Activity 01
Role Play: Victorian vs Modern Classroom
Divide class into two groups: one acts out a strict Victorian lesson with a bell for silence and finger-wagging for errors; the other demonstrates a modern circle time with sharing and stickers. Switch roles midway, then discuss feelings and differences in pairs. Conclude with a class vote on favourite rules.
What school rules do you think children had to follow a long time ago?
Facilitation TipFor the role-play, assign clear roles (e.g., Victorian teacher, modern teacher, pupil) and give each a rule card to enforce, so the contrast is immediate and visible.
What to look forProvide students with two columns labeled 'Past School Rules' and 'Today's School Rules'. Ask them to draw or write one rule in each column that they learned about today. Then, ask them to circle the rule they think is most important and explain why in one sentence.
ApplyAnalyzeEvaluateSocial AwarenessSelf-Awareness
Generate Complete Lesson→· · ·
Activity 02
Sorting Game: Past and Present Rules
Prepare cards with illustrated rules, such as 'no running' (both eras) or 'cane for talking' (past only). In pairs, children sort cards into 'past', 'present', or 'both' piles, then justify choices to the group. Extend by creating new rule posters.
How are school rules today different from school rules in the past?
Facilitation TipIn the sorting game, use large laminated cards so children can physically move them between ‘Past’ and ‘Present’ trays while explaining their choices aloud.
What to look forShow students pictures of old classroom objects (e.g., a dunce cap, a cane, a blackboard with chalk). Ask students to identify the object and explain if it relates to rules or discipline from the past or present, and why.
UnderstandAnalyzeEvaluateSelf-AwarenessSocial Awareness
Generate Complete Lesson→· · ·
Activity 03
Family Interview: School Memories
Provide simple question sheets for children to ask adults at home about their school rules. Back in class, share findings on a shared timeline display. Add drawings of 'best' and 'worst' rules from the past.
Which school rules do you think are the most important, and why?
Facilitation TipDuring the family interview, provide a simple template with three sentence starters to scaffold questions and keep responses focused on school rules.
What to look forPose the question: 'If you could make one new rule for our school today, what would it be and why?' Facilitate a class discussion, encouraging students to justify their rule by comparing its potential impact to rules from the past or present.
UnderstandAnalyzeEvaluateSelf-AwarenessSocial Awareness
Generate Complete Lesson→· · ·
Activity 04
Artefact Hunt: School Evidence
Set up stations with replica items like inkwells, slates, or modern reward charts. Small groups rotate, noting one past and one present feature per item, then report back to the class.
What school rules do you think children had to follow a long time ago?
Facilitation TipFor the artefact hunt, place objects in numbered boxes or bags so children record their finds and reasoning before sharing with the class.
What to look forProvide students with two columns labeled 'Past School Rules' and 'Today's School Rules'. Ask them to draw or write one rule in each column that they learned about today. Then, ask them to circle the rule they think is most important and explain why in one sentence.
UnderstandAnalyzeEvaluateSelf-AwarenessSocial Awareness
Generate Complete Lesson→A few notes on teaching this unit
Teachers approach this topic by grounding abstract comparisons in sensory experiences—children see the cane and feel the weight of a slate, then step into modern shoes to experience kindness rewards. Avoid over-simplifying the past as ‘all bad’ or ‘all good’; instead, use role-play to surface nuances. Research suggests concrete artefacts activate memory and language, making the past feel real and the present worth debating.
Successful learning looks like children confidently labeling rules as past or present, using evidence from photos or artefacts to explain their choices. They should articulate at least one reason why rules have changed, showing they see discipline as connected to values rather than fixed forever.
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
During the Role Play: Victorian vs Modern Classroom, watch for statements like ‘Victorian rules were always worse’.
Use the role cards to prompt children to name one rule they found fair and one unfair, then discuss why fairness changes over time.
During the Sorting Game: Past and Present Rules, watch for children sorting ‘no talking’ under present rules.
Have children reread the Victorian rule cards aloud, then ask them to explain how silence was enforced differently in the past and why it is valued today.
During the Family Interview: School Memories, watch for assumptions that children in the past never broke rules.
Prompt children to compare mischief stories from their families to modern playground stories, using the interview sheet to highlight consequences and values.
Methods used in this brief