Thunder) and Frey.

The Vikings

Follow the links to learn more about the Vikings

The Ruin Poetry

Inspired by the Anglo-Saxon poem 'The Ruin'. We created our own poems that describe the remains of a Roman city after a period of abandonment by the Anglo-Saxons.

Air Pollution

Dear Parents,

We recently conducted a survey of how many cars went down Sharrow Vale Road during the day. We were shocked to find that up to 95 cars went past in just fifteen minutes. As you know vehicles are one of the biggest contributors to air pollution. Here are some facts about air pollution that may shock you

1.       Air pollution is one of the UK’s (and the world’s) biggest killers. Breathing in air pollution can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. It worsens asthma symptoms and can even cause lung cancer

2.       A child born today might not breathe clean air until they are 8. Long term childhood exposure to air pollution can lead to permanently reduced lung function.

How you can help.

1.       Choose to walk rather than use the car when going short distances

2.       Park and/or drop me further away from school and walk with me

3.       Turn off the engine rather than idling.

With your help we can reduce air pollution and make the world a better place.

Yours sincerely,

The students of J4

The Ruin - Headline and Gist

This week we are reading an Anglo-Saxon poem called 'The Ruin'. The Poem describes the remains of a Roman city after a period of abandonment by the Anglo-Saxons. We created a headline and gist to summarise the poem.

Should a Celt thank a Roman?

This week we wrote balanced arguments based on our learning of the Celts and the Roman invasions.

Should a Celt thank a Roman? by Jamie.

Rome originally invaded Britain in 43AD in order to expand the empire, gather precious materials and to acquire more slaves. As the number of Romans increased in Britain they brought innovations such as straight roads, architecture and central heating. With all these advances should a Celt thank a Roman?

Some people may believe Rome advanced Britain with the introduction of Latin. Latin meant the Celts now had a universal language, making it easier to communicate with other people. However, the Celts already had their own languages which were an important part of their identity.

It could be argued that Britain was improved because the Romans brought straight roads, which made transport easier. Yet, it could also be claimed that any benefits came at a cost because the roads may have gone through the Celt homes, villages and land destroying them.


It seems then, that there are many arguments about whether the Celts should indeed thank a Roman. Although the Romans brought Latin, large cities and plumbing the fact Boudicca fought against the Roman Armies is evidence that not all Celts were happy with Roman rule.

Should a Celt thank a Roman? By Eddie

The great Emperor Claudius came to Britain in 43 AD in order to expand the Empire, search for precious metals and to build cities like in Rome. As more Romans came to Britain they brought straight roads, Latin, sanitation and more. However, was the impact of Roman settlement beneficial and should a Celt thank a Roman?      

                  

Some people may believe Rome advanced Britain with the introduction of plumbing. Plumbing meant Britain now had clean water coming to their houses. However, the Celts already had clean water, because they chose to build their villages their near the river.

It could be claimed that the Romans improved Britain by bringing Latin. Latin was a universal language making it easier to communicate with others. Yet some people believe the Celts may have found it difficult to learn Latin.

Although the Romans brought Latin, straight roads and more the fact Boudicca battled against the Romans is evidence that not many Celts were happy with Roman rule.

Boudicca Headline

We used our reading strategies to create a headline and 'Gist' after reading about the fierce Celt warrior Boudicca.

Eve Recommended Read

Eliza Recommended Read

Life as a Celt

We wrote 'If' poems to describe life as a Celt.

World Book Day!

Here are some of our amazing World Book day costumes. Which is your favourite?

Roman Invasion

Follow the links to learn more about the Roman invasion of Britain

Roman Villa Vs Wooden Hut

After reading about Roman villas, we compared the homes of the wealthy and poor in Roman Britain.

The Romans lived in a wide variety of homes depending on whether they were wealthy or poor. The poor lived in cramped apartments in the cities or in small shacks in the country. The rich lived in private homes in the city or large villas in the country. 

Rooms

A Roman villa often had multiple rooms including servants' quarters, courtyards, baths, pools, storage rooms and gardens. On the other hand, the poor and the slaves lived in small shacks with only one room.

Flooring

A Roman villa had lovely mosaics on the floors, yet the poor Romans could only afford to decorate their homes with animal skins.

Heating

Wealthy Romans could enjoy warmth in their homes because of the under floor central heating known as ‘hypocaust’. Whereas the poor Roman only had a fire, which was also used for light and cooking.

Decoration

Affluent Romans were able to decorate their homes with painted walls, and intricate mosaics. However, poor Romans could only decorate their homes with animal skins on benches.

J4 Mosaic

Wealthy Romans would often have their homes decorated with intricate mosaics. Libby and Eliza created a J4 mosaic using sticky notes.

Who lives in a house like this?

This week we have been learning about how Roman's brought new forms of architecture to Britain. The very wealthy, or patrician Romans who lived in the city would often live in a domus. We created theses Real Estate advertisements to show what a Roman could expect to find when buying a domus.

Invaders and Settlers Knowledge Organizer

Here are the key facts and vocabulary for our topic of Invaders and Settlers

J4 Assembly

We look forward to seeing you at our assembly tomorrow.

Rainforest Poetry

We used poetry to express our learning about the rainforest

Rainforest Animal Fact File

Collage Portraits

To help decorate our rainforest cafe we created these 'Carmen Miranda' inspired portraits