Grade 1 Social Studies: Past, Present, and Future
Free Grade 1 Social Studies unit on Past, Present, and Future: 10 lessons in order. Includes practice questions and answer keys.
10 lessons in this unit
What is the past?
Understand that the past is what has already happened, use words such as yesterday, last week, long ago, and before, talk about past events in our own lives, and say how we know about the past from people, photos and objects.
Lesson 2What is the present?
Understand that the present is now, use words such as today, now, this morning and this week, describe what is happening now, and notice that the present keeps moving into the past.
Lesson 3What is the future?
Understand that the future is time that has not happened yet, use words such as tomorrow, next week, soon, and when I grow up, talk about plans and hopes, and know that we cannot be sure about the future.
Lesson 4Events in order
Put events in order using first, next, then and last, sequence pictures of a day or a story, use before and after, and begin to use a simple timeline of days of the week.
Lesson 5Changes as we grow
Describe how people change as they grow (size, abilities, interests, teeth, skills), compare a baby, a child and an adult, and notice what stays the same as we grow, with sensitivity to different bodies and experiences.
Lesson 6Family memories
Talk about happy family memories (a birthday, a holiday, a trip, a festival, a new baby, a game), tell them in order, ask family members about their memories, and respect that families remember in different ways.
Lesson 7Old and new objects
Compare old and new objects (lamps, phones, cooking pots, grinding stones, irons, clocks), describe how they look and work, and say how and why objects change over time.
Lesson 8Comparing past and present
Compare life in the past and present (transport, homes, schools, clothes, communication) using photographs, stories and objects, say how things have changed and stayed the same, and explain why.
Lesson 9Personal timelines
Make a simple timeline of my own life using years or ages (birth, first steps, starting school, today), place events in order on a line, use before and after, and be sensitive about what to include.
Lesson 10Remembering important events
Identify important events that communities remember (Independence Day on 27 April in Sierra Leone, festivals, local days), say how people remember them (parades, songs, stories, flags), and explain why remembering matters.