Celebrating Local History

Overview

In this final lesson of the unit, students learn that local places have changed over time and that people’s stories help us understand our community. Students share one historical fact about a local place and create a class time capsule.

Learning intentions

Students will be able to:

• use simple sources (photos, maps, objects, stories) to find out about local history
• describe how a local place has changed over time
• share a historical fact using complete sentences and appropriate words (then/now, old/new)

Success criteria

• I can share one historical fact about a local place.
• I can point to a “then” and “now” picture and say what is different.
• I can use a source (photo, sign, story, or object) to explain my fact.
• I can listen to classmates and respectfully ask or answer a question about their facts.

Curriculum links

• Understanding how places and people change over time and how evidence helps us know about the past
• Using historical questions and simple evidence to describe changes in familiar places
• Developing civics and community understanding by valuing local stories and places
• Communicating ideas using a range of modes (speaking, drawing, sentence stems)

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min: Welcome and lesson goal Students revisit the unit big idea: “Local places have stories.” Teacher introduces today’s WALT: learn about the history of our local places and celebrate local history.

2. 5–15 min: Source circle (then/now) Teacher displays 3–4 images of the local place (e.g., park, school, street, shopfront) from “then” and “now”. Students do a quick gallery walk while teacher asks guided questions:

• “What do you notice?”
• “What looks the same?”
• “What looks different?” Students use sentence stems to respond: “In the past, … Now, …”

3. 15–25 min: Teach key idea—historical fact Teacher models how to turn observations into a “historical fact” using one example:

• “This place is older than we thought because we have a photo from …”
• “The building used to be a shop/school/house and now it is …” Emphasise that facts come from sources and we say them in simple sentences.

4. 25–40 min: Small-group fact making Students work in mixed-ability groups (including EALD and neurodivergent-friendly routines). Each group receives:

• one “then” photo, one “now” photo, and a short story caption (teacher-read or picture-supported) Students choose one change and practise one sentence:
• “A long time ago, [place] was …”
• “Now, it is …” Teacher circulates with guided questioning and prompts for students who need structure.

5. 40–50 min: Share time (fact presentations) Each student shares their historical fact to a partner first, then 6–8 students share to the class. Classmates practise one question frame:

• “How do you know?”
• “What did you notice?” Teacher reinforces listening and reinforces correct use of “then/now” and source-based language.

6. 50–58 min: Create a class time capsule Students contribute one item to represent local history (paper label and drawing if no physical item). Options include:

• a drawing of the local place “then” and “now”
• a list of class historical facts
• a small object from home school history (where appropriate) Teacher leads a quick “time capsule box” activity and records student contributions on a display sheet.

7. 58–60 min: Exit reflection Students complete a quick oral check with a visual cue card:

• “One historical fact I learned is…” Teacher collects exit tickets (draw + one sentence) to inform next steps for the unit wrap-up.

Resources

• “Then” and “now” printed images of a local place (large and small)
• Picture-supported captions or short teacher-prepared source cards
• Sentence stems: “A long time ago… Now… I know because…”
• Time capsule box or container with labels
• Art materials for drawings (paper, crayons/markers, glue)
• Student identity labels to place on contributions
• Guided question prompts on display
• Partner share cards (Listen/Ask/Respectful question)

Assessment

• Formative: teacher listens during partner and whole-class sharing, checking that each student shares one source-based historical fact.
• Formative: review exit reflection (drawing and one sentence) for use of then/now language and reference to a source.
• Checklist (teacher notes): sentence structure, evidence use (“I know because…”), and ability to answer a question.

Differentiation

• Support (visual and language):
• Provide colour-coded sentence stems and word banks (then/now, old/new, was/is, change).
• Use large, high-contrast images and allow pointing instead of only speaking for first responses.
• Offer guided questions on cards with icons (eye = notice, arrow = change, book/photo = source).
• Support (neurodivergent-friendly structure):
• Clear group roles (Presenter, Source finder, Artist, Time-keeper).
• Short, predictable steps with time warnings and visual timers.
• Provide a “quiet share” option with the teacher or TA for students who need reduced social load.
• Extension (advanced learners):
• Ask for two historical facts or a reason for change: “Why might it have changed?”
• Encourage comparing two different local places (e.g., school vs park) using a Venn diagram with pictures.
• Have students write or dictate a more detailed fact sentence using an extra connector (because/so).
• EALD strategies:
• Pre-teach key verbs through actions (used to be, changed to, is now).
• Allow oral sentence recording on a device or teacher scribing for students who need language scaffolds.
• Use multilingual support where available in the classroom (student language mapping encouraged).

Extension (optional)

• Time capsule challenge: Add a “future prediction” label—students predict what the local place might be like in 50 years and justify with one observed change from today’s sources.