Me: Past and Present

Overview

In this second lesson of “Hello, Changes Over Time,” students learn that the past means “already happened” and the present means “happening now.” They compare an earlier image or object with a kindergarten example, then draw one way they have changed as they grew.

Learning intentions

Students will be able to:

• Identify whether an event, image, or object belongs to the past or present.
• Use the words past, present, then, now, and change.
• Compare something from when they were babies with something from kindergarten.
• Tell or draw one way they have changed as they grew.

Success criteria

• I can sort examples into past and present.
• I can use “then” and “now” to talk about time.
• I can describe or draw one way I have changed.
• I can listen and share an idea with my classmates.

Curriculum links

• Kindergarten reading: Ask and answer questions about important details in an informational text or visual source.
• Kindergarten speaking and listening: Participate in conversations and describe familiar people, places, things, and events with relevant details.
• Kindergarten writing: Use drawing, dictation, and writing to provide information about a topic.
• History/social studies literacy: Identify central information in a source and recognize how earlier events relate to later events.

Lesson structure (30 minutes)

1. 0–4 min · Carpet routine and hook. Teacher gathers students on the carpet, models “eyes watching, ears listening, hands still,” and opens the introduction slides to show a striking baby-to-kindergartener comparison. Ask, “Which picture shows something that already happened? Which shows what is happening now?” Students practice saying, “Past means already happened. Present means happening now.”

2. 4–9 min · Teach the time words. Teacher displays the past and present slides, gestures backward for “past” and points down for “present,” and explains that then means before and now means today. Students echo the words and use the gestures; they turn and tell a partner one thing they did in the past and one thing they are doing now.

3. 9–15 min · Compare and sort. Teacher shows a teacher-prepared baby photograph and kindergarten photograph or object; for privacy, use picture cards instead. Present two or three additional examples on the introduction slides and ask, “What do you notice? What changed? What stayed the same?” Students identify each example as past or present using hand signals, then explain one answer with a partner.

4. 15–23 min · Create “Me Then/Me Now.” Teacher models a two-column drawing on the drawing instructions: one side labeled “Me Then” and one “Me Now.” Distribute the Me Then/Me Now drawing sheet. Students draw themselves as a baby or younger child on one side and as they are now on the other, adding a detail such as size, hair, clothing, skills, or favorite activity. Invite students to label, dictate, or orally record their ideas.

5. 23–27 min · Partner share. Teacher displays the partner-share prompt and models, “Then I was ____. Now I am ____.” Students share their drawings with a partner, listen for the words then and now, and ask or answer, “What changed?” Partners may point to their drawings rather than speak to the whole class.

6. 27–30 min · Review and exit check. Teacher shows three final examples on the review and exit slides and asks students to identify past or present. Students complete a brief oral exit response: “One way I changed is ____.” Teacher records responses or invites students to draw the answer on the bottom of the worksheet.

Resources

• the past-and-present slide deck
• the Me Then/Me Now drawing sheet
• Teacher-prepared baby and kindergarten photographs or familiar baby/kindergarten objects
• Picture cards showing past and present examples
• Crayons, pencils, and optional colored pencils
• Document camera or interactive display
• Teacher checklist for sorting and oral responses

Assessment

• During sorting, listen for students who correctly distinguish “already happened” from “happening now.”
• During partner sharing, check whether students use then/now language and describe a genuine change.
• Collect the drawing sheet or record the oral exit response; look for one clear past-present comparison and one described change.

Differentiation

• Provide picture cards instead of personal photographs, and allow students to choose a familiar object or classroom example if a personal comparison is uncomfortable.
• Use the two-column worksheet template, enlarged visual labels, gestures, repeated sentence frames, and modeled examples for students who need language, attention, or fine-motor support.
• Allow oral recording, pointing, drawing, or adult dictation instead of independent writing. Pair students thoughtfully and give directions one step at a time.
• Support multilingual learners with gestures, real objects, picture vocabulary, and sentence frames: “Then I ____. Now I ____.” Extend ready students by asking what stayed the same as well as what changed.