Lesson 1: Who Were the Vikings? Key stage 3 or 4 History A fully resourced and engaging introductory lesson to the Vikings, designed for Key stage 3 or 4 History. This lesson encourages students to go beyond stereotypes and explore the real lives of the Vikings as raiders, traders, and settlers. Lesson Focus: Question: Who were the Vikings? Challenge common Viking stereotypes. Explore where the Vikings came from and how they lived. Investigate their reputation as both fearsome raiders and skilled farmers, traders, and craftsmen. Activities & Resources: Time line task to place the Vikings in context. Source analysis of maps, pictures, and accounts. Class discussion and group work with differentiated worksheets. Fully resourced Power Point(ready to teach) Differentiated worksheets & source pack Clear learning objectives and success criteria A mix of activities to engage, challenge and support all learners This lesson makes an ideal first lesson in a Vikings scheme of work, but also works well as a stand-alone lesson into Viking life and identity.