Teaching Then and Now in K-2
The best social studies lessons in the primary grades begin with one simple question. . . . What was life like long ago? This question will perk up your kiddos with interest, capture their attention, and allow you to explore how the world has changed over time. Teaching Then and Now is an opportunity to help your students make sense of these changes and compare them to their lives now. I've also found that it helps them appreciate their life here in the present, too.
Benefits of Teaching Then and Now
Even our youngest learners can understand the difference between the past and present, especially when it’s framed in a way that connects to their lives. You and your students will have fun exploring topics such as transportation, schools, communication, and how homes have changed over the years.
Whether you're chatting about riding in a car instead of a covered wagon or using tablets instead of chalkboards, discussing the past will produce both curiosity and gratitude in your classroom. These lessons also give students a visual and concrete way to see how things evolve.
These discussions often spark comments like, “I’m glad I don’t have to carry my lunch in a tin bucket!” or “That stove looks like something from the olden days!”. These comments make me smile as they are the ways young children express gratitude and awareness for our modern conveniences. Ready to learn about how you can teach this topic easily in your classroom? Let's dive in!
Use Visuals When Teaching Then and Now
My first, and probably most important tip for exploring Then and Now in your classroom is to make it as visual as possible. The tools of the past are likely something your kids have never even heard of, so they need examples to fully grasp how different the modern world is today. I know that this can be difficult, so I created a bunch of easy-to-use resources to help facilitate this in the primary classroom.
Inside my Then and Now Social Studies Bundle, you will find 6 different units that cover topics such as communication, transportation, schools, and more. These topics are aligned to primary standards and touch on the things that matter and relate most to our young students. I was careful to include lots of visual supports to help make teaching these topics easier! Inside the units, you will find classroom anchor charts with illustrations, sorting activities, vocabulary cards, and mini books to help children understand the key differences in the way we lived long ago versus today.
The great thing about these materials is that they can be used in a variety of ways. Whether you'd like to explore these topics as a whole group, in small groups, or review during centers, the materials are flexible and easy to use. There are plenty of illustrations and pictures, too, so you can rest easy knowing your kids will get the visual support they need to fully grasp this topic.
Use Books and Videos to Teach Then and Now
Picture books, digital read-alouds, and educational videos offer additional visual support to help your students grasp these topics. I like to find options that use real pictures to aid in kicking off deep conversations about the struggles of the past.
For example, you can play this digital read aloud of the book, Transportation Then and Now by Robin Nelson on YouTube. Students will be interested in seeing old-fashioned, black and white photographs of covered wagons, cars, ships, and airplanes. After listening to the story, consider having a discussion with your students about how traveling long distances would have been different with some of these modes of transportation.
After your group discussion, you can follow up with the 3D Transportation Craft from this unit. This is one of the units from the social studies bundle I mentioned above and will allow you to further expand on differences in transportation. With the included 3D craft, kids get to color and compare cars of the past, present, and future. This is a really simple craft that requires only cutting and coloring, so it's low-prep and easy to use too. Win-win! This is a fun way to get those gears turning and expand on the differences from the past in comparison to the modern world. I know your kids will enjoy brainstorming about what they think transportation of the future will look like, too!
This video is another fun one that explores past, present, and future, and would be a great introduction for your lessons. Be sure to check out YouTube for more fun videos and read-alouds, as well as your local library for more books to include in your lessons.
Use Real-Life Experiences to Teach Then and Now
Aside from lessons and read-alouds, there are so many other ways to explore this topic in your classroom. One of my favorites is to invite speakers to come into your classroom and share some historical, first-hand experiences with your students. You can host a day when family members, such as grandparents, are invited to come in and share about their school days, their homes, or transportation. This is really fun if they are able to bring photos too!
Plan ahead for this and send out a letter to families explaining that your social studies lessons are aimed at teaching the differences between then and now as well as fostering appreciation for the present. When you provide this information ahead of time, volunteers will be able to choose information to share that helps students understand the struggles of the past and how they compare to modern conveniences.
Host a "Day of the Past" in Your Classroom
If you want to really help your students appreciate modern day, consider hosting a day of the past in your classroom. This idea will take a bit of pre-planning, but it's a lot of fun and will really give your students a taste of what it was like to live 100 years ago. Not to mention, it will be one of those memorable school experiences that your kids never forget!
To get started, plan on transforming your room into a 1920s schoolhouse. You can get as wild and in-depth as you want with this one, but some ideas to consider are:
- Arranging Desks in Rows - Set them just like a one-room schoolhouse would have been, with ample space around each one.
