This Anglo-Saxons, Picts and Scots Year 3/4 planning pack has everything you need to transform your class into expert archeologists who can talk confidently about life on the island of Britain over 1,500 years ago!

Over the course of seven engaging lessons, your children will learn all about the people who lived in and migrated to Britain after the Romans left and explore the different tribes, cultures and religions found there. They will also extend their historical vocabulary and deepen their chronological understanding of British history.

Your class will begin by learning about the excavation of the Sutton Hoo burial ship and the mystery surrounding who was buried there. In each lesson, your children will explore a range of historical sources which build their understanding of life in Anglo-Saxon Britain and offer possible clues for the identity of the person buried at Sutton Hoo. Finally, your class will bring together everything they have learned and draw their own conclusion about the identity of the mystery person.With detailed lesson plans, PDF slides, differentiated activities and printable resources, this Anglo-Saxons, Picts and Scots planning pack provides everything you need to help your class understand this significant period in British history. Extend your children's chronological understanding of British history with our Vikings and Anglo-Saxons planning pack!This scheme of work is also part of a Topic Bundle. Perfect if you are teaching about 'Settlements' as a cross-curricular topic!

A Knowledge Organiser is available to support the learning in this scheme. It is included in the Complete Series download or can be purchased individually.

Teaching Anglo-Saxons in KS2?

👉 Explore our Anglo Saxons KS2 hub for facts, free classroom slides, lesson ideas and ready-to-teach resources covering Anglo-Saxon settlement, Sutton Hoo, the Picts and Scots, and more.

Lesson 1: The Excavation of Sutton Hoo

In this initial lesson, children explore the idea that our understanding of the past is based on a range of historical sources, including artefacts made at the time, written accounts and environmental evidence.

During the session, children will learn about the excavation at Sutton Hoo and about what was found there. They will work together to examine some of the artefacts found at the site and use these to ask and answer questions about the Sutton Hoo burial.

This instantly downloadable lesson pack comes with everything you need to teach your children how we know about the past from evidence left behind, including: a detailed lesson plan with differentiated activities, PDF slideshow and printable resources.

What's included:

Lesson plan
Slides
Activity ideas
Artefact Cards and Analysers
Sorting Sheets and Challenge Cards

Lesson 2: Anglo-Saxon Migration

In this session, children find out who the Anglo-Saxons were, where they came from, and when and why they came to Britain. Children will bust some common myths as they learn that Anglo-Saxon kingdoms took more than a century to form and that many different peoples lived in Britain at that time.

Children review evidence about the Anglo-Saxon migration before deciding whether they think the Anglo-Saxons invaded Britain by force or settled peacefully.

This complete lesson pack comes with everything you need to teach your class about the Anglo-Saxon migration, including a detailed lesson plan, PDF lesson slides and printable resources to accompany the differentiated activities.

What's included:

Lesson plan
Slides
Activity ideas
Challenge Cards
Evidence Cards
Record Sheets
Story Builders
Story Cards
Answer Sheets

Lesson 3: Picts and Scots

This lesson takes your class further north to find out who the Picts and Scots were and where they lived. Children will use environmental evidence from settlements, forts and monuments, as well as artefacts from the time, to find out about the different tribes. They will also consider the limitations of relying on accounts written by Anglo-Saxons and Romans, including bias.

Children apply their knowledge by creating and answering quiz questions about the Picts and Scots based on the information in the e-books provided. Fancy something different? Children can create their own Pictish stones with symbols and ogham inscriptions that provide future archeologists with clues about themselves and the time they lived in.

This instantly downloadable lesson pack comes with everything you need to support your children's learning: a detailed lesson plan with differentiated activities, PDF slideshow, informative e-books and printable resources.

What's included:

Lesson plan
Slides
Activity ideas
Question Cards
Answer Sheets
Picts/Scots e-books
Design Sheets
Picture Cards
Instructions Sheets

Lesson 4: Anglo-Saxon Life

In this session, your class will generate questions they have about Anglo-Saxon life and try to answer these by examining a set of artefacts.

First, children will work together to sort artefacts into different categories relating to everyday Anglo-Saxon life: clothes, work, food, buildings and leisure. Then, children will choose an artefact to describe and evalute in detail using an archeological record form. Fancy something different? Use our fully-resourced activity ideas to hold an Anglo-Saxon themed afternoon/day: dye and weave wool on a cardboard loom; cook delicious onion soup and honey griddle cakes and play typical Anglo-Saxon board games.

This complete lesson pack comes with everything you need to immerse your class in Anglo-Saxon life, including a detailed lesson plan, PDF lesson slides and printable resources to accompany the differentiated activities.

What's included:

Lesson plan
Slides
Activity ideas
Picture Cards
Information Sheets
Archeological Record Forms
Anglo-Saxon Activity Sheets

Lesson 5: Anglo-Saxon society and culture

In this session, children use the story of Beowulf to explore how Anglo-Saxon society was organised. Children make notes as they listen to a shared read of Beowulf and discuss what they can infer about Anglo-Saxon culture and society.

Children create storyboards to retell Beowulf in their own words and pictures before using their understanding to decide whether the person buried at Sutton Hoo was a king, thane or peasant.

This instantly downloadable lesson pack comes with everything you need to support your children's learning: a detailed lesson plan with differentiated activities, PDF slideshow, printable recipes and resources.

What's included:

Lesson plan
Slides
Activity ideas
Beowulf Story Sheets
Blank and Scaffolded storyboards
Challenge Cards
Riddle Challenge
Riddle Cards
Riddle Solutions

Lesson 6: Paganism and Christianity

During this session, children explore the concepts of change and continuity while looking at religion. Children will find out about two major shifts in religious beliefs and practices during the Anglo-Saxon era: the introduction of Anglo-Saxon paganism and the spread of Christianity in Britain from centres such as Iona, Lindisfarne and Canterbury.

Children take part in a fact-finding treasure hunt before using their knowledge of Christian and pagan practices to help them identify the religion of the person buried at Sutton Hoo.

This complete lesson pack comes with everything you need to teach your class about Anglo-Saxon paganism and the spread of Christianity in Britain, including a detailed lesson plan, PDF lesson slides and printable resources to accompany the differentiated activities.

What's included:

Lesson plan
Slides
Activity ideas
Fact Cards
Fact Sheet
Answer Sheet
My Life in Objects

Lesson 7: Who was buried at Sutton Hoo?

In this last session, children find out about six kings who ruled territories in seventh-century Britain. In groups, children work together to review the evidence and solve the mystery: who is buried at Sutton Hoo?

Finally, children identify which sources helped them to reach this conclusion and reflect on the reliability and relevance of the evidence offered.

What's included:

Lesson plan
Slides
Activity ideas
Record Sheets
Evidence Sheets
Picture Cards
End of Unit Quiz
End of Unit Quiz Solutions

Anglo-Saxons, Picts and Scots: Knowledge Organiser

This Year 3/4 History Knowledge Organiser has been created to complement our History 'Britain up to 1066' strand. It is designed to support your children’s understanding of key vocabulary linked to this scheme of work. Enquiry questions have been included to encourage your children to think like a historian within this topic.

Britain up to 1066

Invaders and Settlers: Romans

Crime and Punishment

Vikings vs Anglo-Saxons

Anglo-Saxons, Picts and Scots

The Norman Conquest

Who were the Romans?