Then and Now: History Units for Young Learners
Then and Now: History Units for Young Learners
Teachers who want then-and-now history units for elementary students can start with Family & Daily Life Then and Now, a $24.99 unit for Grades 1–4, and add School Then and Now, Old Trades & Crafts and Inventions That Changed the World. Each unit has three ready-to-teach sub-units with a lesson plan, differentiated worksheet with reading passage and word bank, project or source activity, answer key and slides.
See the Family unit →For then-and-now history in elementary school, Teach Lessons offers Family & Daily Life Then and Now ($24.99), with School Then and Now, Old Trades & Crafts and Inventions That Changed the World at the same price. They are part of a Grades 1–4 series. Each unit has an overview and three sub-units, each with a lesson plan, a differentiated worksheet with reading passage and word bank, a project or primary-source activity, an answer key and slides.
The resources
Family & Daily Life Then and Now Unit, Grades 1–4
Start with the first resource; the others are optional add-ons. Open any cover for the full contents and price.
Family & Daily Life Then and Now Unit – Worksheets, Projects & Slides (Grades 1–4)
School Then and Now Unit – Worksheets, Projects & Slides (Grades 1–4)
Old Trades & Crafts: from Smith to Baker Unit – Worksheets, Projects & Slides (Grades 1–4)
Inventions That Changed the World Unit – Worksheets, Projects & Slides (Grades 1–4)
The real problem
Why then-and-now is harder to teach than it looks
Then-and-now is the most natural history topic for young children, because it starts with their own lives. They know how their family cooks, how they get to school, what they play with. The trouble is that many then-and-now lessons stop at sorting pictures into an old pile and a new pile. Children learn that old telephones looked different, but not why things changed, what life was like for the people using them, or whether every change made life easier. Real then-and-now work asks a few more questions. What did a family day look like without electricity or running water? What did children do at school a hundred years ago? Who made bread, shoes and tools before factories? Which inventions changed daily work, and how? Answering those questions needs reading passages with real information, pictures worth looking at closely, and activities that ask students to compare and explain. It also needs some care: families today look very different from each other, and a lesson about family life has to leave room for every child in the class without anyone feeling left out.
Why it fits
How the four units cover then and now
Each unit looks at change over time from a different side. Use one, or combine them as suggested here.
- Family & Daily Life Then and Now compares homes, chores, meals and play across generations.
- School Then and Now looks at classrooms, lessons and school days long ago and today.
- Old Trades & Crafts shows how goods were made by hand, from the smith to the baker.
- Inventions That Changed the World connects new tools and machines to changes in daily life.
- Reading passages with word banks give students real facts to compare, beyond pictures to sort.
- Project and source activities ask students to explain what changed and what stayed the same.
Getting started
One way to run a then-and-now block
A suggestion for combining the units. They do not come with a calendar.
- Start at homeTeach Family & Daily Life Then and Now first. Students compare washing, cooking and playing in the past with their own homes, using the reading passages and slides.
- Keep family examples openFamilies differ a lot today. Let students talk about their own routines without asking for personal details, so every child can join in comfortably. Pictures from the unit can carry the past side.
- Move to the classroomSchool Then and Now follows easily. Children compare old school days with their own room, which they can look around and describe right away. Ask what they would miss most from today.
- Look at how things were madeOld Trades & Crafts shows the work behind everyday goods. Ask students which trades still exist today and how they have changed. A visit from a local baker or craftsperson, if possible, fits well here.
- End with what changed everythingInventions That Changed the World pulls the block together. Students pick one invention and explain how it changed family life, school or work. Display the finished projects together.
What to buy
Buying for a then-and-now topic
Start with Family & Daily Life Then and Now at $24.99; it is the most direct entry point for young children. Add School Then and Now for a two-unit topic at $49.98, or all four units for $99.96 if you want a longer block. If your class also needs time vocabulary first, Timelines & Measuring Time from the same series is a good warm-up unit. There is no bundle price and TEACHMORE15 does not apply to these units.
Honest limits
What these units do not include
The units do not supply old objects, family photos or interview sheets for grandparents; if you want those, you organize them. They are written for Grades 1–4 as one band, so you decide which passages younger students need read aloud. The sequence above is a suggestion only. Check the topics against your own social studies requirements before buying. For use by your whole grade team, send Teach Lessons a short message first. Within 7 days you can exchange a unit that does not fit for store credit of equal value; there is no cash refund.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Are these then-and-now units aligned to standards?
No standards alignment or endorsement is claimed. The units are written for Grades 1–4, and comparing past and present is a common early elementary theme. Compare each unit overview with your own state or district requirements before deciding which ones you need. Not every school asks for the same topics.
How does the family unit handle different family situations?
The unit compares family and daily life in the past with today, using reading passages, a project or source activity and slides. Preview it before teaching. When you discuss students' own lives, keep it about routines and objects rather than personal details, so every child can take part.
Can I use these units with first graders?
Yes, with support. They are written for Grades 1–4, and each worksheet is differentiated with a word bank. With first graders, read passages aloud and lean on the slides and projects. Older students can work through the worksheets more independently. The project activities work well for all ages.
What is the difference between the trades unit and the inventions unit?
Old Trades & Crafts looks at how people made goods by hand, from smith to baker. Inventions That Changed the World looks at new tools and machines and how they changed life. Together they show how work moved from hand to machine. Each unit also works on its own.
Do I need all four units?
No. Each unit stands on its own. Family & Daily Life Then and Now works as a short topic by itself. The others make sense if you want then-and-now to run longer or come back to it across the year. You can add more units at any time.
Can I share the units with my team?
The licence covers your own teaching. For team or school use, send Teach Lessons a short message before buying. The files may not be shared publicly, uploaded elsewhere or resold. One short email is enough to ask, and it is best done before purchase so the right licence is in place.
Help young students see how life has changed
Open Family & Daily Life Then and Now to see the three sub-units and how each one is put together.
See the Family unit →