The Conversion to Christianity

Active learning works for this topic because Year 4 students need to grasp how ideas spread gradually and how people blend old and new traditions. When students move, discuss, and create together, they better understand the slow pace of change and the real choices Anglo-Saxons made about their beliefs.

• Year 4
• History
• 3 activities
• 20 min–45 min

Learning Objectives

1. Explain the motivations behind Anglo-Saxon kings' decisions to convert to Christianity.
2. Analyze the ways the Church provided support to Anglo-Saxon kings in governing and unifying their territories.
3. Compare and contrast key pagan beliefs and practices with those of early Christianity in Anglo-Saxon England.
4. Identify specific examples of how Christian traditions were integrated with or replaced existing pagan customs.

Role Play

⏱ 45 min·Whole Class

Role Play: The Meeting at Canterbury

Students act out the first meeting between St Augustine and King Ethelbert. The King insists on meeting outside because he is afraid of Augustine's 'magic'. Students must debate the benefits for the King of becoming a Christian (e.g., better links with Europe, learning to read and write).

Prepare & details

Explain why Anglo-Saxon kings chose to convert to Christianity.

Facilitation Tip: For the role play, assign clear roles and provide a scripted opening line to ensure students stay focused on the historical meeting rather than improvising too freely.

Setup: Open space or rearranged desks for scenario staging

Materials: Character cards with backstory and goals, Scenario briefing sheet

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Inquiry Circle

⏱ 40 min·Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: Blending Traditions

In small groups, students look at images of Anglo-Saxon objects (like the Franks Casket) that show both Christian stories and pagan myths side-by-side. They must identify the different 'clues' and discuss why the Saxons didn't want to give up their old stories entirely.

Prepare & details

Analyze how the Church helped kings rule more effectively and unify their kingdoms.

Facilitation Tip: During the collaborative investigation, assign each group one tradition to research so the whole class builds a shared understanding of blending over time.

Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials

Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Think-Pair-Share

⏱ 20 min·Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: The Power of Writing

Students discuss how the arrival of Christian monks, who could read and write Latin, changed how a King could rule. They pair up to think of three things a King could do with writing that he couldn't do before (e.g., sending secret messages, making permanent laws).

Prepare & details

Differentiate what happened to the old pagan gods and beliefs after Christian conversion.

Facilitation Tip: In the Think-Pair-Share, require students to write their first response before pairing so quieter students have a chance to formulate their thoughts independently.

Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor

Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Teaching This Topic

Experienced teachers approach this topic by grounding abstract ideas in concrete experiences, using drama and artifacts to make the past feel real. Avoid presenting conversion as a simple victory for Christianity—emphasize the compromises and practical benefits that made it attractive to kings. Research shows that when students see how old traditions persisted in new forms, they grasp the complexity of historical change more deeply.

What to Expect

Successful learning looks like students using evidence to explain why conversion took time, identifying specific ways pagan and Christian traditions mixed, and describing how the Church supported kings. They should articulate their thinking clearly in role play, written work, or class discussions.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During the Role Play: The Meeting at Canterbury, watch for students assuming King Ethelbert converts immediately and easily.

What to Teach Instead

Use the role play to show hesitation: pause the scene after Augustine’s first speech and ask students playing Ethelbert to pause, look at the pagan altar in the corner, and say, ‘I need to think about this.’ Then resume.

Common Misconception

During the Collaborative Investigation: Blending Traditions, watch for students believing pagan traditions disappeared completely after conversion.

What to Teach Instead

Have groups present their findings about a tradition (e.g., Yule becoming Christmas) and explicitly ask, ‘What stayed the same? What changed?’ to highlight continuity.

Assessment Ideas

Discussion Prompt

After the Role Play: The Meeting at Canterbury, pose the question: ‘Imagine you are an Anglo-Saxon villager. Would you find it easier to accept Christianity if some of your old festivals were kept, just with new Christian names? Why or why not?’ Encourage students to use examples from the role play or their own knowledge.

Quick Check

During the Collaborative Investigation: Blending Traditions, provide students with a T-chart labeled ‘Pagan Beliefs’ and ‘Christian Beliefs’. Ask them to list at least two characteristics or examples for each side based on the traditions they researched. Review charts as a class to check for understanding of key differences and similarities.

Exit Ticket

After the Think-Pair-Share: The Power of Writing, ask students to write two sentences explaining one reason why an Anglo-Saxon king might have wanted to become Christian, and one sentence explaining how the Church helped the king rule his kingdom.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge: Ask early finishers to research how Christian symbols like crosses were used alongside pagan artifacts in early churches, then present their findings to the class.
• Scaffolding: For students who struggle, provide sentence starters for the T-chart and allow them to use images or symbols instead of writing.
• Deeper exploration: Invite students to compare St Augustine’s mission to another historical conversion (e.g., Roman Britain or Scandinavia), focusing on similarities and differences in methods and outcomes.

Key Vocabulary

St. Augustine of Canterbury	A Benedictine monk sent by Pope Gregory the Great in AD 597 to lead the Christian mission to England. He became the first Archbishop of Canterbury.
King Ethelbert of Kent	The Anglo-Saxon king who converted to Christianity, influenced by his Christian wife Bertha. His conversion was a significant step in the Christianization of England.
Paganism	A term used historically to describe polytheistic religions, often referring to the pre-Christian beliefs and practices of the Anglo-Saxons, which involved worship of multiple gods.
Monastery	A community of monks living under religious vows. Monasteries became centers of learning, worship, and administration in Anglo-Saxon England.
Syncretism	The blending of different religious or cultural beliefs and practices. In this context, it refers to the merging of pagan traditions with Christian ones.