History · Year 2 · Our Local Heritage · Summer Term

Local Transport: Then and Now

Exploring how people traveled in the local area in the past compared to modern transport.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS1: History - Changes within living memory
• KS1: History - Continuity and change

About This Topic

Local Transport: Then and Now guides Year 2 students to compare travel in their local area 100 years ago with today. They study sources like old photographs, postcards, and maps that reveal horses pulling carts, bicycles, walking, and early trams or buses. Modern options such as cars, double-decker buses, and trains show clear progression. This topic fits KS1 History requirements for changes within living memory and continuity and change, using the local environment as a living classroom.

Key questions drive enquiry: How did people travel locally 100 years ago? How does transport differ now? Why have new methods appeared? Students develop skills in asking questions, selecting evidence, and spotting patterns of change. They learn that inventions like cars addressed needs for speed and capacity, linking history to technology and community growth.

Active learning suits this topic perfectly. Students make personal connections through site visits, handling replica artifacts, or drawing before-and-after scenes. These methods turn passive facts into active discoveries, boost engagement with familiar places, and help children articulate changes they observe.

Key Questions

1. How did people travel around your local area 100 years ago?
2. How is transport in your local area different today compared to the past?
3. Why do you think new ways of travelling have been invented over time?

Learning Objectives

• Compare modes of local transport used 100 years ago with those used today.
• Explain the reasons for changes in local transport methods over time.
• Identify specific examples of historical and modern transport in the local area.
• Classify different types of transport based on their era of common use.

Before You Start

Introduction to the Local Area

Why: Students need a basic understanding of their local environment to compare past and present transport within it.

Families and Homes: Then and Now

Why: This topic introduces the concept of change over time within living memory, which is foundational for understanding transport evolution.

Key Vocabulary

Horse-drawn cart	A vehicle pulled by a horse, used for carrying goods or people before cars were common.
Bicycle	A two-wheeled vehicle that a person rides by pushing pedals with their feet.
Tram	A public vehicle that runs on rails, often along city streets, used for transporting passengers.
Motor car	A road vehicle, typically with four wheels, powered by an internal combustion engine or electric motor, and able to carry a small number of people.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

People always travelled by car in the local area.

What to Teach Instead

Sources show horses, carts, and walking dominated 100 years ago. Hands-on sorting activities and photo comparisons help students visualize the shift, replacing modern assumptions with evidence-based understanding.

Common Misconception

Transport has not changed much over time.

What to Teach Instead

Local maps and timelines reveal major shifts like trams to buses. Group discussions during walks prompt students to spot differences firsthand, building awareness of continuity and change.

Common Misconception

New transport was invented just for fun.

What to Teach Instead

Changes met needs like speed for growing towns. Role-playing past journeys in pairs clarifies practical reasons, making cause and effect concrete through active simulation.

Active Learning Ideas

Local Walk: Spot the Changes

Lead a class walk around the local area to identify current transport like bus stops and cycle paths. Discuss and sketch what might have been there 100 years ago using pre-walk photos. Back in class, groups compare sketches to create a shared display.

45 min·Whole Class

Timeline Build: Small Groups

Provide images of past and present transport. Groups sort them chronologically on a long paper timeline, add labels, and note reasons for changes like 'cars are faster'. Present timelines to the class.

30 min·Small Groups

Sorting Game: Pairs

Give pairs cards with transport pictures labeled 'Then' or 'Now'. They sort, discuss differences, and invent a new transport for the future. Pairs share one idea with the class.

20 min·Pairs

Oral History Share: Individual

Students interview a family member about past local travel, draw a picture, and share in a class circle. Compile responses into a class book of stories.

25 min·Individual

Real-World Connections

• Local transport museums, such as the London Transport Museum, often have exhibits showcasing horse-drawn buses and early motor cars, allowing visitors to see these historical vehicles firsthand.
• Many towns and cities still have historical maps or street furniture that indicate where old tram lines once ran, showing the physical remnants of past transport networks.
• Interviewing older family members or community elders about their earliest memories of travel can provide personal accounts of how transport has changed within their lifetime.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

Provide students with two drawing boxes. Ask them to draw one way people traveled in the local area 100 years ago in the first box, and one way people travel today in the second box. Label each drawing.

Quick Check

Show images of different historical and modern transport (e.g., a horse and cart, a bicycle, an early bus, a modern car, a train). Ask students to hold up a green card if they think it was used 100 years ago, and a red card if they think it is mostly used today.

Discussion Prompt

Ask students: 'Imagine you need to travel across town to visit a friend. How would you have done that 100 years ago? How would you do it now? What are the biggest differences?'

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I source local transport history for Year 2?

Contact local libraries, museums, or historical societies for free photographs, maps, and timelines from 1920s. Online archives like Britain from Above offer aerial views of past roads. Schools often hold community collections; pair with guest speakers from local history groups for authentic stories that spark student questions.

What active learning strategies work best for local transport changes?

Incorporate walks to observe current sites against old photos, timeline builds with sorted images, and family interviews compiled into class books. These methods make history tangible, encourage peer talk to refine ideas, and link abstract change to everyday places, deepening retention and enthusiasm.

How to address key questions on transport then and now?

Start with shared readings of sources, then use KWL charts for 'what we know, want to know, learned'. Follow with sorting games and discussions to answer: past methods via evidence, differences through comparisons, inventions for speed and convenience. This scaffolds enquiry skills progressively.

How to differentiate this topic for Year 2?

Provide sentence starters for lower attainers during discussions, like '100 years ago people used...'. Extend higher ones with 'why' questions on inventions. Use visual timelines for all, with tactile models for SEND. Group flexibly to mix abilities, ensuring everyone contributes through drawing or talk.