Learning activities

Before children begin this activity they will need some knowledge of Victorian coinage including how amounts were written, for example 2s 3d.

Starter activity

Source 8, the audio description of the Royal Mail coach clattering through the night, could be played here.

Starter Activity Sa (Links to Ma)

Begin by showing a modern train timetable, preferably showing times from Worthing/Brighton to London (this would have to be sourced in advance - either a paper copy or one could be accessed from the internet) and asking children questions about it - How long does it take to travel from x to y? How many trains run during the day? At what time does the first train depart? Show the children the Victorian train timetable and discuss how the fares column is read.

Main activity

Main Activity Ma (Links to Sa)

If I were going on a journey, what things would I need to know/find out? In pairs, children make a list of all the information they would need, such as type of transport, cost, starting and finishing destination and times.

Share ideas as a class. Teacher to tell the children that they are going to find out about 2 journeys made in Victorian times from Worthing to London using a range of sources. They will record their answers onto the attached table of information (Children's Activity Sheet Ma). The children will be given 2 sets of sources (one for 1839 and the other for 1853) and use them to complete the table. The children can work in pairs and could either take 1 of the sets each or work on them together, depending on ability. If less time is available one pair of children could work on 1 set of sources and another pair on the other set and then share the information.

Plenary activities

Plenary Activity Pa (Links to Sa and Ma)

Teacher to have large copy of the table of information displayed on the whiteboard and then collect information from children to complete it. Ask the children to compare the results for the 2 journeys. What would they say happened to travel during Victorian times? Sources 6 and 7, maps of Sussex in 1843 and 1864, could be displayed to illustrate the rapid expansion of the railway network. (Note: these may already have been used in Transport Activity 1 - Introducing Transport.)

Plenary Activity Pb (Links to Sa and Mb)

Display a range of true/false statements about travel during Victorian times, for example, 'People started to use new types of transport', 'Journeys became more expensive to make' and so on (see Children's Activity Sheet Pb). In pairs children discuss if each statement is true/false and their justification for believing that, referring to the sources they have been using in the main activity. These are shared as a class.

Further research could be done by the children into when different types of transport were invented and these dates could be added to either a class timeline or to individual timelines as appropriate. Note: transport timeline information may already have been discussed in Transport Activity 1 - Introducing Transport.

Note
These activities include an additional theme that could be used as homework or a short classroom task:

3a - Getting around town

Children look at the sources and answer the questions on the Extension 3a: Getting Around Town Children's Activity Sheet. All sources are included in the Activity Sheet.