The First Railways Reading Comprehension

Year 2 HistoryTransport Through History5 pages

About this worksheet

A five-page Year 2 history reading comprehension about the first steam railway, with an answer key. The text describes travel by horse-drawn coach, George and Robert Stephenson's engine Rocket, and the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway in 1830. Nine questions follow in three parts. Pupils first find facts in the text, then infer why the crowd felt nervous. Last, they decide if railways made life better and give two reasons. It covers the England National Curriculum study of events beyond living memory.

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The First Railways Reading Comprehension: Transport Through History - page 1

The First Railways Reading Comprehension: Transport Through History - page 2

The First Railways Reading Comprehension: Transport Through History - page 3

The First Railways Reading Comprehension: Transport Through History - page 4

The First Railways Reading Comprehension: Transport Through History - page 5

Curriculum objectives covered

Events beyond living memory

“Events beyond living memory that are significant nationally or globally [for example, the Great Fire of London, the first aeroplane flight or events commemorated through festivals or anniversaries]”

The whole sheet is about the 1830 opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway and how it changed travel in Britain.

What's inside this worksheet

The First Railways

A short text. Rocket burned coal to boil water, went chug-chug-chug and reached twenty-nine miles per hour.

Finding Facts (Retrieval)

Pupils tick how people travelled before trains and what made steam, write Rocket's name and the year 1830, then mark three statements True or False.

Looking Deeper (Inference)

Pupils copy the word for the old roads, explain why spectators felt nervous and say what 'felt like flying' tells us about travel speeds.

What Do You Think? (Evaluate)

Question 9 asks if railways made life better in Victorian Britain, with two reasons from the text.

How teachers use it

Timeline lesson

Put 1830 on the class timeline before reading, next to the dates pupils already know.

Sound effects

Let pupils say chug-chug-chug as you read paragraph three, then ask what made the wheels turn.

Writing link

Question 9 works as a plan for a short paragraph. Pupils turn their two reasons into full sentences.

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