Local Shops: From Grocers to SupermarketsActivities & Teaching Strategies
This topic comes alive when children step outside and explore real places. Walking the high street with old photographs and maps lets pupils see change in action, making abstract ideas about the past feel immediate. Active learning helps Year 1 pupils grasp how life differs from long ago without relying on abstract explanations alone.
Learning Objectives
- 1Compare the types of shops found in their local area today with those that existed in living memory.
- 2Explain how people purchased goods before the advent of large supermarkets.
- 3Identify specific examples of historical local businesses that still operate in their community.
- 4Sequence key changes in local shopping habits over time using visual aids or simple timelines.
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High Street Walk: Past and Present Maps
Lead a supervised walk along the local high street. Pupils sketch current shops on clipboards, then overlay teacher-provided historical photos to note changes. Back in class, pairs compare maps and label new or vanished shops.
Prepare & details
What types of shops do you think were in our local area a long time ago?
Facilitation Tip: During the High Street Walk, ask children to hold an old photo next to the actual shop while you narrate the timeline aloud to connect the image to the present.
Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter
Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback
Family Stories: Shop Drawings
Send home a simple prompt sheet for adults to share memories of old local shops. Pupils draw the described shops and food buying methods. Share drawings in a class gallery walk to spot patterns.
Prepare & details
How did people buy their food before supermarkets were built?
Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter
Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback
Timeline Chain: Shop Changes
Provide images of grocers, markets, and supermarkets. Small groups sequence them on a paper chain, adding labels for 'then' and 'now'. Hang chains to form a class display and discuss reasons for changes.
Prepare & details
Can you spot any old local businesses in our area that are still open today?
Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter
Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback
Role Play: Grocer vs Supermarket
Set up two shop scenes with props like scales and baskets. Pairs act out buying bread from a 1950s grocer, then a modern supermarket. Switch roles and note differences in a group debrief.
Prepare & details
What types of shops do you think were in our local area a long time ago?
Setup: Open space or rearranged desks for scenario staging
Materials: Character cards with backstory and goals, Scenario briefing sheet
Teaching This Topic
Teachers should balance storytelling with concrete evidence. Use dated photographs and artefacts to anchor narratives, and avoid overloading pupils with too many dates. Research in early years history highlights that personal stories and local walks build stronger understanding than abstract timelines at this age.
What to Expect
Successful learning looks like children noticing differences between past and present shops, using family stories and maps to support their ideas. They should explain their choices with simple historical vocabulary and listen respectfully to peers’ experiences.
These activities are a starting point. A full mission is the experience.
- Complete facilitation script with teacher dialogue
- Printable student materials, ready for class
- Differentiation strategies for every learner
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Common MisconceptionDuring High Street Walk, watch for pupils assuming shops have always looked the same. Correction: Overlay old photographs on current shopfronts while walking, asking children to point out differences and similarities. Guide them to revise their assumptions by describing what has stayed or changed.
What to Teach Instead
During Family Stories: Shop Drawings, watch for pupils who assume no old shops survive. Correction: After children draw their family’s remembered shop, ask them to mark which ones still exist in the neighbourhood. Discuss why some shops remain and others do not.
Common MisconceptionDuring Timeline Chain: Shop Changes, watch for pupils thinking supermarkets have always existed everywhere. Correction: Use dated images in the timeline activity to show that supermarkets appeared gradually. Ask children to place images in order and explain how their town’s shops grew over time.
Common MisconceptionDuring High Street Walk, watch for pupils believing no old shops from the past still operate. Correction: Point out surviving businesses on the walk, then have pupils verify with photographs. Ask them to find one shop that has been in the same place for many years and explain how they know.
Assessment Ideas
After Timeline Chain: Shop Changes, show two pictures of shops: one old-fashioned (e.g., a cobbler) and one modern (e.g., a supermarket). Ask pupils to sort them into ‘Shops from a long time ago’ and ‘Shops from today’. Listen for vocabulary like ‘milkman’ or ‘local shop’ to assess understanding.
During Family Stories: Shop Drawings, ask pupils: ‘Imagine you needed to buy milk 100 years ago. Where would you go and how would you get it?’ Encourage them to use words like ‘milkman’ or ‘local shop’ and describe the process in simple steps.
After the High Street Walk, give each pupil a piece of paper. Ask them to draw one shop that used to be in their local area but is not there anymore, and label it. Alternatively, they can draw a shop that is still there and has been for a long time.
Extensions & Scaffolding
- Challenge early finishers to interview a family member about one shop that no longer exists and bring a small artefact or photo to share with the class.
- Scaffolding for struggling learners: provide sentence starters like ‘I see a _____ shop today but long ago it was a _____.’
- Deeper exploration: compare transport methods for shopping long ago versus today using pictures and simple maps.
Key Vocabulary
| Grocer | A shopkeeper who sells food and other household supplies. Long ago, these were often small, independent shops. |
| High Street | The main street in a town or village, typically containing shops and businesses. This is where many local shops were located. |
| Supermarket | A large self-service shop selling foods and household goods. These became common later than smaller, local shops. |
| Living Memory | Events or changes that people alive today can remember. This is important for understanding how shops have changed. |
Suggested Methodologies
Planning templates for History
5E Model
The 5E Model structures lessons through five phases (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate), guiding students from curiosity to deep understanding through inquiry-based learning.
Unit PlannerThematic Unit
Organize a multi-week unit around a central theme or essential question that cuts across topics, texts, and disciplines, helping students see connections and build deeper understanding.
RubricSingle-Point Rubric
Build a single-point rubric that defines only the "meets standard" level, leaving space for teachers to document what exceeded and what fell short. Simple to create, easy for students to understand.
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