The Vikings
By
S. Angelo
Head Teacher, History
East Hills Girls Technology High School

When we start an historical inquiry, one of the first things we do is to ask historical questions
– Who were they?
– What did they believe in; do; achieve; think; eat?
– Where did they come from; live; go; get things from?
– Why did they do X; go to X; make X?
– How did they do X; make X?
These types of questions help us to find out about the past

ORIGINS
DAILY LIFE
CIVICS AND CITIZENSHIP
RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS
BELIEFS AND VALUES
IMPACT OF EVENTS/PEOPLE
CONTACT
LEGACY

Who were the Vikings?
Where did they come from?
What were they like?

Daily Life of the Vikings
What kind of clothes did they wear?
How did they make their clothes?
What sort of food and drink did they have?
How did they prepare their food?
Did they trade and exchange things?
What were their houses like?
How did they travel to different places?
How did they record their information/stories?

How did Vikings govern themselves?
Were there differences in the rights and freedoms of different members of Viking society? (Women/children/men)
What evidence of Viking society has been preserved?
Should we conserve Viking heritage sites?

What did the Vikings value?
What was the religion of the Vikings like?
Who were the Viking gods?
What evidence is there that the Vikings believed in an afterlife?

What impact did the collapse of the Roman
Empire have on the Vikings?
How did the Danelaw affect the Vikings in
Britain?
What impact did the changing climate have on the Vikings?

Impact of Significant People on the
Vikings
What impact did the exploration of Eric the
Red have on the Vikings?
How significant was Lief Eriksson’s contribution to the spread of Viking culture?
Why was Thorfinn Karlsefni such an important figure in
Viking history?

Contact Between Vikings and Other
People
How did the Vikings travel from one country to another?
What were Viking boats like?
Which countries did the Vikings go to?
Why did the Vikings go to other countries?
How did the Vikings fight?
What were Viking armour and weapons like?

How did the Vikings contribute to our calendar?
What were the main legacies of the
Vikings?

Investigating an Historical Question
Now that you have your historical question, you now have to research it a) Find suitable sources – textbooks, library, internet
- written sources – primary and secondary
- material or archaeological sources b) Use the sources to find the information you need to answer the question
- make notes, use point form, and record you source
- AUTHOR, NAME OF SOURCE, DATE of
PUBLICATION, PLACE of PUBLICATION, PAGE number
- for Internet – EXACT ADDRESS of PAGE(S) used

Making Notes and Referencing
When you conduct an historical inquiry you need to make clear notes and record where you found your information
Think about what you have read and make sure it properly answers the question
Your notes should be in you own words as far as possible – use point form
Always keep a list of the books and Internet sites you used to include in your Bibliography
In your report you can use the Harvard system of in-text referencing
• e.g. (Jones, 1975, p.6)

There are many ways to communicate the findings of an Historical Inquiry
– Oral report – lecture/ informal/formal talk/discussion
– Written – information report; discussion essay; explanation; description;
– Visual – illustration; diagram; mind map;