Time, Continuity and Change
Whitehall New York Historical Society
1909 2009
Main Street Whitehall New York - looking north
Parent / Significant Adult Questionnaire - to be sent home at least one week before starting unit. If some students are STILL missing a completed questionnaire by Day 6 complete one yourself for them to use as their "significant adult." You should also try to have a 2nd grade picture of yourself photocopied (and shrunk) for those same students to use (you could give one to every student if you like).
Timeline sheets. You may want to put together each child's timeline before beginning the unit as it is an important part of each lesson. Storage is also important.
Timeline pictures to cut, paste, and add to timeline. Cut out each category ahead of time. Each will be used and discussed in separate lessons.
PDF of all documents to be used on the smartboard.
Be sure to send home the Adult Questionnaire a week or two before beginning unit. Hopefully they will be returned with one or two pictures. Try to shrink each picture you photocopy so it will fit the timeline.
IMPORTANT! Have each child's pictures copied and shrunk before Day 6. Each child should have 2 pictures; one of themselves as a baby and one of a significant adult when he/she was in 2nd grade.
Day 1: Discuss what Time, Continuity and Change mean. Discuss and / list how things, places and people are the same and different today from yesterday. WHY is this so??? Compare Whitehall Main Street pictures on web page.
Day 2: Introduce the timeline. Either put it together ahead of time or spend this lesson CAREFULLY piecing the 4 sheets together. IF already complete cut out cars and place carefully at the bottom of the timeline. This works best if you work from the outside in. Use a ruler to carefully draw a line from each picture to where it was introduced in time. Hand out Time, Continuity, and Change sheet to each student. Complete how cars are the SAME and how they are DIFFERENT. Discuss WHY this might be. Keep these sheets in a safe place as they will be used over the next several lessons.
Day 3: Repeat Day 2 placing telephones in the correct place. Remember to complete comparison sheet and talk about WHY things changed or didn't change.
Day 4: Repeat Day 2 placing computers in the correct place. Remember to complete comparison sheet and talk about WHY things changed or didn't change.
Day 5: Repeat Day 2 placing games in the correct place. Remember to complete comparison sheet and talk about WHY things changed or didn't change.
Day 6: Adult Comparison - cut out and paste student and significant adult pictures in the appropriate place on the timeline. Allow students to share interesting answers from their completed questionnaire.
Day 7: Adult Comparison - hand out and complete the Adult Questionnaire Comparison chart / sheet. Share what the most interesting thing about.... box.
Day 8: Add interesting milestones to the timeline. Brainstorm significant events that have happened over the past 65 years. Google dates if needed. Either write in a few words or illustrate a small picture representing each event and carefully connect it to the appropriate place on the timeline.
Some ideas:
moon landing - 2/20/69
Whitehall Elementary built - 1968
Day 9: Everyone examine his / her timeline and pick out and share how....
ONE thing has changed over time.
ONE thing has stayed the same over time.
at LEAST one thing that they find interesting (or like the most) about their timeline and why they like it.
2.6a Continuities and changes over time in communities can be described using historical thinking, vocabulary, and tools such as time lines.
2.6b Continuities and changes over time in communities can be examined by interpreting evidence such as maps, population charts, photographs, newspapers, biographies, artifacts, and other historical materials.
Students will examine continuities and changes over time in their community, using evidence such as maps, population charts, photographs, newspapers, biographies, artifacts, and other historical materials.Students will develop a time line for their community, including important events, such as when the school was built.
2.7 Cause-and-effect relationships help us recount events and understand historical development.
2.7a Cause-and-effect relationships help us to understand the changes in communities.Students will distinguish between cause and effect and will examine changes in their community in terms of cause and effect (e.g., automobiles and the growth of suburbs, growing population in suburban areas, and reduction of farms).