History · Year 5

Active learning ideas

The Cuerdale Hoard

The Cuerdale Hoard is a tangible, dramatic artifact that sparks curiosity and invites hands-on investigation. Active learning works here because students engage with real evidence of Viking history, making abstract concepts like trade and conflict feel immediate and meaningful. Handling replicas or images of the hoard’s contents lets students connect historical context to tangible items they can analyze and discuss.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS2: History - Viking and Anglo-Saxon struggle for the Kingdom of England
• KS2: History - Historical Enquiry

• 25–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Inquiry Circle
• 45 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Hoard Mystery

Provide groups with a 'manifest' of the Cuerdale Hoard (e.g., 5,000 coins, 1,000 pieces of jewellery, 2,000 bits of hacksilver). They must come up with three theories for why it was buried (e.g., a bank for an army, a hidden treasure during a war, a religious offering) and present the evidence for their favourite theory.

Hypothesize why someone would bury so much silver and never come back for it.

Facilitation Tip

During Collaborative Investigation, circulate and listen for students to articulate the difference between personal treasure and community wealth, guiding those who focus only on individual motives.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine you are a Viking leader who buried the Cuerdale Hoard. Write a short diary entry explaining why you buried it and what you hope will happen next.' Encourage students to share their entries and discuss the different motivations and fears represented.

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

Activity 02

• Gallery Walk
• 35 min · Pairs

Gallery Walk: Treasures of the Hoard

Display images of specific items from the hoard, such as a Viking arm-ring, a Carolingian coin, and an Islamic dirham. Students move around with a 'map of the world' and draw lines connecting each object to its place of origin, showing the incredible reach of Viking trade.

Analyze what the 'hacksilver' in the hoard tells us about how Vikings used money.

Facilitation Tip

During Gallery Walk, ask students to jot down one surprising fact from each station to ensure they engage with multiple perspectives beyond the coins.

What to look for

Provide students with images of different items from the hoard (coins, jewelry, hacksilver). Ask them to classify each item and write one sentence explaining what it tells us about Viking wealth or trade. Collect these to gauge understanding of the hoard's components.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 25 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Why didn't they come back for it?

Students reflect on the fact that the hoard was left in the ground for over 900 years. They discuss in pairs what might have happened to the owner (e.g., killed in battle, lost at sea, forgotten location) and then share their most dramatic 'Viking ending' with the class.

Explain how hoards help historians understand periods of conflict.

Facilitation Tip

During Think-Pair-Share, prompt pairs to consider what the absence of certain items (like perishable goods) might imply about Viking priorities and survival strategies.

What to look for

On an exit ticket, ask students to answer: 'What is one thing the Cuerdale Hoard tells us about Viking life that surprised you?' and 'What is one question you still have about the hoard or the Vikings?'

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach this topic by treating the hoard as a historical detective story where students piece together clues from artifacts. Avoid presenting the Vikings as a monolithic group; instead, highlight the diversity of silver sources to show their wide-ranging connections. Research suggests that students grasp historical change best when they see causality, so frame the hoard as a response to 10th-century instability rather than a random burial.

Students will demonstrate understanding by explaining why the hoard was buried, describing its contents and their significance, and considering the human stories behind its concealment. Successful learning shows when students can articulate the hoard’s role in Viking society and its connection to trade, war, and survival.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Collaborative Investigation: The Hoard Mystery, watch for students assuming the hoard was buried for spiritual or afterlife reasons.

  Use the activity’s risk assessment prompt to redirect students: ask them to consider what practical dangers Vikings faced (raids, unstable leadership) and why burying wealth was the only 'bank' available.

• During Gallery Walk: Treasures of the Hoard, watch for students labeling all silver items as 'English money.'

  During the gallery walk, pause at the map station showing the origins of the silver and the hacksilver display. Ask students to compare the forms of money and discuss why the material (silver) mattered more than the form (coin).

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Methods used in this brief

• Inquiry Circle
• Gallery Walk
• Think-Pair-Share