Community Then Now

Overview

Students begin an inquiry into how a local community and its lives may have changed over time. They investigate simple evidence from teacher-prepared pictures and short texts, form a hypothesis, and share findings in a collaborative class discussion.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• investigate an inquiry question about community life then and now
• make a hypothesis about what might have changed and explain why
• gather information from sources in a group
• share what they found using simple historical terms and sentences
• describe how their ideas changed after discussion

Success criteria

Students can:

• answer the inquiry question with an idea (then, now, changed)
• tell one piece of evidence they used from a source
• use “I think… because…” when sharing a hypothesis
• contribute respectfully in group and whole-class discussion

Curriculum links

• History — using evidence from sources to answer inquiry questions (present and past; noticing change)
• Students develop understanding of how people lived in the past compared with today (age-appropriate local community focus)

Lesson structure (40 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Inquiry hook. Teacher displays two images: “community life long ago” and “community life today” (school/local street, homes, shops, transport). Teacher asks: “How might people’s everyday life in our community have changed over time?” Students share first ideas with a partner, then one volunteer shares with the class.

2. 5–10 min · Hypothesis building. Teacher models turning observations into a hypothesis: “I think people used different transport because…”. Students repeat the sentence starter and make a class hypothesis together: “We think everyday life has changed because…” Teacher records student words (then/now/change).

3. 10–22 min · Group investigation research. Teacher explains the evidence stations: each group receives 4 short source cards (pictures with a few key words) such as transport, shops, homes, school or toys. Students:

• look closely and point to one detail in each source
• discuss what the detail shows about “then” or “now”
• record one evidence statement on a group sheet (sentence starter: “In this source, I notice…”) Teacher circulates, prompts with “What makes you say that?” and checks every group has at least two evidence statements.

4. 22–30 min · Evidence-to-answer planning. Teacher brings students back to tables briefly. Each group chooses:

• one main change they noticed (e.g., transport, shopping, communication, homes)
• one reason/hypothesis link (“We thought this because…” + “We found evidence that…”) Students rehearse a 30-second explanation using the starter: “We found… so we think…”

Success criteria check (teacher quick review): Teacher listens for evidence language (“this source shows…”) and hypothesis language (“because…”).

5. 30–38 min · Collaborative class discussion. Teacher facilitates a whole-class discussion using a simple structure:

• Groups share their main change (one at a time)
• Teacher records key ideas under headings: “Then”, “Now”, “Changed”
• Students ask one question and respond to one peer idea using stems: “I agree because…” or “I wonder if…” Teacher explicitly links responses back to the inquiry question and notes where ideas matched or changed.

6. 38–40 min · Exit reflection. Students complete an “Inquiry quick check” on a paper strip:

• “My hypothesis was…” (one short sentence)
• “Now I think…” (one short sentence)
• “One piece of evidence I used was…” (label or description)

Suggested activities

• Community Then and Now Collage: Students create a collage using magazine cutouts or drawings to represent community life "then" and "now." This hands-on activity reinforces observation and comparison skills.
• Role Play: In small groups, students act out scenes from community life in the past and present (e.g., shopping at a market vs. a supermarket). This encourages empathy and understanding of change over time.
• Sorting Game: Provide cards with images or words related to "then" and "now." Students sort them into two groups, supporting classification and critical thinking.

Differentiation:

• Provide picture cards with clear visuals for students needing additional support.
• Use sentence starters and word banks during activities to scaffold language.

Extension:

• Encourage advanced learners to create a simple timeline showing changes in community life.
• Invite students to predict future changes and explain their reasoning using evidence from the lesson.

Resources

• 2 large images for the hook (then and now community life)
• Group source packs (4 short picture/text cards per group), teacher-prepared and age-appropriate
• Group recording sheets with sentence starters (“I notice…”, “This source shows…”, “We think… because…”)
• Whole-class chart paper or whiteboard headings (Then / Now / Changed)
• Markers, pencils
• Exit reflection strips

Assessment

• Formative during investigation: teacher listens for evidence statements and hypothesis reasoning in groups
• Formative during discussion: teacher checks that students use “because” to connect evidence to ideas
• Summative/quick check: exit reflection shows change in thinking and evidence used

Differentiation

• Support:
• sentence starters and word bank on group sheets (then, now, change, because, I notice)
• teacher pre-teach one key word per station (e.g., “transport”, “shop”, “home”)
• visual supports (arrow cards: “This shows then” / “This shows now”)
• Process support:
• roles in groups (Reader/Look closely/Recorder/Reporter) to ensure every child participates
• limit to 4 sources per group to keep the task manageable
• Extension:
• add a fifth optional source card for students who finish early (a “trick” image that needs careful discussion)
• ask advanced learners to compare two changes and predict what might change next (“I think… next because…”)

Differentiation (advanced learners)

• Students add an extra line to their group sheet: “A reason people might have changed is…” and justify using at least one evidence detail.
• Students use a simple comparison sentence: “In the past…, but today…” and share it during discussion.