Welcome to Topaz Class - Yr 3/4
Dear all Topaz page visitors,
Welcome to our class webpage! Here you will find information about our latest topic, links to useful websites, interesting facts about what we learn about, and much more!
If you need to contact me, you can email me at dboorman@netherfield.e-sussex.sch.uk or message me directly on ClassDojo.
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DICE Topic Term 3 - Traders and Raiders!
Big and strong, powerful and brave, the Saxons wave their battle axes and brandish their swords as they begin to invade Britain’s shores. Sail back to the Dark Ages, where battles were rife and fear reigned. Find out about the lives of the Saxons, including how they lived and where they came from. Meet the bloodthirsty Vikings from Scandinavia – never before had such terror swept the land. Make a Saxon sword or a Viking brooch and decorate it with intricate patterns. Choose to be a Saxon or Viking and trade your crafty goods, but let’s keep it cool. We don’t want a fight breaking out. Are you ready to shine a light on the dangerous and deadly Dark Ages?
Useful Websites
We use a variety of online resources to help support what we do in school that your children can access at home if they wish. These include the following:
PurpleMash - a platform which has various games, apps, topics, and projects included to support both the Computing and wider curriculum.
Letterjoin - a website to support children with their handwriting, including a range of online and printable resouces.
Fitter Futures - a physical activity website with tons of indoor and outdoor workouts for children to try if they wish.
Your child should have their own personal logins for both PurpleMash and Fitter Futures. The school login for Letterjoin has been shared previously. If you need it, please do not hesitate to email me. The same can be arranged if your child does not know their PurpleMash or Fitter Futures login.
Please click on the pictures to be taken to any of these websites.
DICE Topic Websites
These websites are related to our DICE topic, which is called 'Traders and Raiders' and focuses on the Anglo Saxons and Vikings.
As always, although these websites have been checked by staff, it is recommended you look at them first before you share them with children to ensure you are happy with their content.
Anglo Saxons:
Vikings:
Fun Facts
Here are some fun Anglo-Saxons facts that you can learn to impress your family and friends with!
- Anglo-Saxon homes were made of wood and had thatched roofs.
- Many modern place names come from the original Anglo-Saxon name, giving us clues about the original settlement. For example, -ingham means village and -wich means farm. So, Birmingham was originally an Anglo-Saxon village and Norwich was originally a farm.
- Early Anglo-Saxons believed in many different gods.
- The chief god was called Wodin.
- In AD 597, the Pope sent a monk called Augustine to Britain to persuade the Anglo-Saxons who now lived there to become Christians.
- King Ethelbert of Kent became the first Anglo-Saxon king to become a Christian, previously all Anglo-Saxon kings had been Pagans. Christianity became very important to the Anglo-Saxons. Churches and monasteries were built across Britain.
- The Anglo-Saxons were very superstitious. They believed in magic spells, lucky charms and dragons.
- Most Anglo-Saxon homes only had one room - people worked, ate and slept in one place.
- Most Anglo-Saxons were farmers. Families lived in small villages and grew produce on the land around them.
- Alfred the Great (AD 871 - AD 899) managed to stop the Viking invasion and had a reputation for being a clever and merciful king who really wanted to improve the lives of the people.
Here are some Vikings facts! See if you can learn these too!
1. Most Viking houses were made of wood, stone or turf, with thatched roofs. They all had a hole in the roof to let out smoke from the fire.
2. There was no employment, as such, during Viking times. People were mostly farmers, craftsmen and traders. Women milked cows to make cheese and spun, wove and sewed clothes.
3. Viking children did not go to school. Everything was learnt through stories. Long Viking stories are called sagas.
4. On 11th January AD793, the Vikings landed on Lindisfarne. They had sailed across the North Sea from Denmark and Norway. They rampaged through the island and killed monks in the priory. They stole gold and silver and caused destruction and death.
5. Vikings believed that if they died in battle they would go to Viking heaven (Valhalla). Here they believed they could drink and party every night.
6. The Vikings grew, hunted or caught everything they ate. In Britain, vegetables that could be grown included leeks, turnips and carrots. They would also have gathered wild plums or crab apples. The Vikings kept animals such as chickens, sheep and pigs. Meat, eggs, milk and cheese were produced by these animals. The Vikings also ate fish, such as herring and cod, and cured meat like bacon.
