The Vikings: Craftsmen, explorers, raiders and traders Unit 6, Lesson 6

List / Group / Label List: What do you know about the Vikings? Work in a small group and list as many facts and pieces of information you think you know about the Vikings!

Group: Look at your list. How can you group the pieces of information you wrote down? Which ideas seem related to each other? Group them.

Label: Give each of the groups of ideas a name, or label. Think about each group as a category. Have some record of your work or save your paper. Be ready to share your ideas!

Who were the Vikings… and how are they described today? http://www.history.com/topics/charlemagne/videos/who-were-the-vikings 3 minute video clip from History.com, “Who were the Vikings?” As you watch this introductory video clip, jot down the adjectives you hear that are used to describe the Vikings. When it is over, Turn and Talk. Share and compare your adjective list with a partner. Looking at these words, what is the overall picture you get of the Vikings from this video?

Viking Geography

The area in the circle is known as Scandinavia, and it is the location of the modern nations of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark. It is also the homeland of the Vikings.

Surrounded by water, the nations of Scandinavia gave rise to the seafaring raiders known as the Vikings.

Turn and Talk: On this map, what we are calling the Byzantine Empire is labeled as the Roman Empire. What other groups of people, and what other kingdoms and/or empires, did the Vikings likely interact with? What made it possible for the Vikings to travel so much? HOW do you think they traveled?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_Age Stop and Jot: What types of places were safest from Viking raids and why?

Turn and Talk: How does this map support the idea that the Viking raids were not planned and carried out by one single group at one point in history? If there was no single “Viking invasion plan,” how can you describe the pattern of Viking raids on this map? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vikings Arrows = Viking raids and trade routes.

arthistory220.blogspot.com -  Search by image Viking Expansion Map, Wikipedia. Retrieved 28 September 2011. Stop and Jot, then Turn and Talk: Based on this map, would you predict that the Vikings had an important influence on different societies in Era 4? Why or why not?

Viking Chronology

Era 4 500 CE 600 700 800 900 1000 CE Byzantine Empire 525 CE 525 Islam founded – 610 CE 610 Umayyad and Abassid Caliphates 661 750 Abassid Umayyad Tang Dynasty 618 CE 907 CE Charlemagne 771 814 Viking expansion 789

Viking Artifacts As you view the next set of slides, make an inference (best guess) about Viking society based on the artifacts. Use the handout to take notes on what you see and to record your inferences.

B) Viking spearheads.         A) Viking helmet from Norway, made around 950 CE. Note: There are no horns!

Carved wooden animal head post Carved wooden animal head post. Found in a famous tomb in Oseberg, Norway. Likely made around 830 CE. It probably had some religious or spiritual meaning.

The stone reads, in part: The Karlevi Runestone, designated as Öl 1 by Rundata, is commonly dated to the late 10th century[1] and located near the Kalmarsund straight in Karlevi on the island of Öland, Sweden. It is one of the most notable and prominent runestones and constitutes the oldest record of a stanza of skaldic verse.[2 The stone reads, in part: This stone is placed in memory of Sibbi the good, Fuldarr's son… He lies concealed, he who was followed by the greatest deeds… Never again shall such a battle-hardened sea-warrior… rule unsurpassed over land in Denmark.

Danish seamen, painted mid-12th century

Viking buckles

http://www.fotopedia.com/items/flickr-4836480277 A smaller Viking boat found in a large Viking burial with an entire ship.

A) Viking Jewelry. B) A Viking ship recovered from an elaborate tomb in which two women were buried along with this entire ship and many other goods. http://www.mnh.si.edu/vikings/exhibit1_1_3.html

After-reading Turn and Talks: Turn and Talk about the article(s) and reflect upon the inferences you made from the artwork. Were your best guesses accurate? What did you guess about the Vikings from their art that was accurate? Compare the overall image of the Vikings from the readings with that presented by the video. Do they line up?

Exit Pass: I used to think, but now I think…. Thinking back to the List Group Label activity at the beginning of this lesson, and the video clip you watched, how has your thinking about the Vikings changed? Write your response as an exit pass.

Property of Oakland Schools Authors: Stacie Woodward and Darin Stockdill Editor: Amy Bloom Academic Review: Ian Moyer