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Vikings Unit
The Saga Of The Adventurous Viking
The Vikings are people who explored, plundered and traded with valor with their legendary ships. The Vikings were of the Norsemen clan who originated in the Scandinavia. They scourged the coast of the British Isles, France and other European coasts from late 8th to 11th century, which is termed as ‘the Viking age’ in the pages of history.
The Root Of The Word Viking
The word ‘Viking’ entered the English dictionary in the 18th century with romantic intonations. However, the etymology is traced back to the writings of the Anglo-Frankish writers who used the term ‘Viking’ to denote people who are set to raid and loot. In modern day Scandinavian language the word ‘Viking’ refers to the group of people who went on expeditions to trade and raid.
The word ‘Viking’ is made up of two parts, ‘vik’ meaning ‘bay’ and ‘ing’ denotes a place of origin. Thus ‘Viking’ literally means “people from the bay”
The Age Of The Vikings
The map of the Vikings is not confined to Scandinavia only (modern Denmark, southern Norway and Sweden) but territories under North Germanic control, mainly the Danelaw, Scotland, the Isle of Man and Ireland were also included.
The Viking explorers also opened new paths leading to the north and the west as they colonized Shetland, Orkney, Faroe Islands, Greenland and Iceland. There was even a short-lived expedition to Newfoundland in circa 1000B.C.
Generally the period of the North Germanic Expansion from the earliest raids in 790s till the Norman conquest of England in 1066 is considered as the Viking age.
They Delved Into The Riches
The Vikings traded and raided various European ports during the three centuries. Birka, Hedeby, Kaupang, Jorvik, Staraya, Ladoga, Novgorod and Kiev were some of the important trading ports of the times.
The Viking Ships
There were two types of Viking ships, the ‘long-ship’ or ‘drakkar’ which means dragon in Norse and the Knarr. The longships were built for cruises for exploration and warfare.
The Knarr was a slower merchant boat with greater cargo transport cruises. However, the term “Viking Ship” entered the common dictionary with a romantic association.
The First Attack
According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a group of men sailed from Norway to Portland, in Dorset. A royal official mistook them as merchants and tried to extol trading tax from them. They murdered him; the date assigned to this attack is 787. The second recorded attack is in 793 on the monastery of Lindisfarne. The pages of European history for the next 200 years told the story of the pillage of the Vikings.
The Raids On Iberia
By mid 9th century B.C there were Viking attacks on the coastal kingdom of Asturias. During the reign of Alfonso III the Vikings had already plagued the sea route connecting Galicia, a province of the kingdom with the rest of Europe. Historians attest the period from 844 to 858 A.D for the attacks on Galician coast. The Vikings settled in the town of Povoa de Varzim in northern Portugal and their influence was strong still recently.
Sources Of History
The Rune Stones
The Rune stones are valuable sources of history of the early medieval Scandinavia and the Norse society, particularly the Vikings. Many Rune stones recorded the names of the persons who went on Viking expeditions. The name of the martyrs is also engraved in the stones.
Burials
Some burial sites like Jelling in Denmark, Gettlinge Gravfalt in Sweden and more sites witnessed the history of the Vikings.
Myths And Legends
Norse myths, legends and literature speak the history of the Vikings through the tales of mythical heroes. These literatures were transmitted orally and we have to depend on the writings of the Christian writers.
The growth of Christianity in Scandinavia and a centralized authority together closed the valorous chapter of the Vikings. Coastal defense became more stringent in the areas the Vikings attacked making the raids less profitable with more risk. Cultural influences from Europe invaded their core. With the rise of the kings, nobles and a quasi-feudal system in Scandinavia the Vikings were lost completely. Thus, ended the mighty chronicle of the brave Viking population.
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Education in Vietnam
For kids in Vietnam, school is a lot like school for kids in the United States. It starts early, between 7:00 and 7:30 in the morning, and classes last until around 4:00 in the afternoon.
Vietnamese students learn a lot of the same stuff kids in the US learn, too, except the languages are different. In Vietnam, children study the Vietnamese language in depth, just like American students study English. Students in Vietnam often study English, too, although as a second language.
Kids in both countries must start school at the age of six. This is a law in both countries. In the United States, children must stay in school until they are 16 but Vietnamese education laws only require a student to attend school until they are 11. Even though kids can leave school after only five years of study, most of them don’t quit school because Vietnamese students and their families understand how learning more means they’ll probably earn more money when they finish school and get a job. Better jobs mean life is easier and a lot more fun than being poor.
Many kids in Vietnam choose to stay in school even after they turn 11 but the students’ families must pay the cost of their education after that. In the United States, public schools are free for grades one through 12.
Vietnamese children as young as 18 months old can go to kindergarten, where they learn the Vietnamese alphabet and simple math skills. Most of the kindergarten students in Vietnam live in the cities because there aren’t as many schools in the country and not every small town or village has a kindergarten.
Kids in both countries can go to college after they graduate from high school, called secondary school in Vietnam. In both countries, every student must pass an important exam before they get accepted into college. When a Vietnamese student passes the test, college is free. Each student can take the test four times to qualify for a free college education.
One thing that makes a public education in Vietnam very different from a public education in the United States is that Vietnamese children stay together, as a group, all through their public school years but American children often have different classmates each year.
Another difference is that teachers in Vietnam change classrooms each year so they can teach the children who stay together in the same classroom year after year. In the US, teachers have just one classroom and they stay in it year after year, with a different group of children coming to the teacher’s classroom every year as they progress through the education system.
Education experts believe this difference in classroom progression influences children in different ways. The Vietnamese system is thought to make students comfortable and happy with their classmates, who don’t change throughout their education, but shy with strangers. The American system focuses more on the child as an individual, a concept that contrasts from the Vietnamese way of placing more value on the group than the individual student.
Students in Vietnam are encouraged to listen carefully and take lots of notes but they cannot talk freely or ask too many questions in class. In the US educational system, children are, in many classes, encouraged to participate and offer their opinions, ideas, and questions.
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Unit Studies
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Unit Studies
