Discovery at Coppergate
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe the discovery made by archaeologists at Coppergate in 1972 and explain what their findings reveal about Viking life.
Key learning points
- In 1972, builders constructing a new shopping centre in the Coppergate area of York made a discovery.
- They were beginning to dig up huge amounts of Viking objects in the ground below the streets of York.
- Archaeologists were called in to investigate further and soon made startling discoveries about Viking York.
- They discovered layers of moist and peaty soil that had preserved various organic remains which normally rot away.
- They found buildings, textiles, leather, seeds and other things that have given clues about life in Viking York.
Keywords
Excavate - to excavate is to remove earth carefully from an area to find buried remains
Peaty - when plants decay they sometimes make the soil peaty, which can preserve things for a long time
Preserved - when something is preserved it is protected from damage or loss
Organic - something that is organic is to do with, or has come from, living things
Common misconception
Pupils may think archaeologists only find out about the past through excavation.
Archaeologists use a range of ways to find out about the past which include excavation, field walking, surveying and aerial photography.
Teacher tip
You could explore the conditions of the excavation by exposing pupils to what peaty soil is like. They could look for items that were found such as seeds within the soil so they gain an understanding of how painstaking yet fascinating an excavation can be.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Where did the Vikings originate from?
Q2.What does invasion mean?
Q3.How did the Vikings travel to Britain?
Q4.The Vikings raided Britain for and silver.
Q5.Place these events in the order in which they happened, starting with the earliest.
Q6.How do we know the Vikings settled in Britain?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Excavation is the only way archaeologists find out about the past.
Q2.When did the Coppergate excavation begin?
Q3.What were the important discoveries made by York Archaeological Trust?
Q4.How many years did the Coppergate excavation last for?
Q5.What did the Coppergate excavation tell us about Vikings in York?
Q6.Match the keyword to the definition.
remove earth carefully from an area to find buried remains
soil that preserves things for a long time
something is protected from damage or loss
to do with, or has come from, living things
To help you plan your 6 history lesson on: Discovery at Coppergate, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 6 history lesson on: Discovery at Coppergate, 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 The Vikings: how do we know so much about Viking York? unit, dive into the full primary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.