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UNSOLVED VIKING MYSTERY TEACHER GUIDE
Overview:
The disappearance of the Vikings in Greenland remains one of the
great unsolved mysteries. In this activity students will learn about
different theories explaining why Greenland's Vikings vanished.
The students will work in small groups to conduct research using
the WBUR Greenland and the Smithsonian
Institute web sites to help them evaluate the plausibility of
the various theories. Students will synthesize information from
a variety of sources, predict consequences and draw conclusions,
and translate knowledge into new contexts. Designed as a Social
Studies, Thinking and Reasoning lesson for students in grades 6-8.
Teachers should print copies of the Disappearance
of Greenland Vikings Organizer in advance to help students structure
their research.
Activity:
- Listen to Jette Arneborg discuss one theory on the disappearance of the Viking settlements in Greenland on the WBUR Viking page.
- Print out copies of the Disappearance of Greenland Vikings Organizer and pass them out to your students. Tell students that they are going to research the theories offered by historians, archeologists and natural scientists as to why the Vikings disappeared from Greenland.
- Tell students to use information on the Vikings section of the WBUR Greenland and the Smithsonian's Viking Voyage Web site to complete the Disappearance Organizer.
- After the students have answered all the questions on their organizers, divide the class into small groups based on the Viking disappearance theory that each student has chosen as the most likely. Tell the groups that they are going to participate in a forum where they will present their theory on why the Vikings disappeared. Have students prepare and give their presentations.
- Provide opportunities for students to ask questions and to critique each group's presentation in order to evaluate the plausibility of the theories presented.
- After each presentation, have students raise their hands to show if they think the theory is a viable one. Remind students that no one is completely sure why the Vikings disappeared, and that they can agree with more than one theory.
Standards: www.mcrel.org
• Thinking and Reasoning Standard 1, Understands and applies the basic principles of presenting an argument, Level III Grade: 6-8
• Thinking and Reasoning Standard 2, Understands and applies basic principles of logic and reasoning, Level III Grade: 6-8
• Historical Understanding Standard 2, Understands the historical perspective, Level II Grade: 5-6
Contact Us
We'd appreciate hearing from you, please send us an email at webmaster@wbur.bu.edu to tell us about your experience using the WBUR Greenland Teacher Guides in you classroom. WBUR's Greenland Teacher Guides were prepared by Bay Breeze Educational Resources.
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