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Then & Now

Third graders discover how life has changed over time — matching things from the past (like candles and horse-drawn buggies) with the modern inventions that replaced them — and see how communities keep changing.

Grade 3Change Over Time40 minutes1 class periodC3 InquiryExplicit teaching4 StandardsC3
Start the Lesson
Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Compare past and present.
  • ✓Explain how technology changed.
  • ✓Explain why things change.
  • ✓Use a timeline idea.
Essential Question

Long ago, people lit their homes with candles and traveled by horse. Today we flip a switch and drive cars! How has everyday life changed over time — and why?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Match It · Interactive

Match Then & Now

Project this and match each old-fashioned thing to the modern invention that replaced it — tap the old one, then tap the new one.

⏳ Match each “then” to its “now”!Try it
Then (Past)
Now (Present)
Now tap the modern version!
The Lesson · C3 Inquiry Arc (Question · Investigate · Evaluate Evidence · Communicate · Take Action)

40 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Question — Long Ago vs. Today

5 min

People once used candles and horses — today, switches and cars. How did life change?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show a past and present scene.
  • Ask what changed.
  • Set the inquiry.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Compare them.
  • Wonder how.
  • Get ready.
2

Investigate — Match Then & Now

10 min

Students investigate.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send children to Match Then & Now.
  • Match each pair.
  • Note the change.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Match them.
  • Note pairs.
  • Explain them.
3

Evaluate Evidence — How Life Changed

10 min

Students explain.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Explain past ways of living.
  • Explain modern inventions.
  • Explain why things changed.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Explain the past.
  • Explain now.
  • Explain change.
4

Communicate — Change Over Time

10 min

Students share.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Give a then-and-now example.
  • Explain the improvement.
  • Explain a timeline.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Give one.
  • Explain it.
  • Explain timelines.
5

Take Action — Take Action

5 min

Students conclude.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name something that changed.
  • Explain the change.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name it.
  • Explain it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards (Grade 3 / Communities).

C3
D2.His.1.3-5

Create and use a timeline of change over time.

C3
D2.His.2.3-5

Compare life in the past and present.

C3
D2.His.3.3-5

Generate questions about the past.

C3
D3.1.3-5

Gather evidence about how life has changed.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Then/now picture pairs.
  • Sentence frame: “Long ago ___, now ___.”
  • Use photos.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with candle and light bulb.
  • Match one pair at a time.
  • Use pictures.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Make a then-and-now timeline.
  • Interview an older person.
  • Predict a future change.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 🖼️Then/now photos
  • 💻Match Then & Now
  • 🖍️Crayons
  • 📅A simple timeline
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

pastthe time before nowpresentright nowlong agofar in the pastchangeto become differenttechnologytools and inventionsinventiona new tool or ideatimelinea line showing events in orderhistorythe story of the past
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What did people use for light before electric bulbs?
Candles (and oil lamps).
QUESTION 2
How did people travel before cars?
By horse and buggy (or by walking).
QUESTION 3
Why do things change over time?
New inventions and technology make life easier and better.

Take action: ask an elder.

Have students ask a parent or grandparent about something that was different when they were young, and share how it has changed. A printable then-and-now sheet is in the Social Studies library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Then & NowFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Then & NowQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
0%

Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Then & NowPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: change, history, invention, long ago, past, present, technology, timeline
  1. the time before now
  2. to become different
  3. right now
  4. tools and inventions
  5. a new tool or idea
  6. the story of the past
  7. far in the past
  8. a line showing events in order

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What did people use for light before electric bulbs?
  2. How did people travel before cars?
  3. Why do things change over time?
Answer key — Part A: 1) past · 2) change · 3) present · 4) technology · 5) invention · 6) history · 7) long ago · 8) timeline
Part B: 1) Candles (and oil lamps). 2) By horse and buggy (or by walking). 3) New inventions and technology make life easier and better.