History · Year 1

Active learning ideas

Roads and Infrastructure: Supporting Travel

Active learning helps Year 1 children grasp the purpose and changes in roads by letting them build, compare, and discuss real examples. Hands-on activities make abstract ideas like durability and speed tangible as students create models, handle historical photos, and take on roles from the past.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS1: History - Changes within living memory
• KS1: History - Events beyond living memory

• 20–35 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Mystery Object
• 35 min · Small Groups

Small Groups: Model Road Construction

Provide trays with sand and sticks for old dirt roads, plus playdough or cardboard for modern tarmac bridges. Groups build paths, add toy vehicles or carts, and test for bumps or speed. They record one difference in a class chart.

What do you notice about how roads were built a long time ago?

Facilitation Tip

During Model Road Construction, circulate and ask each group to explain their choices of materials to uncover their thinking about strength and durability.

What to look for

Show students two images: one of a historical road (e.g., Roman road, cobbled street) and one of a modern highway. Ask: 'What is one thing you notice that is different about these two roads?' Record their answers.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Mystery Object
• 25 min · Whole Class

Whole Class: Interactive Timeline

Display photos of past and present roads on a long paper timeline. Children add sticky notes with labels like 'bumpy tracks' or 'fast motorways' in order. Discuss as a group why changes happened.

How are roads today different from roads in the past?

Facilitation Tip

While making the Interactive Timeline, pause each pair to explain their placement of an event to clarify sequencing and cause-and-effect.

What to look for

Ask students: 'Imagine you need to send a letter to a friend in another town. Why would having a good, smooth road make this easier or faster than if the roads were bumpy and muddy?' Listen for explanations related to speed and ease of transport.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Mystery Object
• 20 min · Pairs

Pairs: Photo Hunt and Compare

Pairs examine paired images of old and new roads or bridges. They circle differences, such as materials or vehicles, then share one finding with the class. Extend by drawing their street now and long ago.

Why do you think having good roads is important for people?

Facilitation Tip

In Photo Hunt and Compare, listen for pairs to use phrases like ‘smoother’ or ‘wider’ to describe differences between old and new roads.

What to look for

Give each student a piece of paper. Ask them to draw one type of vehicle that might have used an old road and one type of vehicle that uses a modern road. They should label each vehicle.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 04

• Mystery Object
• 30 min · Individual

Individual: Journey Role-Play

Each child draws a simple map with old and new road options. They role-play a trip using props, noting time taken on bumpy vs smooth paths. Share stories in a circle.

What do you notice about how roads were built a long time ago?

Facilitation Tip

During Journey Role-Play, note which students slow their movements for carts and which speed up for cars to assess understanding of travel efficiency.

What to look for

Show students two images: one of a historical road (e.g., Roman road, cobbled street) and one of a modern highway. Ask: 'What is one thing you notice that is different about these two roads?' Record their answers.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should use concrete comparisons to build understanding, avoiding abstract explanations without visual or tactile anchors. Focus on small, observable changes first, like surface materials, before introducing broader impacts on communities. Encourage talk that connects past and present, using everyday language children already use to describe roads they know.

Children will describe how roads have changed over time and explain why strong infrastructure matters for daily life. They will compare materials, surfaces, and vehicles while using evidence from photos and models to support their ideas.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Model Road Construction, watch for students who assume all roads should feel bumpy because past roads looked rough in pictures.

  Prompt groups to test their models by rolling toy carts and cars over them, asking which surface feels safer or faster. Encourage them to adjust materials based on what they feel and observe.

• During Journey Role-Play, listen for students who say smooth roads do not matter for travel.

  Have students act out delivering a heavy basket on a bumpy road versus a smooth one, timing each trip and discussing why communities would want smoother roads for goods and people.

• During Interactive Timeline, watch for students who place all road changes close together in time.

  Ask students to explain why some events, like Roman roads, happened long ago while others, like tarmac, are more recent. Use arrows or spacing to show gaps in time as they place images.

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Methods used in this brief

• Mystery Object