In this activity, you will be viewing three photographs of schools from the past through the present. You will examine the photographs and decide how they fit on a timeline, putting them in order from the oldest school to the school from the present day. You will need to use logic and give reasons for your choices.

Click here to complete Timeline Activity.

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Today when you came to school you probably did not think twice about the pencil and paper you used, the many books you had to choose from to read, or even the desk you sat in. Well, long ago, students did not have such luxuries. In this activity, you will get a glimpse into what school was like long ago before they had crayons, calculators, or computers.

Your assignment is to go to the PBS Website link and examine several aspects of school from Then and Now. You will also need to complete a booklet comparing schools from long ago to schools from today. Click on the chalkboard to go to the PBS site.

You can also click on the following links for more information comparing schools from long ago to today:

Pioneer Sholes School

More Info on Slates:

To download your booklet, click on the old student desk.

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Wow, schools sure have changed over the years! It's hard even to imagine going to a school like the ones our great-grandparents went to. Imagine how different schools will be for your great-grandchildren! In this activity, you will design a school of the future.

Your final project will require a model of your futuristic school and a paper describing several aspects of your school. For complete directions and descriptions of the requirements for this project, click on the graded paper icon. Here you will also be able to download the grading sheet for this project. Good luck and have fun!

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Click to return to student page.