Unit Plan 20 (Grade 2 Social Studies): Then and Now—Homes and Schools

Focus: Compare homes, schools, and communities from long ago and today using photos, artifacts, and simple maps; identify human-made features like roads, buildings, and playgrounds and explain their purposes and how they have changed over time.

Grade Level: 2

Subject Area: Social Studies (History • Geography)

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

I. Introduction

In this unit, students become history detectives as they compare homes and schools from long ago with those they know today. Using old and new photographs, simple stories, and classroom artifacts, they look for clues about how people lived and learned in the past. Students also notice human-made features in their community—such as roads, bridges, school buildings, and playgrounds—and think about what they are used for and how they may have changed. By the end of the unit, students create a “Then and Now” comparison display or booklet that shows how homes, schools, and communities have changed over time.

Essential Questions

• How can we tell the difference between long ago and today when we look at homes and schools?
• What kinds of human-made features (roads, buildings, playgrounds, bridges) do we see in our community, and what are they for?
• How have homes, schools, and communities changed over time, and what has stayed the same?
• How do photographs, artifacts, and stories help us understand the past and compare it to the present?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Use photographs, artifacts, and short accounts to tell whether something is from long ago or today.
2. Identify and describe at least two ways homes from the past are different from homes today, and at least one way they are similar.
3. Identify and describe at least two ways schools from the past are different from schools today, and at least one way they are similar.
4. Name common human-made features (roads, bridges, school buildings, playgrounds) and explain their purposes in a community.
5. Create a simple “Then and Now” comparison product (poster, booklet, or foldable) that shows changes in homes, schools, and community features over time.

Standards Alignment — 2nd Grade (C3-based custom)

• 2.C3.Hist.2 — Distinguish past and present using photographs, artifacts, and accounts; note change over time.
  • Example: Compare a one-room schoolhouse to your school today.
• 2.C3.Geo.4 — Identify human-made features (roads, bridges, buildings) and explain their purposes.
  • Example: Show how a bridge changes the route between two places.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can tell if a picture or object shows long ago or today and explain how I know.
• I can name at least two differences and one similarity between homes from the past and present.
• I can name at least two differences and one similarity between schools from the past and present.
• I can point to human-made features in my community and tell what they are used for.
• I can make a “Then and Now” project that clearly shows how homes, schools, and communities have changed over time.