Not only was the development of the steam engine locomotive a huge leap forward in engineering, but it revolutionised the way that people lived their lives ever since. From increased urbanisation to the standardising of time, railways changed societies at a global level in a similar way to the development of the internet. These resources teach children why the railway was invented through to some of its impact. There are a range of resources for each stage:
- Main explanation video
- Comprehension
- Artefact focussed task
- Digital skills task (linked to Spark resources)
- An additional curriculum focussed task
The resources have not been written into a prescribed set of lessons; each school will have a different amount of time allocated to teach this. Instead, the resources offer teachers an opportunity to structure their time with the resources that best fit their needs.
A menu to choose from.
There is a teacher info button and five pages of resources, each linked from the hotspots below.
Click here to view the accessible version of this interactive content
And watch out for our next Challenge Day on 26th September 2025 celebrating the 200th Anniversary of the first journey. More free resources and an opportunity to focus your ‘railways’ work with schools across the country.
More info coming soon….