You will learn
- Compare old and new buildings.
- Say why buildings change.
- Name historic buildings.
- Say why some are protected.
Version 0.2 · expanded edition · built from cited public sources Content is based on the official frameworks and sources listed under Sources and standards. No official endorsement is claimed. Written in the style of common primary school assessments. No exam result is promised.
Student lesson
- Buildings change with time.
- Old buildings used different materials.
- Some buildings are historic and protected.
- People restore and reuse old buildings.
Words to know
a structure with walls and a roof
important in history
to repair and bring back to its old condition
a well-known place that helps people find their way
1. Discover: The old school building
Esi’s school has an old stone building next to a new classroom block. “The old one was built long ago,” says the head teacher. “It has thick walls and tall windows.” The new block has concrete and metal. “We restored the old building because it is part of our history,” says the head teacher. “Now we use it as a library.”
Think: Why keep an old building?
2. Understand: Buildings
Idea 1: Old and new
A building is a structure with walls and a roof. Older buildings were often made of stone, mud brick, wood or thatch. Newer buildings may use concrete, steel, glass and metal sheets. Styles change with tools, needs and ideas.
Idea 2: Why change
Buildings are repaired, extended or replaced because needs change, materials wear out or the community grows. Some old buildings are historic and are protected; people restore them to keep the past alive.
Idea 3: Landmarks
A landmark is a well-known place people use to find their way and remember. In Sierra Leone, the Cotton Tree in Freetown was a landmark for generations before it fell in a storm in 2023. Many old churches, mosques and forts are historic buildings.
3. Worked examples
Example 1 (I show you): Compare
Old and new school.
- Look.
- List.
- Say.
Answer: Stone and tall windows vs concrete.
Example 2 (We do it together): Reason
Why restore?
- Think.
- List.
- Say.
Answer: Keep history.
Example 3 (You try): Name
A landmark.
Show the steps and answer
- Think.
- Name.
- Say.
Answer: Cotton Tree site.
Did you know?
The Cotton Tree in Freetown was a famous landmark for hundreds of years before it fell during a storm in May 2023.
Why this matters
Old buildings help us see how people lived and what they valued.
4. Explore: Building then and now
Draw an old building and a new building from your community. List three differences. Write one reason to keep the old one.
- Draw.
- List.
- Reason.
- Share.
Think about it: what did you notice?
What did you notice? Materials had changed.
5. Practise
Say it in a sentence
Use these starters when you talk about the lesson. Say them out loud.
- A building is ___.
- Historic means ___.
- To restore is ___.
- A landmark is ___.
Guided practice
Question 1. What is a building?
Walls and a roof.
Question 2. What does historic mean?
Important in history.
Question 3. What does restore mean?
Repair to old state.
Independent practice
Level 1: Start
- What is a building?
- What does historic mean?
- What does restore mean?
- What is a landmark?
- Name an old material.
Level 2: Grow
- Why restore?
- Why replace?
- Why landmarks?
Level 3: Stretch
- Draw old and new.
- List differences.
- Give a reason.
Answers are in the answer key below. Try first, then check.
6. Apply: Social Studies in everyday life
Give two differences between an old and a new building.
Show a sample answer
Materials; shapes.
Another one. Look at old and new buildings near home with an adult.
Show a sample answer
Share.
7. Common mistakes
Fix: They teach us history.
Fix: Some are unsafe.
8. Lesson summary and revision card
- I can compare old and new buildings.
- I can say why buildings change.
- I can name historic buildings.
- I can say why some are protected.
9. Check and master
Answer all 14 questions. You will see feedback after each one.
Your result appears here after you answer every question.
10. Key takeaways
- Buildings change with time.
- Old buildings used different materials.
- Some buildings are historic and protected.
- People restore and reuse old buildings.
11. Next lesson
Next lesson: Changes in transportation. Keep going with the next idea in this course.
Exam practice
These questions are written in the style of common school and international primary assessments. Try them on your own, without looking back. Then check your answers in the marking guide. The marks are shown in brackets.
- Give two differences between old and new buildings. [3 marks]
- Say what historic and restore mean. [2 marks]
- Name a landmark and say why it matters. [3 marks]
- Say how to stay safe near old buildings. [2 marks]
Total: 10 marks.
Marking guide and model answers
- Two [2]; example [1]
- Historic [1]; restore [1]
- Name [1]; why [2]
- Adult [1]; stay away [1]
Score guide: 9 to 10 = secure. 6 to 8 = nearly there, revise the parts you missed. Under 6 = work through the lesson again with a grown-up.
Printable worksheet
- What is a building?
- What does historic mean?
- What does restore mean?
- What is a landmark?
- Name an old material.
- Why restore?
- Why replace?
- Why landmarks?
- Draw old and new.
- List differences.
Homework
Draw an old building and a new one and label differences.
