Britain’s Earliest Settlers

Overview

Students investigate how Britain was settled by Anglo-Saxons and Scots, placing their arrival within the longer story of migration to Britain. They use evidence about invasions, settlement patterns, place names and village life to explain how Anglo-Saxon communities developed and assess the significance of this settlement.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• explain why groups migrated to and settled in Britain.
• describe features of Anglo-Saxon settlements and village life.
• use archaeological, written and place-name evidence to support historical claims.
• explain how Anglo-Saxon settlement contributed to the development of England.

Success criteria

• I can place the main stages of settlement in the correct chronological order.
• I can use at least three pieces of evidence about Anglo-Saxon settlement.
• I can explain what evidence suggests about village life.
• I can write a supported judgement about the significance of Anglo-Saxon settlement.

Curriculum links

• Britain’s settlement by Anglo-Saxons and Scots.
• Anglo-Saxon invasions, settlements and kingdoms, including place names and village life.
• The Viking and Anglo-Saxon struggle for the Kingdom of England to the time of Edward the Confessor.
• Historical enquiry: using evidence, chronology, cause, consequence and significance.

Lesson structure (90 minutes)

1. 0–8 min · Hook and retrieval. Open with the opening mystery image and question: “Why do so many places in Britain have names ending in ‘-ton’, ‘-ham’ or ‘-bury’?” Display a simple map of Britain and an image of an excavated settlement. Students independently write what they think the names and image reveal, then share one hypothesis with a partner. Briefly retrieve prior knowledge of Roman Britain and migration.

2. 8–20 min · Chronology and context. Use the chronology and migration map to establish that Britain had been settled by earlier peoples, including Celtic-speaking communities and Romans, before groups from northern Europe began settling from approximately the fifth century. Explain that “Anglo-Saxon” is a modern collective term for groups including Angles, Saxons and Jutes, while Scots established communities in parts of northern Britain. Students add five key stages to the timeline on the settlement investigation worksheet: Roman withdrawal, migration and settlement, formation of kingdoms, Viking attacks and the reign of Edward the Confessor.

3. 20–35 min · Direct teaching through evidence. Present the evidence gallery covering an excavation plan, an artefact, a place-name map, a short translated extract from Bede and an image of a reconstructed settlement. Model the difference between observation, inference and interpretation using one source. Students complete a three-column table on the settlement investigation worksheet, recording what each source shows, what it suggests and how reliable or limited it may be. Emphasise that evidence does not provide a complete picture and that written sources were often produced by Christian writers with particular viewpoints.

4. 35–55 min · Group evidence enquiry. Arrange 35 students into seven groups of five. Give each group a different evidence focus from the group enquiry instructions and the corresponding section of the settlement investigation worksheet: location, buildings, farming, craft, religion, place names or relationships with existing communities. Students identify two secure observations, one inference and one unanswered question. Each group prepares a 45-second report beginning, “Our evidence suggests… because…”

5. 55–68 min · Share and challenge. Groups report while the teacher collates findings on the board under “What we know”, “What we infer” and “What remains uncertain”. Use the discussion prompts to challenge unsupported claims: “What is the evidence?”, “Could there be another explanation?” and “Whose perspective is missing?” Students add one new piece of evidence and revise one inference on their worksheets.

6. 68–82 min · Significance judgement. Introduce the question: “How significant was Anglo-Saxon settlement in shaping England?” Distribute the Historical Significance Criteria Mat and model one criterion, such as the extent and lasting impact of settlement. In pairs, students select their strongest three pieces of evidence and plan a judgement on the settlement investigation worksheet. They should consider changes to language and place names, farming and villages, kingdoms, religion, and continuity with earlier communities. Use the judgement-writing model to demonstrate a claim-evidence-explanation paragraph.

7. 82–90 min · Independent assessment and exit. Students answer the GCSE-style question on the settlement investigation worksheet: “Explain why Anglo-Saxon settlement was important in the development of England.” They write one developed paragraph using at least two pieces of evidence and finish with the Exam Command Words Reference Mat available as a reference. End with a self-assessment: students underline their strongest sentence and write one question they still have about Britain’s early settlers.

Resources

• the complete settlement enquiry slide deck
• the settlement investigation worksheet
• the Historical Significance Criteria Mat
• the Exam Command Words Reference Mat
• Projector or interactive display
• Board and pens
• Seven sets of source extracts and images
• Highlighters and exercise books

Assessment

• During retrieval and chronology, check whether students can distinguish Roman Britain, Anglo-Saxon settlement, Viking activity and the period of Edward the Confessor.
• Circulate during group enquiry, questioning students about the difference between observation and inference and checking that claims are supported by evidence.
• Collect or scan the final paragraph. Look for a clear judgement, accurate contextual knowledge, at least two relevant pieces of evidence and explanation of significance.

Differentiation

• Support students with a partially completed timeline, a word bank containing migration, settlement, kingdom, evidence, inference, continuity and change, and sentence starters such as “This source suggests…” and “This was significant because…”.
• Provide enlarged, clearly formatted sources and read extracts aloud for students with literacy, visual or processing needs. Permit paired verbal rehearsal before writing.
• EAL students may annotate evidence in their strongest language before producing an English response; pair them with supportive peers and pre-teach place-name and settlement terminology.
• Challenge higher-attaining students to compare the limitations of archaeological and written evidence, consider continuity with Romano-British communities, and qualify their judgement rather than claiming that settlement caused every change.