Summer
The topic for the first half term is the Anglo Saxons and the Vikings.
Who were the Anglo-Saxons?
The last Roman soldiers left Britain in 410. New people came in ships across the North Sea – the Anglo-Saxons. The Anglo-Saxon age in Britain was from around AD410 to 1066.
They were a mix of tribes from Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands. The three biggest were the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes. The land they settled in was 'Angle-land', or England.
If we use the modern names for the countries they came from, the Saxons were German-Dutch, the Angles were southern Danish, and the Jutes were northern Danish.
Growing up in an Anglo-Saxon village
Anglo-Saxon children had to grow up very quickly. By the time they were ten, they were seen as an adult. They had to work as hard as any adult and would be punished as adults if they stole or broke the law.
Girls worked in the home. They were in charge of housekeeping, weaving cloth, cooking meals, making cheese and brewing ale.
Boys learned the skills of their fathers. They learned to chop down trees with an axe, plough a field, and use a spear in battle. They also fished and went hunting with other men from the village.
Only a few girls and boys learned to read and write. The sons of kings or wealthy families might be taught at home by a private teacher. The only schools were run by the Christian church, in monasteries. Some children lived there to train as monks and nuns.
Anglo-Saxon girls and boys had lots of important jobs around the villagWhat jobs did the Anglo-SLife on an Anglo-Saxon farm was hard work. All the family had to help out - men, women and children.
Men cut down trees to clear land for ploughing and to sow crops. Farmers used oxen to pull ploughs up and down long strip fields. Children with dogs herded cattle and sheep.
The Anglo-Saxons were great craftsmen too. Metalworkers made iron tools, knives and swords. The Anglo-Saxons were skilled jewellers, who made beautiful brooches, beads and ornaments from gold, gemstones and glass.
The Anglo-Saxons had armies, but their soldiers didn't fight all the time. After a battle, they went home as soon as they could and looked after their animals and crops.
Websites
https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/school-radio/history-ks2-anglo-saxons-index/zhtdd6f
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zp-MTR-fcAA
https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/discover/history/general-history/anglo-saxons/
Vikings
The Viking age in European history was from about AD700 to 1100. During this period many Vikings left their homelands in Scandinavia and travelled by longboat to other countries, like Britain and Ireland.
When the people of Britain first saw the Viking longboats they came down to the shore to welcome them. However, the Vikings fought the local people, stealing from churches and burning buildings to the ground.
The people of Britain called the invaders 'Danes', but they came from Norway and Sweden as well as Denmark.
Websites
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zxsbcdm
https://www.schoolsofkingedwardvi.co.uk/ks2-history-anglo-saxons-vikings-4a-viking-raids/
https://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-vikings
Anglo Saxon and Viking Knowledge Organiser
Anglo Saxon and Viking homework
In the second half term, the Geography topic is the British Isles with a focus on England, Scotland and Wales (Scotland is studied in Year 5). In this unit, maps will be studied and places will be identified on them. The children will become familiar with the symbols used on Ordnance Survey maps.
See the links below for more information:
British Isles
-https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/class-clips-video/geography-ks1--ks2-the-united-kingdom/zhtgrj6
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJ1mg6vikvs
-https://kids.kiddle.co/British_Isles
In Science, Year 4 will be studying sound. The children will learn how sound is created and how it travels. They will learn how sounds can be louder or quieter, higher or lower.
Sound
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AsC26E5JxU
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzzGFRQQtuE
-https://kids.kiddle.co/Sound