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Past vs. Present Freebie

I love to incorporate the topic of past vs present in my November social studies unit.  Discussing the pilgrims and the hardships that they endured ties in nicely to the today vs. long ago standard.

Social Studies Themes and Standards

Teaching about the past and present also incorporates the November theme of thankfulness. Students learn how difficult it was to do simple things that we take for granted now.

To start the lesson, I read the book Then and Now: A Journey through the History of Machines. The book is a little bit on the longer side for kindergarten attention spans. Therefore, I usually read it over a couple of days.

Then and Now books for past vs present learning in kindergarten.

The book takes a look at various machines and how they were created. Then and Now compares the inventions to their modern-day counterparts and the versions that were modified to get from then to now.

I see a lot of STEM lesson potential with this book. Students could design improvements to current technologies!

Looking for more social studies books to add to your classroom library? Take a look at my social studies book recommendations for the primary grades.

Past vs. Present Activities

After we read the book, we do a whole class sort on past vs present items. (The sort is included in the free resource). I love doing whole class sorts before we complete an assignment.

You can address any comments or concerns that arise by starting with a whole class activity. I find that students work with greater independence when they have a clear view of the assignment. (This obviously gives me additional time to help students who are struggling).

Past vs present social studies sort for kindergarten.

After that, students complete an assessment page in their social studies interactive journal. There are many reasons why I prefer using interactive journals for my science and social studies lessons. The journals organize learning on a subject in one central place (which is a major reason I love them)!

If you would like a free copy of this resource, just fill out the form below!

Interested in more activities like this? You may enjoy my Kindergarten Social Studies Interactive Notebook. Along with, learning about the past vs. the present, there are TONS of social studies topics covered in this resource. Everything you need to plan out your entire year or social studies learning!

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