E3. Change Happens
This activity can be connected to a museum visit.
Students will use a comic-strip format to show change and development
of various tools and systems in our society.
What to Do
Write the following terms on the chalkboard:
transportation
manufacturing
movement of goods
agriculture
communication
education
health care
entertainment
Explain to students that society is held together by
these activities that we normally take for granted. Each one of these,
however, has changed over time, sometimes gradually, sometimes
dramatically, as methods, machines, and technology have improved.
Tell students that they are going to illustrate
mini-histories of development and change in one of these areas. To do
so, they will use a comic-strip format (that is, a series of
illustrated panels). For example, a strip on transportation might begin
with a panel showing a horse-drawn carriage and evolve into travel by
jet plane. Accompanying text can provide additional information, such
as a rough comparison of speed of travel, dates of inventions, etc.
Display students' finished strips as a gallery of
change. Allow time for students to browse and study each other's work.
Invite other classes, families, and community members to view the
strips.
Teaching Options
Some students might concentrate on one specific
product or service within a broader area. For example, a student might
show how milk production has changed over time. In medicine, students
might show the developments in anesthesia.
You may be able to invite a practitioner in one of
these areas to class to share the history of the profession, skill, or
technology.
The library may have, or be able to obtain, copies
of early catalogues from mail-order houses, such as the 1909 Sears
catalogue. Have students compare their contents to the contents of
modern-day catalogues.
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