Aims of the project
The Viking Age is one of the most vibrant periods of our history, and the Vikings had an enormous impact on the British Isles in language, politics, farming practices, art and literature. Our aim in the Vikings and Anglo-Saxons for Schools project is to make our research expertise in this area available to schools through carefully-selected, age-appropriate and tailored events. We aim to enthuse and encourage the next generation of experts.
These support schools in providing National Curriculum-compliant learning opportunities. For more information about the content of activities, see Experiences.
Content and Delivery
We currently provide workshops about both the Vikings and Anglo-Saxons. These workshops are held at the University of Nottingham's University Park Campus.
Our research expertise is reflected in the content of the workshops: currently, we run four activities around the themes of 'burials', 'hoards', 'place-names' and 'runes'. If there are specific themes you'd like to explore in the activities, we are happy to accommodate you with advance notice. An overview of the kind of sessions we can offer is provided on our Workshop Days page. We provide all materials needed to deliver the workshops.
Delivery is focused on being hands-on, energetic, and adaptive to the needs of all children. If you would like to know more about how we can accommodate your specific school's needs and desires, please contact us via our email address.
To book a workshop with us, email ae-vikings4schools@exmail.nottingham.ac.uk.
Our volunteers
All our volunteers will have studied the Vikings or Anglo-Saxons (usually both) in the School of English at the University. Many are postgraduate or research students in these areas. Staff enjoy being involved in our activities, too.
Volunteers have compulsory training covering:
- safeguarding
- children's learning styles
- practical teaching methods and lesson planning
- care and use of artefacts
Training is provided, and activities are overseen, by University staff.
- Lesson outlines are scrutinised by project leaders
- Volunteers report on their experience and complete self-evaluations
- Schools are asked for evaluations at the end of the activities they are involved in
How the project started
In March 2010, Dr Sara Pons-Sanz and Dr Christina Lee organised a visit to the university for 60 pupils from a local primary school. The children had been working on Viking projects previously and brought their own work to show academic members of staff. During the day, there was a number of activities organised for the pupils, including short talks from academics about different aspects of Viking life, and activities similiar to those we are still offering in connection with our Workshop Days.
Following the success of this one-time event, the CSVA decided to expand on the concept. In collaboration with the university’s Widening Participation, we are able today to offer both in-school sessions and workshop days for schools.