Explanatory writing – The effects of the coming of the railway on Torquay

Start with considering the Effects of the Railway as a whole class which will promote discussion of the social effects of the railway arriving in Torquay. This could be projected onto a whiteboard or printed and enlarged.

Invite pupils to brainstorm other effects which the railway might have had. Points to develop will include new buildings of various sorts, such as hotels, villas and houses, libraries, baths and assembly rooms and new jobs as well as the development of the harbour area.

Provide pupils with a simple table such as the one below to record information they find from Torbay Hotel, the Montpelier of England, Torre Station, Harbour Maps and Billings’ Directory and Gazetteer. The latter is more challenging and you may wish to direct some pupils towards this source.

As a class, pupils could discuss their findings and compare notes. Pupils could then write keys effects on card and arrange them in a web on a large piece of paper to show connections between different effects. This should help them to understand that effects are complex and inter-related. They could organise the cards into a structure which would support a piece of explanatory writing on the effects of the railway.