Place the period in context and link it to times previously studied.

Talk about some of the other programmes in the series, especially the Victorians. How did life change in Victorian times? Compare the changes with those that have taken place since the 1930s and look for similarities and differences.

Watch and note down:

• New kinds of transport and their effect on the environment

• New sources of energy and their effect on the landscape

• New kinds of communications and their effect on everyday life

• Changes which echo those in past times - for instance the coming of the railways

• Other parallels with the past - for instance Roman town planning compared with the layout of the New Towns

population, housing estate, architecture, tower blocks, energy, communications, conservation, service industry, heavy industry, manufacturing

Re-cap and consolidation:

• How many different changes did students note down? Organise them under headings: housing, transport, communications, energy.
• Which were the most important? Ask the class to rank changes in order of importance and justify the ranking. Emphasise that there is no right answer in this exercise. The challenge is to argue a case persuasively.
• What are the parallels with other programmes in the series? How has life stayed the same since Roman times and how has it changed?