English National Curriculum - History

4. Does Alfred the Great deserve his name?

Mission Objectives

Understand how the Vikings came to settle in England

Understand how the Vikings and Anglo-Saxons shared land during this time

Analyse whether King Alfred is deserving of his nickname

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Assessment Quiz

Assessment Quiz

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Word Search Game

Word Search Game

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Lesson Plan

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Keywords

Words and meanings to learn

Wessex

an Anglo-Saxon kingdom in the south of England

Danelaw

a part of England controlled by the Vikings

treaty

a written agreement between two or more countries or leaders to follow a set of rules

conquer

take control of a place or people by using an army

fortification

a strong structure built to protect a place from attack

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Clare Faulkner

Clare is an experienced primary teacher with extensive experience across the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1. She has a strong background in curriculum design and development, contributing to programmes across EYFS, Key Stage 1, and Key Stage 2, ensuring they are engaging, inclusive, and pedagogically effective.

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Emma Wilding

Emma is an experienced primary teacher with over twelve years of classroom experience and a strong background in curriculum leadership. She has led history within schools and contributed to curriculum development across academy trusts, supporting the design of coherent, knowledge-rich programmes that enable pupils to build understanding over time.

Emma has a particular passion for writing high-quality curricula that are carefully sequenced, engaging, and rooted in strong subject knowledge. She is committed to creating lessons that are lively, meaningful, and accessible, helping children to grasp complex ideas through clear explanations and purposeful activities that support long-term learning.

Through her curriculum leadership, Emma has supported schools in preparing for successful Ofsted inspections, ensuring that subjects are well structured and effectively implemented. She is dedicated to designing learning experiences that spark curiosity and help pupils make meaningful connections between the past, the present, and the wider world.

Chloe Wilson

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Required Resources

Resources: Pens, pencils, scissors and glue

Research tool: The handout provides information about Alfred's children, to be used with the challenge handout.

Support Handout (1): The handout provides information about Alfred’s life, which can be sorted in a table showing two categories: ‘great’ and ‘not-so-great’. 

Core Handout (2):  The handout provides information about Alfred’s life, which can be sorted in a table showing two categories: ‘great’ and ‘not-so-great’. There is also space to write an explanation about whether they feel Alfred deserves his title.

Stretch Handout (3): The handout provides a table, and asks the children to write their own information about Alfred’s life in the ‘great’ and ‘not-so-great’ columns. There is also space to write an explanation of whether they feel Alfred deserves his title.

Challenge Handout (4): The handout provides a fact file for children to record information about Alfred's children.

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