Life in the Past

Curriculum Area

• History – Key Stage 1 (Year 1)
• National Curriculum Link:
  • Pupils should develop an awareness of the past, using common words and phrases relating to the passing of time.
  • They should identify similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods.

Lesson Duration

• 45 minutes

Learning Objective

• To understand what did and didn't exist in the past.
• To discuss how life was different when their parents and grandparents were younger.
• To identify and sort things that existed in the past and things that did not.
• To imagine how the world would be different without modern inventions and begin picturing life in the past.

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Lesson Structure

1. Starter Activity: 'Then and Now' Sorting Game (10 minutes)

• Engagement Hook: Display a collection of images on the board – some from the past (e.g., black-and-white TVs, typewriters, milk delivery carts) and some from the present (e.g., tablets, electric cars, mobile phones).
• Discussion: Ask students:
  • "Which of these things did your grandparents use?"
  • "Which things do we still use today?"
• Sorting Game:
  • Hand out laminated cards with pictures of objects (some modern, some historical).
  • In pairs, students sort them into two piles: “Things from the past” and “Things we still use today”.

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2. Main Activity: How Life Has Changed (20 minutes)

Discussion (Whole Class) – 5 minutes

• Ask the class:
  • "What do you think life was like for your grandparents when they were your age?"
  • "What did they not have that we have today?"
• Use simple prompts:
  • Telephones: "Did they have mobile phones when they were young?"
  • TV: "Were televisions colourful and big like today?"
  • Toys: "What kinds of toys do you think they played with?"

Storytelling + Imaginative Thinking – 10 minutes

• Teacher-led storytelling: "A Day in the Life 50 Years Ago"
  • “Imagine waking up and there’s no TV. Instead, you listen to the radio with your family. You walk to school because most people don’t have cars. At school, you write on chalkboards instead of using pencils…”
• Thinking Task:
  • Ask students: “Close your eyes and imagine a world with no mobile phones, no internet, and no cars.”
  • Get a few students to share their thoughts – “Would life be easier or harder? What would you miss the most?”

Partner Task – Sorting Then vs. Now – 5 minutes

• Provide a worksheet with two columns: "Things from the past" and "Things we use today".
• Students draw or cut-and-stick images into the correct categories.

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3. Plenary: 'What If?' Discussion (10 minutes)

• What If Challenge: "What if we still lived without modern technology?"
• Students brainstorm and share their ideas:
  • How would people talk to each other?
  • What games would children play without tablets or video games?
  • What would they use instead of fridges?
• Final Reflection:
  • Ask: “If you could bring one modern invention to the past, what would it be?”

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Resources Needed

✅ Laminated images of past and present objects
✅ Large display board for sorting pictures
✅ Storytelling props (chalkboard, old telephone, radio if available)
✅ Worksheets with sorting activity
✅ Coloured pencils for drawing

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Assessment

• Observation: Are students correctly identifying past and present items in sorting tasks?
• Discussion Participation: Are they making thoughtful comparisons between life then and now?
• Worksheet Completion: Have students placed items correctly in past vs. present categories?

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Differentiation

🌟 Support: Provide a word bank with picture labels (e.g., ‘old telephone’, ‘new mobile phone’).
🚀 Challenge: Ask advanced students to discuss what might be invented in the future.

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Extension Activity (For Fast Finishers)

📜 Inventor’s Diary: Students draw and write about one invention from today and explain how life was different before it existed.

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Teacher Reflection

• What worked well in student engagement?
• Did students grasp the concept of then vs. now clearly?
• Were there any challenges in understanding differences in technology and lifestyles?

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This lesson will spark children's curiosity about the past and help them build foundational historical understanding in a fun, interactive, and imaginative way! 🚀