Comparing Homes: Past vs. Present

Active learning helps Year 2 students grasp abstract concepts like continuity and change by engaging their senses and emotions. When children handle objects, role-play scenarios, and discuss photographs, they connect historical ideas to their own lives, making the past feel real rather than distant.

• Year 2
• HASS
• 3 activities
• 20 min–45 min

Learning Objectives

1. Compare building materials used in past Australian homes with those used in contemporary homes.
2. Explain how daily routines and family life might have differed for children in historical Australian homes versus their own.
3. Identify continuity and change in housing features from the past to the present.
4. Predict potential future changes in Australian homes based on observed historical trends.

Stations Rotation

⏱ 45 min·Small Groups

Stations Rotation: The Mystery Box

Set up stations with a 'mystery' historical object (e.g., a washboard, a rotary phone, a stone tool) and its modern counterpart. Students rotate in small groups to touch, draw, and guess how the old object was used before revealing its purpose.

Prepare & details

How were the materials used to build homes in the past different from those used today?

Facilitation Tip: During Station Rotation: The Mystery Box, place one modern and one historical artifact at each station to prompt immediate comparisons.

Setup: Tables/desks arranged in 4-6 distinct stations around room

Materials: Station instruction cards, Different materials per station, Rotation timer

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Role Play

⏱ 30 min·Small Groups

Role Play: A Day in the Life

Students are assigned a specific era and a daily task, such as preparing a meal or getting ready for school. They act out the process using only the tools available in that time period, then discuss the challenges and benefits of each era.

Prepare & details

What do you think daily life was like for a family living in a home long ago compared to your home now?

Facilitation Tip: For Role Play: A Day in the Life, provide clear costume pieces and household props to help students fully immerse themselves in the period.

Setup: Open space or rearranged desks for scenario staging

Materials: Character cards with backstory and goals, Scenario briefing sheet

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Think-Pair-Share

⏱ 20 min·Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Then and Now Photos

Display a photo of a local street or kitchen from 50 years ago. Students think individually about three differences they see, pair up to compare lists, and share one 'surprise' with the whole class.

Prepare & details

What changes do you think homes might have in the future, and why?

Facilitation Tip: When running Think-Pair-Share: Then and Now Photos, give each pair one magnifying glass to examine details in old photographs, focusing their observations.

Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor

Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Teaching This Topic

Teach this topic by grounding discussions in concrete artifacts and relatable experiences. Avoid abstract timelines or long lectures, as young children learn best through tangible examples and peer interaction. Research shows that storytelling and object-based learning build stronger historical empathy than textbook readings alone.

What to Expect

Successful learning looks like students confidently identifying similarities and differences between past and present homes. They should express curiosity about how families met their needs long ago and recognize that human connections remain constant even as tools change.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During Station Rotation: The Mystery Box, watch for students assuming old objects are only used in black-and-white settings. Redirect by placing a brightly colored historic postcard or fabric scrap in the box and ask, 'What colors do you see here? How do you think these colors were made?'

What to Teach Instead

During Role Play: A Day in the Life, watch for students saying life in the past was boring. Redirect by having them brainstorm joyful activities families did without screens, such as storytelling or playing outside, then discuss which parts of those traditions still exist today.

Assessment Ideas

Quick Check

After Station Rotation: The Mystery Box, provide students with a Venn diagram. Ask them to draw or write one item that was the same in past and present homes in the overlapping section, one item that was only in past homes on one side, and one item that is only in present homes on the other side.

Discussion Prompt

After Role Play: A Day in the Life, pose the question: 'Imagine you are a child living in a home 100 years ago in Australia. What is one thing you would miss from your home today, and why?' Facilitate a class discussion, encouraging students to justify their answers based on their learning.

Exit Ticket

During Think-Pair-Share: Then and Now Photos, give each student a small card. Ask them to write down two different materials used to build homes in the past and two different materials used to build homes today. Collect these to check for understanding of material changes.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge early finishers to research and bring in an artifact from their own family history to share with the class.
• Scaffolding for struggling students: Provide sentence starters on cards, such as 'In the past, homes were made of ______ because ______.'
• Deeper exploration: Invite a local historian or senior community member to visit and share stories about their childhood home.

Key Vocabulary

Materials	The substances used to build something. In homes, this includes things like wood, stone, mud, brick, and metal.
Continuity	Things that stay the same over time. For example, families still need shelter and a place to gather.
Change	Things that become different over time. For example, how homes are heated or the types of appliances used.
Dwelling	A place where people live, such as a house or apartment.