Unit Plan 9 (Grade 3 Social Studies): Our Community Then and Now
Students compare past and present using photos, maps, and stories to learn community history and create simple “Then and Now” comparisons.
Focus: Compare how our local community has changed over time by using photos, maps, artifacts, and stories from the past and present. Students learn to tell the difference between past and present, notice change and continuity, and use simple primary and secondary sources to answer who/what/where/when/why questions about their community.
Grade Level: 3
Subject Area: Social Studies (History • Inquiry/Skills)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 45–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
In this unit, students act as community historians, exploring what their local area was like in the past and how it looks today. They examine old photos, maps, and stories alongside current images to spot changes in buildings, transportation, clothing, and land use—and to notice what has stayed the same. Students practice using simple sources to answer questions about who, what, where, when, and why, and they create a “Then and Now” comparison product that highlights both change and continuity in their community.
Essential Questions
- How can photos, maps, and stories help us understand what our community was like in the past?
- What has changed in our local area over time, and what has stayed the same?
- How do we use who/what/where/when/why questions to learn from historical sources?
- Why is it important to remember and compare our community then and now?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Distinguish past and present by examining artifacts, photos, maps, and accounts from their community.
- Identify at least two examples of change and two examples of continuity in the local area (e.g., buildings, transportation, parks, land use).
- Use simple primary and secondary sources (old photos, historical markers, short articles, oral histories) to answer who/what/where/when/why questions.
- Record information from sources in a structured way (charts, Venn diagrams, “Then vs. Now” tables).
- Create a “Our Community Then and Now” comparison product (poster, mini-book, or slide) that shows specific details from sources and summarizes changes over time.
- Use historical vocabulary such as past, present, change, continuity, source, and timeline correctly in speaking and writing.
Standards Alignment — 3rd Grade (C3-based custom)
- 3.C3.Hist.2 — Distinguish past and present using artifacts, photos, maps, and accounts; note change and continuity.
- Example: Compare a 1900s street photo with today’s street view.
- 3.C3.Hist.5 — Use simple primary and secondary sources to answer questions; summarize who/what/where/when/why with evidence.
- Example: After reading a historical marker, summarize the event in three sentences.
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can tell which pictures and stories show the past and which show the present.
- I can point out at least one thing that has changed and one thing that has stayed the same in our community.
- I can use photos, maps, or stories to answer who/what/where/when/why about our community.
- I can organize information in a chart or diagram to compare “then” and “now.”
- I can make a Then and Now product that clearly shows changes in our community over time.