Anglo-Saxon Life

Overview

This 45-minute lesson invites Year 3 students to explore the daily lives of Anglo-Saxon people, focusing on their homes, food, and clothing. Through engaging activities, students will understand key aspects of Anglo-Saxon society and express their learning creatively by designing a 'day in the life' poster. This lesson is the second in a six-part unit on Anglo-Saxons and Vikings.

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National Curriculum Links

• History - Key Stage 2 (Years 3 and 4)

  • Pupils should be taught to:
    • Chronological Understanding:
      Describe events from the past using dates and terms relevant to the unit studied.
    • Knowledge and Understanding of Events, People and Changes:
      • Learn about changes in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age and Roman to Anglo-Saxons.
      • Study Anglo-Saxon life and their impact on Britain.
    • Historical Enquiry:
      Use a range of sources to ask and answer questions about the past.

• Subject Skills:

  • Develop an awareness of the past, using common words and phrases relating to the passing of time.
  • Use a variety of sources to find out about the past.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils will be able to:

1. Describe some features of Anglo-Saxon daily life, including homes, food, and clothing.
2. Use historical vocabulary such as 'farmstead', 'tun' (Anglo-Saxon village), 'wattle and daub', and 'tunic.'
3. Organise information to represent a day in the life of an Anglo-Saxon child.
4. Demonstrate curiosity and ask relevant questions about life in Anglo-Saxon times.

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Resources Needed

• Printed images/pictures of Anglo-Saxon homes, clothing, and food
• Whiteboard or flip chart with key vocabulary
• Large A3 paper/posters for group work
• Colouring pencils, markers, glue, scissors
• Simple source materials (short texts/factsheets or cartoons about Anglo-Saxon daily life)
• Timeline visible in classroom for context

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Lesson Structure

1. Starter (5 minutes)

• Teacher-led discussion: Recap previous learning on the Anglo-Saxon arrival in Britain (Lesson 1).
• Pose the question: “What do you think a day was like for a child in Anglo-Saxon times?”
• Write down suggestions on the board, introducing key vocabulary (farmstead, tun, wattle and daub).

2. Main Activity – Exploring Daily Life (25 minutes)

Part A: Information Carousel (15 minutes)

• Set up 3 stations around the room, each focusing on one aspect of daily life:

  1. Homes (structure, materials like timber and wattle and daub, layout)
  2. Food (common foods such as bread, vegetables, meat, and honey)
  3. Clothing (woollen tunics, cloaks, leather shoes, use of dyes)

• Students work in groups of 5, rotating through stations every 5 minutes.

• At each station, students engage with pictures and short texts, answering set questions like:

  • What materials were Anglo-Saxon houses made from?
  • What would an Anglo-Saxon child eat for breakfast?
  • Describe the type of clothes worn.

• Teacher circulates to support and prompt curiosity.

Part B: 'A Day in the Life' Poster Creation (10 minutes)

• Back in their groups, pupils create a poster showing a typical day of an Anglo-Saxon child using information from the stations.
• Encourage students to organise their poster into sections (morning, afternoon, evening) highlighting homes, food, and clothing.
• Include drawings and key words/vocab.

3. Plenary (10 minutes)

• Groups present their posters briefly to the class, explaining one interesting fact they learned.
• Teacher asks reflective questions:
  • How is Anglo-Saxon daily life similar or different to our lives today?
  • Why do you think it’s important to learn about how people lived a long time ago?
• Recap and reinforce key vocabulary.

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Differentiation

• For SEND or lower ability:

  • Provide printed sentence starters or word banks for poster creation.
  • Use more pictorial resources and hands-on artefact replicas if available.

• For higher ability:

  • Challenge to write a short diary entry as an Anglo-Saxon child on their poster.
  • Encourage use of connecting words (first, then, after that) to sequence events.

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Assessment

• Formative:

  • Observations during carousel stations – ask probing questions to assess understanding.
  • Review posters for correct use of vocabulary and factual information.
  • Listen to group presentations for comprehension and communication.

• Self/Peer Assessment:

  • After presentations, ask groups to say one thing they found interesting in another group's poster.

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Cross-Curricular Links

• Art & Design: Drawings and creative presentation of posters.
• English: Reading short texts, using chronological language.
• PSHE: Understanding different ways of living and historical empathy.

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Extension/Homework Suggestion

• Students write a short paragraph or draw a comic strip about their favourite Anglo-Saxon daily activity from the lesson, to share in next lesson.

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Teacher’s Tip: Use actual artefact images (e.g., from museum collections) and local Anglo-Saxon sites or finds if possible to make history tangible and localise learning. This helps contextualise and deepen pupils’ engagement with the topic.