### Lesson Plan: Understanding Past and Present
**Grade**: 1
**Subject**: Social Studies
**Duration**: 45 minutes
**Objective**: Students will be able to understand the concept of past and present and recognize differences and similarities between life in the past and life today.
#### Materials Needed
- Picture cards showing various scenes from the past and present
- Storybook about daily life in the past (e.g., "When I Was Young in the Mountains" by Cynthia Rylant)
- Chart paper and markers
- Colorful sticky notes
- Pencils, crayons, and drawing paper
#### Standards Addressed
- **CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.1.1**: Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
- **CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.1**: Participate in collaborative conversations about grade 1 topics.
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### Lesson Activities
#### Introduction (10 minutes)
1. **Greeting and Warm-Up**:
- Start with a brief greeting and ask students to share one fun activity they did recently.
- Informally introduce the concepts of "past" and "present" by explaining that the stories they just shared happened in the present.
2. **Hook**:
- Show students a few picture cards of scenes from the past (e.g., a blacksmith shop, a horse-drawn carriage) and scenes from the present (e.g., a modern car, a smartphone).
- Ask students to guess which pictures show the past and which show the present.
#### Read-Aloud and Discussion (15 minutes)
1. **Read the Selected Storybook**:
- Gather students in a reading area and read aloud "When I Was Young in the Mountains" or a similar book.
- While reading, pause to ask questions about what the students notice in the story about the past.
2. **Discussion**:
- After reading, discuss the key details in the book. Ask questions such as:
- "What were some things people did in the past that are different from today?"
- "What are some ways life in the past is similar to life today?"
#### Activity: T-Chart Comparison (10 minutes)
1. **Create a T-Chart**:
- On chart paper, draw a T-chart with two columns labeled “Past” and “Present.”
- With student input, write a few examples of activities, tools, and daily life items under each column (e.g., telegraph vs. smartphone, horse vs. car).
2. **Interactive Participation**:
- Hand out sticky notes to students and ask them to draw or write one thing they know about life in the past or present and place it under the correct column.
#### Independent Activity: Drawing and Writing (8 minutes)
1. **Draw and Write**:
- Pass out drawing paper and crayons.
- Ask students to draw a picture showing something from either the past or the present. Instruct them to write a sentence describing their drawing.
2. **Share and Discuss**:
- Allow volunteers to share their drawings and sentences with the class, facilitating a brief discussion on each one.
#### Conclusion (2 minutes)
1. **Review**:
- Summarize what was learned today about the past and present.
- Celebrate student participation and recap key differences and similarities discussed.
2. **Closing**:
- Give students an exit ticket question: "What is one thing you learned today about the past or present?"
#### Assessment
- **Formative**: Observe students during the read-aloud, discussion, and T-chart activities to gauge understanding.
- **Summative**: Review the drawing and sentence for comprehension of the concept of past vs. present.
### Extensions and Differentiation
- **Extensions**:
- Plan a field trip to a local museum or historical site.
- Invite a guest speaker, such as a grandparent, to talk about how life was different when they were young.
- **Differentiation**:
- For advanced students, provide more challenging books or resources, or ask them to compare the past/present in a specific area (e.g., transportation).
- For students needing additional support, provide sentence starters or allow them to dictate their sentence to an aide.
By the end of the lesson, students should have a clearer understanding of the differences and similarities between the past and present, fostering a foundation for more advanced historical learning in the future.