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Why was the Brough of Birsay, on the north west coast of the mainland of Orkney, Scotland, chosen as a settlement by the Norse? It was in a very defensible position surrounded almost entirely by sea and only connected to the mainland by a causeway. The land was fertile with good drainage, and fish and seals were abundant. Only ruins of the settlement remain today, including longhouses, a church and what archaeologists believe was a sauna.

Students could study photographs and an aerial view of another Viking settlement or archaeological site, such as Qassiarsuk in Greenland or Jarlshof in the Shetland Isles. Students could find the site on a map and list some possible reasons for its location. Students could discuss the benefits the location might have brought the Vikings. Students could consider what different parts of the ruins used to be. Students could use the aerial image as a base to build a 3D model of the Viking settlement as they imagine it, using plasticine, construction toys, or art and craft materials.