How We Travel

Lesson Overview

Year Group: Year 1
Subject: English (ELA)
Unit: Community, Travel, Emotions
Lesson Number: 7 of 28
Lesson Duration: 60 minutes
UK Curriculum Link:

• National Curriculum for English (KS1):
  • Writing – "Saying out loud what they are going to write about, composing a sentence orally before writing it."
  • Spoken Language – "Participating in discussions, presentations and role play."
  • Reading – "Listening to and discussing a wide range of poems, stories, and non-fiction."

Lesson Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will:

1. Identify and discuss different ways they travel to school.
2. Construct and write simple sentences about their journey.
3. Practise speaking and sharing ideas confidently in front of the class.
4. Recognise that different people take different routes and use different forms of transport.

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Lesson Structure

1. Starter Activity – "Travel Talk" (10 mins)

Objective: Activate prior knowledge and build vocabulary.

• Gather students in a circle and ask:
  • "How did you come to school today?"
  • "Did anyone travel the same way?"
  • "What do we call the different ways we travel?"
• Show picture cards (bus, car, bike, walking, train, scooter).
• Introduce key vocabulary: walk, car, bus, train, cycle, scooter, journey, travel.
• Display the word ‘journey’ on the board and explain its meaning.

Challenge Question: "What would you do if your usual way of getting to school wasn't available?"

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2. Main Activity – Writing Our Journey (25 mins)

Objective: Support sentence formation and early writing skills.

Step 1: Modelling Writing (5 mins)

• Introduce the sentence starter: "I come to school by..."
• Model writing a sentence on the board:
  • Example: "I come to school by bus. My mum sits with me."
• Read the sentence aloud. Ask students to help sound out tricky words.
• Highlight use of full stops, capital letters, finger spaces.

Step 2: Independent Writing (15 mins)

• Hand out worksheets with a sentence starter: "I come to school by…"
• Encourage students to complete the sentence with their own journey.
• More confident writers can extend their sentences:
  • Example: "I come to school by walking. I hold my dad’s hand and look at the birds."

Step 3: Peer Share (5 mins)

• Pair up students to read their sentences to a partner.
• Encourage them to listen carefully and give a thumbs-up when they hear great sentences.

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3. Speaking & Discussion – "Guess My Travel" (15 mins)

Objective: Develop speaking confidence and listening skills.

• Choose a few students to act out how they get to school (without speaking).
• The class guesses: "Are you riding a bike?" "Are you on a bus?"
• Discuss differences (e.g., "Why might some children walk while others take the bus?").
• Connect with wider community:
  • "Do all schools in the world have buses?"
  • "What would happen if no one used cars?"

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4. Plenary – Reflect & Celebrate (10 mins)

Objective: Reinforce learning and praise achievements.

• Invite volunteers to read their sentences aloud.
• Ask reflective questions:
  • "What was tricky about writing today?"
  • "What do you like about your partner’s sentence?"
• Place student work on a ‘Travel Wall’ display.

Exit Question: "If you could travel to school in any way, what would it be?"

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Differentiation Strategies

• Support: Use sentence strips with missing words (e.g., "I come to school by ___").
• Challenge: Encourage use of ‘because’ to extend sentences.
• EAL (English as an Additional Language): Provide picture-based sentence prompts.

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Resources Needed

• Picture cards (bus, car, bike, train, walking, scooter)
• Word bank posters
• Writing sheets with sentence starters
• Whiteboard and markers

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Assessment

✔ Observations: Participation in discussion and role-play.
✔ Writing Check: Does each student include a capital letter, full stop, and a clear idea?
✔ Speaking Confidence: Can they share their journey in front of others?

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Extension Ideas (for Early Finishers)

• Creative Task: Draw a picture of a dream way to travel to school (boat, hot air balloon, spaceship).
• Story Time: Read "The Journey" by Aaron Becker (wordless picture book – encourages discussion).
• Outdoor Exploration: Go on a "Transport Hunt" outside to spot different vehicles.

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Teacher Tip: Gather information beforehand on how most children travel to school. This can help relate better to student experiences!