Instructions
Let's explore the difference between a long, long time ago (the Past) and today (Now). Read the instructions for each activity and do your best!
Activity 1: Past or Now?
Read each activity in the list. Is it something from the Past or something we do Now? Circle the correct word.
| What are they doing? | Circle One |
|---|---|
| Sending a message with a bird | Past / Now |
| Watching videos on a phone | Past / Now |
| Drawing pictures on a cave wall | Past / Now |
| Cooking dinner over an open fire | Past / Now |
| Traveling to school in a car | Past / Now |
Activity 2: Verb Match-Up
When we talk about the past, our action words (verbs) change. Draw a line to match the word we use Today with the word for the Past.
| Today | In the Past | |
| draw | rode | |
| eat | made | |
| make | ate | |
| ride | hunted | |
| hunt | drew |
Activity 3: Fill in the Past!
Use the correct word from the box below to complete each sentence about life in the past.
- A long time ago, people ____________ letters to each other with ink.
- Without electricity, families often ____________ when the sun went down.
- A cave person ____________ a picture of a mammoth on the wall.
- My great-grandmother ____________ all her family's meals on a wood stove.
Activity 4: Draw and Write
Think about how people get from one place to another (transportation). In the first box, draw how people traveled in the past. In the second box, draw how we travel now. Then, write one sentence for each picture.
| In the Past | Now |
| In the past, they ________________________________. | Now, we ____________________________________. |
Answer Key
Activity 1: Past or Now?
- Sending a message with a bird: Past
- Watching videos on a phone: Now
- Drawing pictures on a cave wall: Past
- Cooking dinner over an open fire: Past
- Traveling to school in a car: Now
Activity 2: Verb Match-Up
- draw → drew
- eat → ate
- make → made
- ride → rode
- hunt → hunted
Activity 3: Fill in the Past!
- A long time ago, people wrote letters to each other with ink.
- Without electricity, families often slept when the sun went down.
- A cave person drew a picture of a mammoth on the wall.
- My great-grandmother cooked all her family's meals on a wood stove.
Activity 4: Draw and Write
Answers will vary. Examples:
- In the Past: Student draws a horse and cart. Sentence: "In the past, they rode horses."
- Now: Student draws a car or airplane. Sentence: "Now, we drive cars."