Past to Present

The Studebaker block then and now

  In class, we looked at maps over the course of time, comparing the past to the present. Looking at different intersections in South Bend, we were able to discuss things that remained the same over time, but were also able to see many advancements that were made.
    
     This in-class activity reminded me of a time that I had gone through old photographs with my grandmother. It was amazing to be able to see the old-fashioned clothes, hairstyles, and so on. It makes me wonder what things will look like when I'm the grandmother showing my granddaughter photographs. I'm sure that in the future, children will think that what we thought were "cool" fads seem ridiculous the way that I feel when I look at bee hive hair dos.

     I think that showing photographs of differences in time periods is beneficial in the classroom because it allows students to make valuable connections with the images presented. Looking through the standards for 3rd through 6th grade, I can see many examples of ways I could use this type of activity in my future classroom. For example, students can compare photographs of old phones to new ones, computers, letter writing to emails, and horse and buggies to the cars we now have. Dicussing things like these with children allows them to realize that although they see a car as a necessity, people in the past have had to walk, or ride a horse, in order to get from one location to another. As time goes on, many things change, and social studies is an important subject that helps children better understand these concepts.