Here is our new Talk For Writing text – a non-chronological report about Vikings!

Vikings

 

Introduction

The Vikings lived in Britain about 1000 years ago. They were from Norway: a land of mountains and fjords, where the winters were long and cold and it was difficult to grow crops. They were tall, fair haired and very fierce in battle.

 

Home Life

Viking men built boats and went hunting. They grew wheat, rye and barley as well as flax to make clothes. The women were always busy spinning and weaving, although other roles included cooking and brewing strong beer. Viking children did not go to school: they played. This was how they learnt the skills they would need when they were older.

 

As there were no bathrooms in Viking homes, most people probably washed in a wooden bucket or at the nearest stream. Instead of toilets, people used cess-pits: holes outside dug for toilet waste. The pit was usually screened by a fence. Slimy, muddy cess-pits have been found by archaeologists studying the remains of the Viking town of Jorvik (modern York).

 

Viking Raiders

The Vikings were raiders, therefore every summer they would set off across the seas in their long boats. Viciously, they would steal anything of value and also take prisoners who would become their slaves. Before they left the villages, they would set them alight.

 

Clothes

Similar to people in England, Scotland and Wales at this time, men wore tunics and trousers whilst women wore long dresses with a kind of long apron. Clothes were made from wool, linen and animal skins. Mostly people dressed to keep warm!