- Muted Decor - Take down colorful posters, or cover them up with brown craft paper for the day to bring in the same atmosphere that would have been present in a 1920s schoolhouse.
- Commit to Chalkboard Only - If you have a chalkboard, use it! If not, stick to just your whiteboard or use a paper easel chart. Give each child an individual chalkboard if you have them available to do their work on.
- Dress the Part - Pull out your best "Little House on the Prairie" dress, or wear suspenders with a button-down shirt to look the part!
- Play Period Music - As students arrive for the day, play music from the early 20th century on low in the background to set the mood.
- Have Photos Available - I also recommend printing out some pictures of 1920s schoolhouses to pass around when children arrive. This will be a great way to help them understand the pretend vibe you're going for that day!
School Activities from the Past
Once your 1920s classroom is prepped and ready, plan to have a day of learning that reflects what students would have done back then. Here are some ideas you can try:
Pledge & Poem
One hundred years ago, it was common to start each day with the Pledge of Allegiance and a simple memory poem. You can choose a poem to recite aloud and ask your students to repeat after you. Write it ahead of time on an anchor chart and point to each word with a yardstick for dramatic effect. As you have your slightly more somber than usual morning meeting, ask students how this differs from your normal routine. What's different or missing?
Practice Penmanship
Instruct students to work on their penmanship (print or cursive, depending on the age of your kiddos) with their chalkboards. They can write the alphabet, their name, or words that you print on the board. Afterward, compare this to the typical activities you do in your classroom and ask students what they think about using simpler tools in comparison to playdough, shaving cream, sand trays, and colorful art supplies to practice writing. Do they miss these modern and fun tools?!
Old-Fashioned Read Aloud
Instead of your typical read-aloud with pictures, or a digital storybook. Read aloud from a kid-friendly chapter book while students sit and listen. A book like "Little House in the Big Woods" or "Sarah Plain and Tall" would be an excellent choice! Read a chapter or two aloud and then chat about what you read.
Classic Recess Games
If you have time, consider teaching your kids to play an old-fashioned game or two like hopscotch, double-dutch jump rope, red rover, or jacks. Talk about how these types of games were the norm and that children didn't have things like video games or electronic devices 100 years ago.
Chores from the Past
Talk about how children had different chores 100 years ago, and consider setting up some sensory bins to shuck corn or shell peas. Explain why these were important and how they would have benefited the household. If you have extra time, you can even churn some butter by adding heavy cream and salt to a jar and taking turns shaking it well. You can even enjoy your freshly churned butter on some rustic bread or crackers for a vintage snack time as well.
Reflect on Your Day from the Past
After you've given these activities a try in your room, tie it all together with reflection. You can have a whole group discussion about what the hardest part of the day was, what was the most fun, and what they would miss most from the present day. You might even consider making an anchor chart to compare the differences your students picked up on throughout the day.
Afterward, have students write their families a letter "from the past" about their favorite and least favorite parts of the day. Encourage them to share about their experiences with their family. I like to send out a little letter for parents explaining our day of the past and add in some questions to prompt their conversations from our discussions as well. This is an activity that takes a bit of planning and organization, but it is such a fun way to bring social studies to life in your room!
Use Engaging Social Studies Resources to Keep Learning
As you have probably gathered, this is a big topic to cover in the primary classroom! This is exactly why I broke down my Social Studies lessons on this topic into 6 units. You can find all of these units inside the Then and Now Bundle.
Inside, you will find activities for teaching students about food and cooking, transportation, communication, schools, and personal timeline activities. Each unit includes a mini book on the topic, practice worksheets, and an activity or craft of some kind. There are also sorting activities to help students identify differences. If you want an in-depth look at all of the resources in the bundle and how we use them, be sure to read this post next.
These activities make it really simple to teach and practice what we are learning about these topics in the classroom. They're low-prep, engaging for students, and jam-packed with vocabulary and visual supports! I love weaving these activities in with the picture books, educational videos, and other learning activities we use to explore the past. Head on over to my store by clicking the picture below to check out the bundle and see how these could benefit your classroom!
Save This Post
I hope you found some valuable information and ideas in this post to help you teach then and now in your classroom. I know that with a mix of these activities, you will have no trouble at all helping kids appreciate the present by exploring the past! Make sure to pin this post on Pinterest so that you can come back to it when you're ready to start planning.
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