Primary teachers know how tricky it is to find time in the schedule for Social Studies. And it is a struggle to cover Economics, Culture, Geography, and History objectives. For History, the big objective is helping Now and Then.
Changes Over Time
Teachers choose activities that help students compare the past with their life today. This idea is central to their understanding of history. Seeing the changes over time helps students see why we live as we do today. Activities that engage students to practice speaking-listening skills are perfect for the Social Studies block.
A few good books to use:
Past, Present, and Future
There are several ways to go about structuring your unit. If you consider the major changes in the last 100 years, there are 3 main areas that more closely affect our students; Communication, Transportation, and Schools.
Now and Then Communication
Educational research says that sorting is the highest level of activity you can do in your classroom. Sorting authentic photos not only helps your kids visualize life in that time period, but also give them a hook into long term memory.
Among the many Communication Now and Then activity ideas, sorting and not:
- Sort types of communication
- Past-Present-Future sort
- Written-Speech sort
- Put together a newspaper about the school year. Run off, and deliver.
- Make a large timeline for 100 years of communication
- Watch Past and Present Communication
My favorite books to use during your communication unit:
Now and Then Transportation
Teaching about past and present transportation helps your kids see innovation an problem-solving, as well as environmental impact. This encourages creativity, critical thinking, and a connection to the world around them.
Some Now and Then transportation activities:
- Research transportation hubs in your city
- Graph types of transportation taken by your students and their families
- Compare a trip in the past to ______ with a trip today to the same place
- Choose a common destination. Have small groups plan different transportation. Share out & compare.
- Watch How Kids Get to School Around the World
Now and Then School
This topic is a fun one! Student love to see how schools back in the day were run. By comparing past and modern schools, children can realize community changes, technology, and daily life. They can also see why schools changed as the students did.
Ideas for your Schools Now and Then unit:
- After research into the past, plan, then make a mural about school in the future
- Have small groups focus on trends in; writing tools, reading tools, teachers, or technology
- Sort Past-Present-Future
- Have students interview parents and grandparents about their schools
- Construct a bulletin board timeline, have the students draw the settings
- Watch Schools Around the World
**Amazon links are included so you can read the plot. If you can find it cheaper, go for it!
Resources for Now and Then
I hope you got a few new ideas! I realize that teaching is a huge job. Just the day-to-day running of the classroom is a full time job. Add in behavior management, lesson planning, and teachers meetings, and it makes it very difficult! If you need a leg up, click on one of the covers below to check out my done-for-you resources.
