Objects Then and Now

Overview

In Lesson 9 of “Hello, Changes Over Time,” students compare familiar objects from the past and present. Building on earlier work with noticing change, students sort picture pairs, discuss what changed and what stayed similar, and use simple evidence from images to explain their thinking.

Learning intentions

Students will be able to:

• Identify objects that belong together as past-and-present pairs.
• Describe one way an object changed.
• Describe one way an object stayed the same.
• Listen, take turns, and explain an idea to a partner or group.

Success criteria

• I can match at least two past-and-present object pairs.
• I can say one similarity or difference about a pair.
• I can use words such as then, now, same, different, old, and new.
• I can listen and take turns during sorting and sharing.

Curriculum links

• Analyze a series of events or developments and determine whether one came before another or caused a later change.
• Determine the central ideas and key information in a source and summarize how ideas develop.
• Cite or point to specific evidence in a source, including details visible in an image.
• Determine the meaning of words used to describe social and technological change.

These skills support kindergarten expectations for using images and classroom discussion to compare information, speak clearly, listen and respond, and describe observations.

Lesson structure (30 minutes)

1. 0–4 min · Carpet hook and routine. Teacher welcomes students to the carpet, reviews “bodies still, eyes watching, voices off,” and opens the before-and-after picture hook showing a telephone beside a smartphone without naming either object. Students silently notice, then turn to a partner and complete: “I notice ___.”

2. 4–9 min · Model comparing. Teacher uses the comparison teaching slides to show a typewriter and computer, explicitly modeling: “These are both used for writing. The computer is newer and has a screen.” Teacher introduces then, now, same, different, old, and new with gestures and picture support. Students echo the words and practice one sentence with a partner.

3. 9–12 min · Explain the sorting game. Teacher displays the sorting directions on the sorting game instruction slide, models matching one past object with its present-day partner, and thinks aloud: “I know these belong together because both help people talk.” Students repeat the rule: “Match it, look closely, tell why.”

4. 12–21 min · Hands-on partner sorting. Teacher places students in seven pairs and gives each pair a small set of high-contrast picture cards showing objects such as a telephone and smartphone, typewriter and computer, and old and new toys. Teacher circulates, prompting with “What came first?” and “What stayed the same?” Students sort the cards into matching pairs and use the Objects Then and Now matching sheet to draw or circle two matched pairs. Partners may point, gesture, or use the sentence frame: “Then it was ___. Now it is ___.”

5. 21–26 min · Explain and discuss. Teacher brings students back to the carpet and revisits the share-and-compare slides. Selected pairs show one match and explain one similarity or difference. Teacher records student ideas in a simple two-column chart labeled “Changed” and “Stayed Similar.” Students listen for a classmate’s idea and show thumbs up if they noticed the same feature.

6. 26–30 min · Exit check and close. Teacher displays the final review and exit prompt and privately checks each student with two picture cards or the completed worksheet. Students match one pair and complete orally or by drawing: “They are the same because ___” or “They are different because ___.” Teacher previews that the next lesson will consider why some objects changed.

Resources

• the Objects Then and Now slide deck
• the Objects Then and Now matching sheet
• Teacher-prepared picture cards of past and present objects
• A telephone, toy phone, keyboard, or other safe concrete objects if available
• Chart paper or whiteboard
• Crayons or pencils
• Carpet or floor space for the sorting game

Assessment

• During modeling, listen for students using then, now, same, and different appropriately.
• During partner sorting, record whether each student matches at least two pairs and can point to image evidence.
• Use the final oral or drawn response to check whether each student can state one similarity or difference. Collect the worksheet as a quick record of learning.

Differentiation

• Provide concrete objects, large high-contrast pictures, and clear gestures for vocabulary. Present only two possible cards at a time for students who need reduced choice.
• Seat students near the teacher or visual display, use a visual timer, and repeat directions in short steps: “Match. Look. Tell.”
• Allow collaborative sorting, pointing, drawing, or oral responses. Pair students strategically and provide the frames “Both are used for ___” and “The new one has ___.”
• For students ready for more challenge, ask, “Why might people have changed this object?” Accept simple ideas such as “It is faster,” “It is easier,” or “It can do more.”