**Lesson Plan: Understanding Past and Present**
**Grade Level:** Year 2
**Duration:** 60 minutes
**Subject:** Social Studies
**Topic:** Understanding Past and Present
---
### Objectives:
1. **Cognitive:** Students will understand the difference between past and present.
2. **Affective:** Students will appreciate how life has changed over time.
3. **Behavioral:** Students will identify and discuss key elements that differentiate past from present in daily life.
### Materials:
- Pictures depicting historical and modern-day activities (e.g., horse-drawn carriages vs. cars, old telephones vs. smartphones)
- Storybook or short video about life in the past
- Chart paper
- Markers
- Sticky notes
- Timeline template
- Copies of worksheets with Venn Diagrams
- Scissors and glue sticks
### Standards:
- Compare life in the past to life today in terms of technology, transportation, and daily activities.
- Identify significant landmarks and events in the students' own lives.
### Introduction (10 minutes):
1. **Warm-Up Activity:** Start with a brief discussion asking the students what they know about the past and the present.
- Questions: "What do you think people used to do for fun before video games?" "How did people travel long ago?"
2. **Storyboard or Video:** Show a brief storybook or video displaying life in the past compared to today.
### Direct Instruction (10 minutes):
1. Use the pictures to facilitate a discussion on the differences between the past and present.
2. Display pictures showing one historical and one modern-day scene. For each pair, discuss:
- What is the object or activity?
- How do these differ?
- How have these changes improved or altered our lives?
### Guided Practice (15 minutes):
1. **Chart Creation:** On chart paper, create two columns: one labeled "Past" and the other labeled "Present."
2. Work as a class to list items and activities under each column. Use sticky notes for flexibility.
3. Discuss why some things have changed and what has remained the same.
### Independent Practice (15 minutes):
1. **Worksheet Activity:** Hand out worksheets with Venn Diagrams to each student.
2. Instruct students to cut out images from a provided sheet or magazines and sort them into the correct section of the Venn Diagram (Past, Present, or Both).
### Closing (10 minutes):
1. **Class Discussion:** Review the completed Venn Diagrams together as a class.
- Discuss any interesting findings or surprises.
2. **Reflection:** Ask students to reflect on what they learned about the past and the present.
- Questions: "Would you have liked to live in the past? Why or why not?" "What can we learn from how things used to be done?"
### Assessment:
- Observe participation during chart creation and group discussions.
- Review Venn Diagram worksheets for accuracy in distinguishing past from present.
- Evaluate students’ ability to articulate differences and reflections during the closing discussion.
### Extension Activities:
- Create a class timeline with students' own 'past and present' events (e.g., baby pictures vs. now, favorite old toys vs. current toys).
- Invite grandparents or older community members to share their experiences and stories of how life was when they were young.
### Modifications:
- Provide additional visual aids for ELL students.
- Pair students for the Venn Diagram activity to support those who may need additional help.
### Resources:
- Digital images or illustrated books depicting historical vs. modern-day scenarios.
- Short educational video clips about historical daily life and technological advancements.
---
By end of this lesson, students will have a basic understanding of how society and daily life have evolved over time, using comparison skills to distinguish between past and present.