STANDARDS

CCSS: 6.SP.B.5.C, MP1, MP6, MP8

TEKS: 6.12C

Article Options

Presentation View
Teaching Resources

A Viking Voyage

YOUR MISSION:  As you read, find measures of center to learn about Viking civilization and a competition to go on an expedition to Iceland. These seafaring people from Scandinavia traveled across Europe and to North America during the Viking Age (793 to 1066). Use the online answer sheet to record your answers. 

May/June 2022
By Jennifer Hackett - Illustrated by Chris Schweizer

FINDING MEASURES OF CENTER

Measures of center can help you understand the trends in a data set.

MEAN: The sum the numbers in a set divided by how many numbers are in the data set. It’s also called the average.

MEDIAN: The middle value when a set is ordered from least to greatest. If there are two middle values, add them and divide by 2.

MODE: The number that appears most often in a set. A set can have more than one mode or no mode at all.

900 A.D.   As the Viking population grew, they needed more farmland. For years Vikings raided England and Ireland, but the people there fought back! Luckily, a Viking explorer recently found new uninhabited land in the west: Iceland. Now, Vikings are setting sail with crops and livestock
to build a new home there.

Vikings were from Scandinavia, which includes modern-day Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. During the Viking Age, there were 3 major cities in Norway, 12 in Sweden, and 6 in Denmark. Additionally, Vikings lived in 3 cities in Ireland and 1 city in England. Find the mean, median, and mode of this data set.

MEAN:

MEDIAN:

MODE:


The population of Vikings in Norway at the height of the Viking Age was 80,000. Denmark’s Viking population was 500,000, and Sweden’s was 650,000. After settlement, the Viking population of Iceland hit 24,000 and the population of Greenland reached 2,000. Find the mean, median, and mode of this data set.

MEAN:

MEDIAN:

MODE:


The contestants launched their spears at the following speeds: 60 mph, 66 mph, 70 mph, 60 mph, 90 mph, 64 mph, and 66 mph. Find the mean, median, and mode of this data set.

MEAN:

MEDIAN:

MODE:


The contestants threw their spears the following distances: 22 feet, 25 feet, 19 feet, 30 feet, 22 feet, 67 feet, and 32 feet. Find the mean, median, and mode of this data set.

MEAN:

MEDIAN:

MODE:


Viking longships came in many different sizes. A typical fleet included ships of the following lengths: 75 feet, 55 feet, 56 feet, 56 feet, 121 feet, 70 feet, 65 feet, and 80 feet. Find the mean, median, and mode of this data set.

MEAN:

MEDIAN:

MODE:


A ship’s size determined the size of its crew. To sail one fleet of longships, these crews were needed: 80 sailors, 35 sailors, 40 sailors, 15 sailors, 32 sailors, 40 sailors, 30 sailors, and 40 sailors. Find the mean, median, and mode of this data set.

MEAN:

MEDIAN:

MODE:


Many voyages were from Norway to England or Iceland. Some example distances that Vikings sailed on their voyages are 858 miles, 450 miles, 987 miles, 2,350 miles, 925 miles, and 1,210 miles. Find the mean, median, and mode of this data set.

MEAN:

MEDIAN:

MODE:


These voyages varied greatly in how long ships were at sea. Some voyages took the following number of days to sail: 3 days, 14 days, 5 days, 22 days, 12 days, 10 days, 3 days, and 5 days. Find the mean, median, and mode of this data set.

MEAN:

MEDIAN:

MODE:


An outlier is a data value that is much greater or much less than the other values in a data set. Identify any outliers in the previous questions.


Viking Women in Real Life

In 1871, a Swedish archaeologist made an incredible find: the grave of a Viking warrior. It was full of weapons and games of strategy, indicating it belonged to a powerful leader. For decades, historians assumed the occupant of this grave was a man. But in 2017, DNA testing told a different story: This powerful warrior was a woman! This was exciting but not surprising to Viking expert Nancy Marie Brown. According to Brown, warrior women—who may have gotten their start the same way as this girl—have always featured in Viking sagas.  

Continue the Learning Journey

  • Write a short paragraph or draw a comic response to the article, such as explaining your favorite part or what surprised you the most to learn. Use the “Create a Comic Strip ” template to help brainstorm your response.
  • Plan your own Viking journey! Pick a starting point in Scandinavia to set sail from and then pick a destination. Using the information in the article, decide the length of your longship, the number of people in your crew, and the length of your journey. Explain each of your choices.
  • Identify three numerical data sets in your home, such as the different lengths of pencils or your time spent doing various chores. For each of the three data sets, calculate the mean, median, and mode.
Statistics & Probability
Median, Mode, Mean and Average
videos (3)
videos (3)
videos (3)
Skills Sheets (4)
Skills Sheets (4)
Skills Sheets (4)
Skills Sheets (4)
Lesson Plan (1)
Text-to-Speech