Unit Plan 26 (Grade 1 Social Studies): Tools and Technology Then and Now

Focus: Help students notice how tools and technology have changed over time and how inventions help people work and communicate.

Grade Level: 1

Subject Area: Social Studies (History • Economics • Inquiry)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 30–45 minutes per session

I. Introduction

In this unit, students explore how tools and technology from the past compare to those we use today. Through photos, stories, and simple artifacts (or pictures of artifacts), they examine how inventions like phones, vehicles, and work tools help people do their jobs and communicate. Students practice using words such as long ago, past, and today while discussing how tools have changed and how this affects the way people work, earn money, and help others.

Essential Questions

• How can we tell the difference between tools from the past and tools we use today?
• How do inventions and technology help people work and communicate?
• Why do people work jobs, and how do their tools help them do their work?
• How do photos, stories, and objects help us learn about “then and now”?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Use photos or stories to tell whether a tool or technology is from the past or from today.
2. Describe how at least one invention (e.g., phone, vehicle, computer) helps people work or communicate.
3. Match workers (e.g., mail carrier, doctor, builder, teacher) with tools they use and places they work.
4. Use simple time words such as long ago, past, and today when comparing tools and technology.
5. Create a “Then and Now Tools” page that shows one tool from the past and one tool from today, with a short explanation.

Standards Alignment — 1st Grade (C3-based custom)

• 1.C3.Hist.2 — Distinguish past and present using photographs, artifacts, and stories.
  • Example: Compare old vs. new phones/transportation.
• 1.C3.Econ.3 — Explain that people work jobs to earn money and help others.
  • Example: Match workers to tools and places of work.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can look at a picture and tell if something is from long ago or today.
• I can explain how an invention (like a phone or tool) helps people work or communicate.
• I can match workers with the tools they use in their jobs.
• I can use time words like past and today when I talk about tools and technology.
• I can make a page that shows one tool from then and one tool from now, and tell why they are different.