The Process of an Historical Inquiry The Vikings By S. Angelo Head Teacher, History East Hills Girls Technology High School

Asking Historical Questions 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

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

The Origin of the Vikings 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?

Viking Civics and Citizenship 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?

Viking Beliefs and Values 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?

Impact of Events on the Vikings 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?

Viking Legacy 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)

Communication of Ideas 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;

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