Max Maths, Year 6, Learn together, Using timetables (1)

In a Year 6 maths lesson, students delve into the practical application of reading and using timetables through an exercise involving bus schedules. The activity presents a scenario where Samir needs to navigate around town using various bus services. A timetable is provided, listing five different buses and their respective departure times from key locations such as the bus station, post office, shopping centre, park, and cinema. The exercise aims to help students understand how to calculate the duration of travel between two points and determine which bus to take to arrive at a destination at a specific time.

The first question prompts students to calculate the travel time from the bus station to the park. By examining any of the buses on the timetable, as they all take the same time, students can use a timeline to assist with the calculation. For example, Bus 1 departs the bus station at 09:30 and arrives at the park at 10:15. By breaking down the journey into intervals on the timeline, students can add the minutes to find that it takes 45 minutes to travel from the bus station to the park. The second question challenges students to decide which bus Samir should take to meet his friends at the cinema for a 1:30 p.m. movie. Reviewing the timetable, they can determine that Bus 4, arriving at the cinema at 13:25, is the appropriate choice to ensure Samir arrives just before the meet-up time of 13:30.