Concepts

• heritage, family, the past

Students will know that:

• lifestyles of the past were different from what they are today.
• differences are related, in part, to resources and technology.

Students will:

• use oral language and visual images to describe family lifestyles of the past.

Attitudes/Values Objectives

Students will:

• appreciate and value lifestyles of the past.

Students may:

• participate in experiences associated with the past.
• learn to be nonjudgmental when dealing with differences between the present and past.

• Use a variety of resources to explore family lifestyles of the past. Consider including the following:
  • jobs around the home for both children and adults.
  • procedures and technologies used for preparing food, doing the laundry, taking baths, making clothes, and cleaning the house.
  • games children played.
  • home construction, for example, a traditional tipi or a sod house. (See Saskatchewan Past and Present kit, developed for Grade 4, for pictures.)
• As much as possible, present factual material through stories, pictures, and real or simulated experiences. Plan to visit a local museum where the children are actually involved in activities such as washing clothes on a wash board, making butter in a churn, or listening to a story while sitting inside a tipi.
• If a museum visit is not possible, have the students create models (e.g., homes), collect "old things" from the community and re-enact various activities, or have the students pretend to do various tasks. (Note: Some archives and museums have kits of materials that are available to schools.)
• In discussing the past, ask both "How?" and "Why?" questions. Relate to the availability of resources and technology. Guide students to not judge experiences and technologies of the past as being necessarily inferior to those of the present. Guide them to see advantages in lifestyles of the past (e.g., less pollution, more self - sufficient).
• Have each student chat with or interview an older person like a grandparent. Establish the questions to be asked ahead of time or discuss with the older people what they should talk about. Have a Grade 8 student videotape the interview.