Winter 2012 - Salt River Project

CLASSROOM ACTIVITY: THEN AND NOWTHEN AND NOW: HOW LIFE HAS CHANGED IN 100 YEARSHow did people do things 100 years ago? How has lifechanged since then?One way to understand the differences betweentoday’s world and the way things were is to review the listof activities below. Middle school students can peruse this“inventory,” then compare their answers with those of theirparents and grandparents. Students are also encouraged tocompare notes with an older relative or neighbor.Bonus idea: Students can “adopt” a retirementcommunity or assisted-living facility and visit residents ona weekly or monthly basis. As an icebreaker, students andretirement community residents can compare answers onthis list. Residents can recount to students what it was like togrow up in the first half of the 20th century.Have you ever: You Parents Grandparentsu Milked a cow? ______ ______ ______u Ridden a horse? ______ ______ ______u Hitched a team to a wagon? ______ ______ ______u Churned butter? ______ ______ ______u Washed clothes with a tub and washboard? ______ ______ ______u Made ice cream by hand? ______ ______ ______u Written with a fountain pen? ______ ______ ______u Used block ice in an icebox? ______ ______ ______u Used a wind-up phonograph? ______ ______ ______u Grown your own vegetables? ______ ______ ______u Played with paper dolls? ______ ______ ______u Used a treadle sewing machine? ______ ______ ______u Ground your own flour? ______ ______ ______u Made bread from scratch? ______ ______ ______u Sent or received a telegram? ______ ______ ______u Lived in an adobe house? ______ ______ ______u Made a quilt? ______ ______ ______u Ridden a trolley? ______ ______ ______u Made yarn from wool? ______ ______ ______u Listened to a radio show? ______ ______ ______u Played hopscotch? ______ ______ ______u Ridden a train? ______ ______ ______u Cooked on a wood stove? ______ ______ ______u Played marbles or jacks? ______ ______ ______Did your parents or older relatives/neighbors suggest any other activities from days gone by?What current activities do you think your grandchildren will find quaint or archaic?13