Life Then & Now

Overview

Year Level: Year 2
Subject: Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS)
Australian Curriculum Focus:
Knowledge and Understanding – Year 2

• History content descriptor: Identify aspects of the past that have remained the same and aspects that have changed over time (AC9HS2K01)
• Inquiry and skills focus: Pose questions about the past and present (AC9HS2S01), interpret data and information displayed in pictures and texts (AC9HS2S02)

Duration: 10 minutes
Class Size: 5 students

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Learning Intentions

• Students will compare daily life in the past with their own lives today.
• Students will identify key differences and similarities using visual cues.
• Students will begin to understand how changes in technology and lifestyle have impacted how people live.

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Success Criteria

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

• Identify at least one thing that has changed and one thing that has stayed the same over time.
• Use visual evidence to describe how life in the past (then) looked different from today (now).
• Contribute to a group discussion with a simple explanation.

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Resources

• Photograph cards showing everyday life "Then" and "Now" (e.g., transport, school, home life, communication)
• A small mystery box with old and modern objects (e.g., chalk vs. whiteboard marker, toy spinning top vs. tablet toy)
• Large T-chart poster paper titled "Then" and "Now"
• Stickers or magnets (for student interaction)
• Stopwatch or timer

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Lesson Steps

1. Welcome & Hook (1 minute)

Gather students around a small carpeted area or group table. Use an excited tone to say:

“Today, we’re going to be history detectives! We’ll discover how people lived a long time ago — and how life has changed!”

Bring out the Mystery Box with objects inside. Shake it gently for intrigue.

Teacher Question:

“Do you think people 100 years ago had mobile phones? Or what do you think school looked like back then?”

Let one student choose an item from the box (e.g., chalk). Ask:

“Is this something we use now, or something people used in the past?”

2. Picture Discussion (3 minutes)

Display pairs of photo cards (e.g., an old schoolroom vs. a modern classroom, horse and cart vs. a car).

Ask the students:

“What’s the same? What’s different?”

As students respond, guide them to specific features — chalkboards, uniforms, number of students, or types of transport.

Record their ideas on the Then & Now chart, adding simple illustrations.

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3. Snap Sort Activity (4 minutes)

Each student receives a photo card or object. They walk to the large T-chart and under light supervision, place their item in the "Then" or "Now" column.

Variations to encourage creativity:

• Ask students to "vote" with stickers if they’re unsure: “Let’s guess together!”
• Encourage students to act out how each item is used: “Show us how people used to write on this chalkboard!”

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4. Quick Wrap-Up (2 minutes)

Gather students again and reference the filled T-chart.

Ask:

“Can someone tell me one thing that has changed?”
“And something that has stayed the same?”

Finish with an excited prompt:

“Next time, we’ll create our very own 'Past and Present' time machine books!”

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Differentiation / Extension

• Support: Students who need help can pair with a peer or use visual clues for matching.
• Extension: Ask confident students to imagine what life might be like in the future!

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Assessment (Informal)

• Observation of student contributions during group discussion
• Student choices during snap sort activity
• Responses to teacher prompts during wrap-up

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Reflection Prompt (For Teacher Use)

• Did students correctly identify changes and continuities?
• Did the hands-on approach maintain engagement across the 10 minutes?
• Could this be extended into a writing or drawing activity for future lessons?

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Teacher Tip 💡
For future lessons, bring in a grandparent (via video or in person) to share "what school was like when they were little" — grounding the lesson in real Australian stories.