Anglo-Saxon kingdoms
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe how early Anglo-Saxon Britain was made up of different kingdoms.
Key learning points
- In places where the Anglo-Saxons defeated the Britons, they built their own villages and established new kingdoms.
- No single king ruled over all the Anglo-Saxons.
- The Angles, Saxons and Jutes took over and settled in different areas.
- The Anglo-Saxons established seven kingdoms – Northumbria, Mercia, East Anglia, Essex, Kent, Sussex and Wessex.
- These kingdoms waxed and waned in their power over one another.
Keywords
Settlement - a settlement is a place where people choose to begin a community
Establish - to establish something means to set it up to last a very long time
Kingdom - a kingdom is a country or area ruled by a king or queen
Common misconception
Some pupils may believe the kingdoms were part of one united kingdom of England.
The Anglo-Saxon kingdoms had their own ruler and England was not a united kingdom or nation at this point.
Teacher tip
You may wish to include some local examples of Anglo-Saxon settlements in the first section about the arrival of the different tribes.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which Empire ruled over Britain before the Anglo-Saxons arrived?
Q2.Why did the Anglo-Saxons choose to come to Britain?
Q3.Some Anglo-Saxons were invited to Britain by the Romans to fight off the Scots and a group called...
Q4.Emperor Honorius decided that the Romans should do what?
Q5.Why did the Romans choose to invite the Anglo-Saxons to help them fight?
Q6.Anglo-Saxons is a term that historians use to discuss the Angles, Saxons and what other tribe from Europe?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is the term given to a place that is ruled by a king or queen?
Q2.What tribes of people from Europe began to arrive in Britain in the early 400s CE?
Q3.What were the key features the tribes were looking for in order to establish communities when they arrived in Britain?
Q4.Where in Britain did the Angles mainly choose to settle in?
Q5.Which of the following was not an Anglo-Saxon kingdom?
Q6.Starting with the earliest, sort these events into chronological order.
To help you plan your 5 history lesson on: Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 5 history lesson on: Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, 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 2 history lessons from the Britain's settlement by Anglo-Saxons: what changed after the Romans left? unit, dive into the full primary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.