Answer key and marking scheme
| Question | Expected response | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1. What is a building? | Walls and a roof. | 1 |
| 2. What does historic mean? | Important in history. | 1 |
| 3. What does restore mean? | Repair to old state. | 1 |
| 4. What is a landmark? | Well-known place. | 1 |
| 5. Name an old material. | Stone. | 1 |
| 6. Why restore? | Keep history. | 1 |
| 7. Why replace? | Needs change. | 1 |
| 8. Why landmarks? | Find way. | 1 |
| 9. Draw old and new. | Draw. | 1 |
| 10. List differences. | List. | 1 |
| Total | 10 |
Independent practice answers. Level 1: 1 Walls and a roof.; 2 Important in history.; 3 Repair to old state.; 4 Well-known place.; 5 Stone.. Level 2: 1 Keep history.; 2 Needs change.; 3 Find way.. Level 3: 1 Draw.; 2 List.; 3 Reason..
Quiz answers: 1 B, 2 C, 3 A, 4 B, 5 C, 6 A, 7 B, 8 C, 9 A, 10 B, 11 C, 12 A, Challenge 1 B, Challenge 2 C.
Mastery and remediation
| Objective | Bronze (Developing) | Silver (Proficient) | Gold (Advanced) |
|---|---|---|---|
| O1 Compare old and new buildings | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O2 Say why buildings change | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O3 Name historic buildings | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O4 Say why some are protected | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
Courseversity badge thresholds (overall quiz score): Gold = 90–100%; Silver = 80–89.9%; Bronze = 70–79.9%. A badge is never a full record of progress.
If a learner struggles
- Find the misconception: “Old buildings are useless.” They teach us history.
- Explain another way: use real objects, pictures or actions first, then words.
- Show a simpler example: Make a model of an old building.
- Guided practice: work through one example together and let the learner try the next one.
- Reassess: use the quiz again or the worksheet.
- Move on when the learner shows Silver-level evidence independently.
For parents and guardians
In this lesson your child compares old and new buildings. Please look at buildings on a walk. You do not need to be an expert to help.
- Walk and look at buildings.
- Talk about history.
- Stay safe near old buildings.
- Ask “how do you know?” after each answer, and listen.
- Praise effort, not only right answers. Mistakes are how we learn.
- Ten to fifteen minutes a day is better than one long session.
Teacher package
1–5. Objectives, prerequisites, materials, preparation, duration
Lesson objectives. Learners will: compare old and new buildings; say why buildings change; name historic buildings; say why some are protected.
Prerequisite knowledge. Grade 1 ideas: past, present and future, old and new things, and family stories.
Materials. Paper, crayons, building pictures. Low-resource options: use chalk or charcoal on a board or wall, drawings in the sand, and objects from the classroom instead of printed materials.
Preparation. Gather building pictures.
Suggested duration. 45–60 minutes. It can be split into two shorter sessions.
6–9. Teaching procedure, explanation notes, guided and independent activities
Introduction (5 min). Tell the old school building story.
Explanation (10 min). Teach buildings.
Guided activity (10 min). Building then and now.
Independent activity (10 min). Discuss.
Assessment and reflection (5 min). Ask each learner to say one thing they learned and how they know it.
Key questions. How do buildings change? Why keep old ones?
Teacher explanation notes. Start with a picture, story, map or local example. Then talk about what was seen, then draw and write. Always ask “how do you know?” and invite more than one view. Treat every family, culture and community with respect, and never ask learners to share private information.
10–12. Differentiation, formative assessment, common misconceptions
Support. Use pictures, maps, real objects and short sentences, and let learners work with a partner. Let learners point, show, act or draw instead of writing. Extension. Ask learners to find a new example from their own community and explain how they know.
Formative assessment. Listen to learners read and explain, ask “how do you know?”, and check the independent work.
Misconceptions. “Old buildings are useless.” They teach us history.
13–15. Assessment questions, answer keys, marking scheme
Use the quiz, the 10-mark exam practice and the worksheet on this page. All answers and marking guides are in the answer sections above. Re-check every answer before use.
16–19. Remediation, enrichment, homework, teacher reflection
Remediation. Make a model of an old building. Enrichment. Find one new example near your home or school, draw or write about it and explain it to someone. Homework. See above.
Teacher reflection. After teaching, record: which ideas learners understood; which misconceptions occurred; which activities worked; which learners need more practice; and what to improve next time.
Sources and standards
This lesson is based on the sources below, and no official endorsement is claimed. Reference starting points: NCSS standards and C3 Framework, Cambridge Primary Humanities and the IB Primary Years Programme. Where a standard code is named, it points to the official framework.
Research used to shape this lesson. Courseversity Social Studies curriculum, Grade 2 Unit 8, topic 4; NCSS C3 Framework, change, continuity and context; Cambridge Primary Humanities, the past and change over time; IB Primary Years Programme, where we are in place and time. These sources informed the lesson.