Constantine II, the Vikings and St Columba's relics
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe how Constantine recaptured the bones of St Columba.
Key learning points
- After he defeated his father's enemy, Constantine became King of Alba, but he had no time to relax.
- His kingdom was under attack by the Vikings, who had taken control of an important place called Dunkeld.
- The bones of an important Scottish saint, Saint Columba, were held there, and the Vikings had taken them.
- Constantine led his army against the Vikings, driving them out and recapturing Dunkeld and the relics.
Keywords
Relics - relics are items of religious importance from the past, and are often the remains of saints
Monastery - a monastery is a place where monks live and worship
Common misconception
Pupils may think the relics of St Columba were valuable.
The relics of St Columba were an important symbol of the Christian faith throughout the kingdom of Alba.
Teacher tip
Explore images of modern day Dunkeld.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of serious crime
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Constantine was too to fight Giric and take back Alba.
Q2.Why did Constantine want revenge?
Q3.Who ran away and hid at Dundurn?
Q4.Constantine defeated Giric.
Q5.Archaeological evidence suggests the battle was ...
Q6.Which of these definitions matches the keyword revenge?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What year did Constantine defeat Giric?
Q2.Match these keywords to their definitions.
items of religious importance from the past (often remains of saints)
a place where monks live and worship
Q3.What did the Viking Ivar take control of at Dunkeld?
Q4.Place these events in order starting with the earliest.
Q5.Whose relics were taken by the Vikings?
Q6.Constantine defeated the Vikings.
To help you plan your 2 history lesson on: Constantine II, the Vikings and St Columba's relics, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 2 history lesson on: Constantine II, the Vikings and St Columba's relics, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 1 history lessons from the Conflict, conquest and empires unit, dive into the full primary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.