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Level 2Week 25ReadingVocabularySpeaking

What time is the next bus? Reading a timetable

Children learn to scan a timetable for exact information, read 24-hour times, work out journey times and costs, and plan a trip for a family.

Ages 9 to 12A260 minutesChecked 7 November 2026

At a glance

From
Level 2, Moving Up English: Week 25, Travel and transport
Grammar
before / after clauses; first, then
Key language
What time does the next bus leave? / It leaves at ten forty. / How long does it take? / arrive, leave, single, return, fare, adult, child, stop
Children make
A planned journey with the bus, the times and the cost.
Class size
Works with 10 to 50 children; pair and group steps say how to scale.

Objective

Children find specific information in a real-world text and read times in the 24-hour and 12-hour styles.

Success criteria for children

  • I can find a time in a timetable quickly.
  • I can read 08:25 and 15:05 and say them in words.
  • I can work out how long a journey takes and what it costs.

Timing: 60 minutes

MinutesStageWhat happens
0 to 5Warm-up: how do you travel?Children say how they and their family travel to places.
5 to 15Teach: reading times12-hour and 24-hour clock; saying times.
15 to 23Read the noticeRead the passenger information and answer two quick questions.
23 to 35Scanning the timetableRace to find times; then do task 1.
35 to 45Working things outJourney time and fare questions.
45 to 55Plan a journey (tasks 2 and 3)Write times with am or pm; plan a family trip.
55 to 60Exit ticketAnswer one question.

Materials

Step by step, with teacher talk

0 to 5 minWarm-up: how do you travel?

  1. Ask: "How do you come to school? Have you been on a bus or a train? Where did you go?" Write bus, train, ferry on the board.

5 to 15 minTeach: reading times

  1. Write 08:25, 12:50 and 15:05 and read them: eight twenty-five; twelve fifty; fifteen oh five. Show 12-hour: 8:25 am, 12:50 pm, 3:05 pm.
  2. Say that timetables often use the 24-hour clock to avoid confusion between morning and afternoon.
  3. Children practise in pairs: one says a 24-hour time, the other gives it with am or pm.
Concept-check questions
  • Is 15:05 morning or afternoon? (Afternoon: 3.05 pm.)
  • How do you say 08:25? (Eight twenty-five, or twenty-five past eight.)

15 to 23 minRead the notice

  1. Children read the notice (no timetable yet) and answer: "Is there a bus on Sunday? How much is a child ticket?"

23 to 35 minScanning the timetable

  1. Show the timetable. Call out a question; the first pair to point to the answer scores a point: "When does Bus B leave the Library?"
  2. Do task 1 (gaps) alone. Check aloud.
Concept-check questions
  • Which direction do the buses go, Station to Sea Front or Sea Front to Station? (Station to Sea Front.)
  • Where do you look for the time, in the row or the column? (Find the stop row, then the bus column.)

35 to 45 minWorking things out

  1. Show how to work out 08:10 to 08:50 (40 minutes). Children then answer the five reading questions under the text.

45 to 55 minPlan a journey (tasks 2 and 3)

  1. Children complete task 2, then task 3. Pairs compare plans.

55 to 60 minExit ticket

  1. See below.

Differentiation

Support

  • Give a clock face to match each 24-hour time.
  • Underline the stop name and the bus letter in different colours before answering.

Stretch

  • Work out the total cost for a family of five (two adults, three children aged 3, 7 and 11).
  • Write a text message to a friend giving the plan: "Take Bus C at 10:55. It arrives at 11:20."
  • Make a timetable for a school day for another class.

Reading passage

An invented timetable. The timetable is printed in the worksheet below; project it for the class. All times, prices and place names are fictional.

Reading passage: Harbour Bus: information for passengers

Harbour Bus runs Monday to Saturday. There is no service on Sundays or bank holidays.

Fares (single): adult 2.40 pounds; child (5 to 15 years) 1.20 pounds. Children under 5 travel free. Buy your ticket from the driver.

Buses may be late in heavy rain or fog. Please arrive at your stop five minutes early.

Times use the 24-hour clock: 13:00 means 1 pm.

Questions

  1. Which bus leaves Station at 10:40?
  2. How long does Bus A take from Station to Sea Front?
  3. You arrive at the Library at 09:00. Which bus do you catch and when does it leave?
  4. You must be at Sea Front before 11:00. What is the latest bus you can take from Station?
  5. Two adults and two children travel one way. What do they pay?

Printable worksheet

Prints on its own A4 page. Use Print the worksheet above, or print the whole plan and the worksheet starts on a new page. One copy per child, or one per pair to save paper.

Litlings Free English · Level 2 · Week 25NameDate

Harbour Bus timetable

1. Look at the timetable and complete the sentences.

StopBus ABus BBus CBus D
Station08:1009:1010:4012:10
Market Square08:1809:1810:4812:18
Library08:2509:2510:5512:25
Park Gate08:3709:3711:0712:37
Sea Front08:5009:5011:2012:50
  1. Bus C leaves Station at .
  2. Bus D arrives at Sea Front at .
  3. Bus A takes minutes from Market Square to Park Gate.
  4. The bus that leaves Library at 12:25 is Bus .

2. Write each time with am or pm.

  1. 08:25 =
  2. 10:40 =
  3. 12:50 =
  4. 15:05 =

3. Plan a trip. You get on at Library with your little brother (age 4). You want to be at Sea Front before 11:30.

  1. The latest bus I can take is Bus .
  2. It leaves Library at and arrives at Sea Front at .
  3. We pay (single, in pounds).
Free to copy for classroom use.english.litlings.com/lesson-plans/reading-a-bus-timetable-real-world-reading-lesson/

Answer key

Reading passage questions

  1. Bus C.
  2. 40 minutes (08:10 to 08:50).
  3. Bus B, at 09:25.
  4. Bus B (arrives 09:50); Bus C arrives at 11:20.
  5. 7.20 pounds (2 x 2.40 + 2 x 1.20).

Worksheet

  • 1: 10:40; 12:50; 19 (08:18 to 08:37); D.
  • 2: 8:25 am; 10:40 am; 12:50 pm; 3:05 pm.
  • 3: Bus C; leaves 10:55, arrives 11:20; 2.40 pounds (the adult pays; the child under 5 travels free).

Exit ticket

Answer in a sentence: What time does Bus D leave Station, and what time is that in the afternoon? (Bus D leaves at 12:10, which is 12:10 pm.)

Homework

Find a timetable at home or online (a bus, a train or a TV guide). Write three questions about it and swap with a classmate tomorrow.

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Sources and free resources
  • Level 2, Week 25: Travel and transport (the curriculum week this plan comes from)
  • All reading texts, dialogues, scripts, worksheets and answer keys on this page are original to Litlings and free to copy for classroom use.