Vikings!

Viking Festival Posters

Berserkers

            Berserkers were an effective part of the Viking armies.  The word "berserker" itself comes from the Norse word "berserkr" which means "bear shirt".  This is because berserkers often wore bear skins into battle.  Berserkers would charge into battle flailing their weapons in the air.  Surprisingly, they were very effective.  Besides slaughtering many, they would cause their enemies to be very afraid - sometimes even causing them to run.  What made them be so wild and aggressive?  Some believe that berserkers sunk into spirit possession before battle and actually became possessed by a bear.  A more plausible theory states that berserkers were fed bog myrtle - the main ingredient in Nordic alcoholic beverages at the time.  This might have caused the berserkers to be very aggressive.  

Some fearsome Vikings arrive at Howes...  ...although some of those faces look familiar!

Here are some useful websites for your home learning projects:

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/history/handsonhistory/vikings_helmet.pdf

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/history/handsonhistory/vikings_longship.pdf

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/history/handsonhistory/vikings_figurehead.pdf

http://www.bbc.co.uk/leeds/altogether/ebor_gardens/makeavikinghelmet.shtml

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Duct-Tape-Viking-Hat

Spellings:

Vikings

Longships

Loot

Raid

Sword

Spear

Sagas

Helmet

Shield

Runes

Monk

Raiders

Traders

Longships

Fearsome

Spear

Battle-axe

Sagas

Runes

Tactics

Norse

Monasteries

Conquest

Raiders

Traders

Expulsion

Adornments

Battle-axe

Berserk

Norse

Scandinavia

Undefended

Monasteries

Danegeld

Manuscripts

Viking Home Learning Project

During half term, your home learning project is to work with an adult to design and make yourself a Viking helmet and shield.  

Extension:

Having too much fun with this and don’t want to stop? Well then, you might want to add some other Viking accessories such as:

A Viking Beard

(You can then enter the Annual Viking Beard Competition when back at school)

A weapon for battle

(Sword, spear or axe)

A cape/tunic

Model of a Viking longboat

The key thing is that anything you bring in for your homework, must be homemade.

You have the choice as to how much you do as part of this project and what extra things you make.