What you will be able to do
use the words past, present, and future correctly; put three events in time order; name something that changed and something that stayed the same
Past, Present, and Future
How does putting events in time order help us understand change?
Activate what you know
Show with your hands what comes first and what comes next when washing hands, putting on a coat, or doing another familiar routine
- pasttime that has already happened
- presentthe time happening now
- futuretime that has not happened yet
- sequencethe order in which events happen
- changewhen something becomes different
- samenot different in the way being compared
1
Time Words Help Us Tell a Clear Story
Events happen in an order. We can say first, next, and last. We can also use past, present, and future. Breakfast eaten earlier is in the past. Listening to this lesson is in the present. An activity planned for later is in the future. A timeline is one way to show order. The earliest event goes first, and later events follow. A timeline can cover a short time, such as one day, or a long time, such as many years. The spaces do not always show equal amounts of time unless a scale tells us so
2
Some Things Change While Others Continue
When we compare two times, we should look for more than difference. A school may have new computers but still have teachers, students, books, and places to learn. Something can change in one way and remain the same in another way. Pictures, objects, stories, and dates can give clues about time. An older photograph may show a place in the past, but it shows only one moment. We compare sources before saying that everyone or everything was the same
Order Before Explanation
First decide what happened earlier and later. Then describe what changed or stayed the same
Use Movable Picture Cards
Let the learner physically place three routine cards from first to last. Ask, ‘What clue tells you this comes before that?’
Old Does Not Mean Unimportant
An older object or story can help us understand how people lived. The past is finished, but its effects and memories can continue in the present
Build a Three-Step Timeline
Draw three boxes. Show an event from earlier today, something happening now, and one safe plan for later. Use the words past, present, and future while explaining the order
Past, present, and future name parts of time. Sequences and timelines show order, while comparisons help us notice what changed and what continued
Practice and answer guide
Work through all 8 questions. Open an answer only after you have written or explained your response.
- 1. Which event is in the past? A. a snack already eaten B. a song being sung now C. a trip planned for next week
Check answer
A snack already eaten
- 2. Which event is in the future? A. yesterday’s rain B. reading this question now C. tomorrow’s class activity
Check answer
Tomorrow’s class activity
- 3. Put these in order: the seed sprouts; the gardener plants a seed; the plant grows leaves
Check answer
First the gardener plants a seed. Next the seed sprouts. Last the plant grows leaves
- 4. A photo from last year shows a small tree. A photo now shows a taller tree. What changed?
Check answer
The tree grew taller
- 5. Both tree photos show the same bench beside the tree. What stayed the same?
Check answer
The bench stayed beside the tree
- 6. Draw three boxes to show first, next, and last in a familiar classroom routine
Check answer
Accept any safe, logical three-step routine shown in order, such as arrive, hang up a coat, and sit down
- 7. Which word means the order in which events happen? A. sequence B. place C. source
Check answer
Sequence
- 8. Why is it helpful to know which event happened first? A. It helps us tell what happened in order. B. It makes every event happen again. C. It proves every old story is complete
Check answer
It helps us tell what happened in order