Cycleways by Sarah Connor is an informative non-fiction text that weaves everyday experiences with civic decision-making to explore how cycleways affect people and communities in Aotearoa New Zealand. Through clear explanations and multiple viewpoints, the text examines why cycleways are built, how they improve safety for cyclists, and how they influence transport choices, health, and the environment. The narrative introduces real people — including children, parents, shop owners, drivers, and a cyclist with a disability — to show that different groups experience cycleways in different ways. By presenting contrasting opinions about parking, traffic flow, accessibility, and safety, the text encourages readers to think critically about fairness, shared spaces, and community planning. Balanced, practical, and thought-provoking, the text supports students to understand how public decisions are shaped by diverse perspectives and everyday needs.

The text is ideal for integrated learning across literacy, social sciences, health, and technology, supporting inquiry into transport, environmental responsibility, community voices, and decision-making in contemporary Aotearoa New Zealand.

This pack contains a range of response activities complete with activity explainer videos for exploring thinking skills and developing emotional understandings and compassionate inquiry including:

• Blooms Higher Order Thinking activities
• Book Club guide for deepening text discussion
• A range of activities to explore emotional understanding, compassionate inquiry, empathy development, vocabulary and developing skills for self and co-regulation.

Curriculum Phase: Phase 2
Year Level: Year 4

English (NZC Levels 2–3): reading for meaning and enjoyment, identifying key ideas and viewpoints, understanding informational and persuasive texts, interpreting visual information such as photographs and diagrams, building topic-specific vocabulary

Social Sciences – Aotearoa New Zealand Histories: community decision-making, continuity and change, identity and belonging, roles and responsibilities, local and national issues

Health and Physical Education: wellbeing, safety, physical activity, inclusion, relationships

Technology: design solutions, urban planning, innovation, problem-solving, transport systems

Text type: Non-fiction, informational text, report, multiple viewpoints article

Key words include: Aotearoa New Zealand histories, cycleways, cycle lanes, cycling, cyclists, transport, traffic, safety, pedestrians, drivers, accessibility, disabilities, inclusion, community opinions, points of view, decision-making, councils, urban planning, environment, climate change, pollution, sustainability, health, exercise, Bikes in Schools, Movin’ March, public transport, parking, footpaths, intersections, surveys, communication, shared spaces, future cities