Vikings and Anglo-Saxons: Our Living Legacy

Vikings and Anglo-Saxons: Our Living Legacy

Year 3 History Discovering how the past shapes our present

What We'll Discover Today

How Vikings and Anglo-Saxons changed Britain forever Words we use that come from their languages Place names in our towns and cities Laws and ways of living they gave us Create our own class mural showing their legacy

Think About This...

What would Britain look like today if Vikings and Anglo-Saxons had never lived here? Would our towns have different names? Would we speak differently? Would we have different laws?

Words We Still Use Today

Many English words come from Old Norse (Viking language) 'Husband' - from Norse 'húsbóndi' (house owner) 'Anger' - from Norse 'angr' (grief) 'Law' - from Norse 'lagu' (something laid down) 'Thursday' - Thor's Day (Norse god of thunder)

Place Names Across Britain

Laws and Government

Anglo-Saxons created the 'shire' system (like counties today) They had local courts where people made decisions together Vikings brought the idea of 'things' - community meetings Our Parliament comes from these early ideas of people governing together The word 'sheriff' comes from 'shire-reeve' (shire officer)

Viking vs Anglo-Saxon Contributions

{"left":"Vikings brought: Trading skills, shipbuilding, exploration, words like 'law' and 'husband', place names ending in -by and -thorpe","right":"Anglo-Saxons brought: Farming methods, Christianity, writing and books, the shire system, place names ending in -ton and -ham"}

Create Our Class Legacy Mural

Work in groups of 5 children each Each group takes one topic: Group 1: Place names and geography Group 2: Language and words Group 3: Laws and government Group 4: Viking culture and art Group 5: Anglo-Saxon daily life Group 6: Transport and trade

Making Your Mural Section

Draw pictures and symbols for your topic Add key words and facts in speech bubbles Use the reference images to help you Include both Viking and Anglo-Saxon influences Make it colorful and interesting for others to read

Remember

'History isn't just about the past - it lives all around us today!'

Gallery Walk

Walk around and look at each group's work What did you learn that surprised you? Which group showed something you didn't know before? How do Vikings and Anglo-Saxons still affect your life today?

Our Living Legacy - What We Discovered

Vikings and Anglo-Saxons are still part of our lives today We use their words every day Our towns and cities have their names Our laws come from their ideas Their art and culture inspire us History is all around us - we just need to look!