History · 5th Year

Active learning ideas

Who Were the Vikings?

Prepare your class to set sail with the legendary Norse seafarers who first raided, then settled, and forever changed the story of Ireland.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA History: Early People and Ancient Societies - The Vikings

• 30–60 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Inquiry-Based Learning
• 60 min · Small Groups

Build a Viking Longship

Using cardboard, craft sticks, and other recycled materials, pupils work in small groups to design and construct a model of a Viking longship. They should include key features like the sail, oars, shields, and a dragon head prow.

Identify the modern-day countries that made up the Viking homelands.

Facilitation Tip

Provide pupils with simple diagrams of longships to use as a reference for key design elements.

What to look for

Use a 'Think-Pair-Share' activity where pupils discuss the question: 'Why were longships so important to the Vikings?' Listen to their discussions to gauge understanding.

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

Activity 02

• Inquiry-Based Learning
• 45 min · Whole Class

Raid or Trade? A Class Debate

Divide the class into two groups: one arguing the Vikings came to Ireland primarily to raid, the other arguing they came to trade and settle. Pupils research their position and present their arguments in a structured debate.

Explain the main reasons why Vikings began to raid and explore outside of Scandinavia.

Facilitation Tip

Encourage pupils to use evidence, such as archaeological finds or historical accounts, to support their points.

What to look for

Pupils create a 'Viking in Ireland' fact file, detailing where they came from, why they came, what a longship was like, and one major settlement they founded.

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

Activity 03

• Inquiry-Based Learning
• 30 min · Pairs

Viking Voyage Mapping

Pupils use maps of Europe to trace the likely sea routes taken by Vikings from Scandinavia to Ireland, Britain, and beyond. They can mark key raid locations and the sites of major settlements they founded.

Analyse the skills and technologies that made them such successful seafarers.

Facilitation Tip

Use a large wall map and coloured string to create a visual, collaborative display of the Viking journeys.

What to look for

Pupils complete a 'K-W-L' chart (What I Know, What I Want to Know, What I Learned) at the beginning and end of the topic to reflect on their own learning journey.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Begin by grounding the topic geographically, using maps to show Scandinavia in relation to Ireland. Use strong visuals of longships and artefacts to capture pupils' interest. Scaffold learning by moving from the concrete, such as ship design and daily life, to more abstract concepts like the reasons for migration and their long-term legacy in Ireland.

Pupils will be able to map the Vikings' origins, analyse the technology that powered their voyages, and explain their lasting impact on Irish towns and culture.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• Vikings wore horned helmets.

  There is no archaeological evidence that Vikings wore horned helmets in battle. This image was popularised by 19th-century artists and operas. Real Viking helmets were typically simple metal or leather caps.

• The Vikings were just savage and violent raiders.

  While raiding was a significant part of their culture, Vikings were also skilled farmers, traders, explorers, poets, and craftspeople. Many came to Ireland to settle peacefully and established major trading towns.

• All Vikings were the same.

  The term 'Viking' refers to people from different regions across Scandinavia, including modern-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. These groups had their own distinct leaders, traditions, and motivations.

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Methods used in this brief

• Inquiry-Based Learning