Vikings and Their Far-Reaching Influence

CLASS DESCRIPTION
There are so many events that happened with the Vikings that covering them all is very difficult in 8 weeks! Therefore, this class will focus on some of the events that Vikings were involved in spanning the globe. Vikings are traditionally not given credit for the development of much of modern Europe, when they have had much more influence than most people think. They were some of the first Russians, fought in the Crusades, conquered Paris and England, and even were some of the first Europeans in North America. These somewhat unknown events shaped much of European history, but were not necessarily credited to the Vikings. This class seeks to change that! And the best part? You get to follow me to SWEDEN, where I’ll be shooting videos on location in many historical Viking areas, really bringing the Vikings to life!

Students will learn the basics about Viking culture, including their religion, ships, culture, and combat style, and what set them ahead of some of their counterparts in Europe at the time. From there, we will jump into some of the events spanning Europe that involved the Vikings. We will start in present day England and France, the first mainland European contact the Vikings made. From there we will cover the Rus and Vikings in the Mediterranean. Finally we will study the Viking excursions to Greenland, Iceland, and North America. The idea of studying the Vikings’ far reaching influence on the world is to give the students more perspective on just how much they effected the world. Students can look into their own heritages, and see what effect the Vikings may have had upon their ancestors.

Disclaimer: This is history, not math. There is not a right and wrong, black and white answer to everything! So much in history can be subjective and argued over endlessly. I’m presenting the facts the best I can from various sources I’ve researched. I don’t consider any history book to be 100% accurate. It’s impossible. And same with this course. I compiled my research and put together the most authentic story I could, considering I wasn’t personally privy to the goings on during this time period. 😉

CLASS FORMAT
No live classes- view lessons on YOUR schedule. In general, expect 1.5-2.5 hours to work through the lesson plan each week, and an additional 2-5 hours working on assignments (it really depends what assignment your child chooses to do and how they manage their time). For classes with two levels, the material is the same for both- the depth of the assignments differs. Younger students should usually be placed in Level 1. Older students, or younger students who want more of a challenge, should be placed in Level 2. Each lesson consists of a fully narrated PowerPoint presentation with images and videos to enhance the topics. Students will have access to our learning management system, Canvas, for viewing their lesson, printing worksheets, taking quizzes, viewing/submitting assignments, participating in discussions, and viewing grades/feedback. Read more details about class format.