You will learn
- Compare past and present schools.
- Say why schools changed.
- Say what stayed the same.
- Value education for all.
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
- Schools have changed over time.
- Long ago fewer children went to school.
- Today education is a right for all children.
- Learning and teachers stay important.
Words to know
a small board used long ago for writing
what is taught in school
learning at school and elsewhere
something every person should have
1. Discover: Grandfather’s school
Sorie’s grandfather shows an old slate. “We wrote on this,” he says. “The classroom was one room for all ages. Few girls went to school then.” Sorie looks at his bright classroom with books and computers. “Now every child has the right to go to school,” says his teacher. “But a good teacher and learning together are still the same.”
Think: What is the same and different about school then and now?
2. Understand: Schools
Idea 1: Long ago
Long ago schools were often small. Children wrote on slates or in the sand. One teacher might teach all ages in one room. In many places, only some children could go: girls, poor children and children in far villages were often left out.
Idea 2: Today
Today schools have classrooms by age, exercise books, printed books, desks, computers in some schools and a broad curriculum. Education is a right for every child, and governments work to make schools free and open to all.
Idea 3: Same
Some things stay the same: teachers help students learn, students make friends, children read, count and play together. Good schools are safe, fair and kind to everyone.
3. Worked examples
Example 1 (I show you): Compare
Slate and exercise book.
- Think.
- Compare.
- Say.
Answer: Both for writing.
Example 2 (We do it together): Reason
Why change?
- Think.
- List.
- Say.
Answer: New ideas and rights.
Example 3 (You try): Same
What stays?
Show the steps and answer
- Think.
- List.
- Say.
Answer: Teachers and friends.
Did you know?
Fourah Bay College in Freetown, founded in 1827, is often called the oldest university in West Africa.
Why this matters
Understanding how schools changed helps us value our right to learn.
4. Explore: School then and now
Draw a school long ago and today. List three differences and two things that stayed the same. Share with a partner.
- Draw.
- List.
- Compare.
- Share.
Think about it: what did you notice?
What did you notice? Learning stayed important.
5. Practise
Say it in a sentence
Use these starters when you talk about the lesson. Say them out loud.
- A slate is ___.
- The curriculum is ___.
- Education is ___.
- A right is ___.
Guided practice
Question 1. What is a slate?
Old writing board.
Question 2. What is a curriculum?
What is taught.
Question 3. What is education?
Learning.
Independent practice
Level 1: Start
- What is a slate?
- What is a curriculum?
- What is education?
- What is a right?
- Who may go to school?
Level 2: Grow
- Why change?
- Why education for all?
- Why teachers?
Level 3: Stretch
- Draw then and now.
- List differences.
- List sames.
Answers are in the answer key below. Try first, then check.
6. Apply: Social Studies in everyday life
Give two differences and one thing the same in schools then and now.
Show a sample answer
Slates; computers; teachers.
Another one. Ask an elder about their school if comfortable.
Show a sample answer
Share.
7. Common mistakes
Fix: It changed.
Fix: Every child does.
8. Lesson summary and revision card
- I can compare past and present schools.
- I can say why schools changed.
- I can say what stayed the same.
- I can value education for all.
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
- Schools have changed over time.
- Long ago fewer children went to school.
- Today education is a right for all children.
- Learning and teachers stay important.
11. Next lesson
Next lesson: Historical timelines. 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 three differences between schools then and now. [3 marks]
- Say what stays the same. [2 marks]
- Say why education is a right. [3 marks]
- Say what slates were used for. [2 marks]
Total: 10 marks.
Marking guide and model answers
- Three [3]
- Two [2]
- Every child [1]; fairness [1]; future [1]
- Writing [1]; before paper [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 slate?
- What is a curriculum?
- What is education?
- What is a right?
- Who may go to school?
- Why change?
- Why education for all?
- Why teachers?
- Draw then and now.
- List differences.
Homework
Draw your school and an old school and label differences.
Answer key and marking scheme
| Question | Expected response | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1. What is a slate? | Old writing board. | 1 |
| 2. What is a curriculum? | What is taught. | 1 |
| 3. What is education? | Learning. | 1 |
| 4. What is a right? | Something all should have. | 1 |
| 5. Who may go to school? | Every child. | 1 |
| 6. Why change? | New ideas. | 1 |
| 7. Why education for all? | Fairness. | 1 |
| 8. Why teachers? | Help learning. | 1 |
| 9. Draw then and now. | Draw. | 1 |
| 10. List differences. | Differences. | 1 |
| Total | 10 |
Independent practice answers. Level 1: 1 Old writing board.; 2 What is taught.; 3 Learning.; 4 Something all should have.; 5 Every child.. Level 2: 1 New ideas.; 2 Fairness.; 3 Help learning.. Level 3: 1 Draw.; 2 Differences.; 3 Sames..
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 past and present schools | 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 schools changed | 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 Say what stayed the same | 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 Value education for all | 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: “School was always the same.” It changed.
- Explain another way: use real objects, pictures or actions first, then words.
- Show a simpler example: Make a paper slate.
- 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 schools in the past and today. Please share general school memories sensitively. You do not need to be an expert to help.
- Share school memories.
- Value learning.
- Support every child’s right.
- 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 past and present schools; say why schools changed; say what stayed the same; value education for all.
Prerequisite knowledge. Grade 2 ideas: community history, elders, photographs, buildings and transport over time.
Materials. Paper, crayons. 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 old school 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 grandfather’s school story.
Explanation (10 min). Teach school history.
Guided activity (10 min). School 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 have schools changed?
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. “School was always the same.” It changed.
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 paper slate. 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 7; 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.