Summary
Highlights
The lesson begins with the teacher introducing the concept of a 'treasure,' expanding on previous discussions about how different things can be considered treasures. The focus shifts to how photographs can be treasures, prompting students to think about what is used to take a photograph (a camera) and an example from a previous school-wide picture. The Spanish word for photo, 'las fotos', is also briefly introduced.
Students are asked to discuss with their partners how a photograph can be a treasure, using a camera or cellphone. Initial thoughts from students include that photographs are special, can be displayed on walls, and can last a long time, helping them remember things from when they were little.
The teacher reviews a previous lesson where students compared life 100 years ago with life today using a tree map. While some students focused on differences, others identified similarities, like writing letters and playing marbles, as demonstrated by student work that included a 'same' column.
The words 'similar' (meaning two things are like each other or almost the same) and 'different' (meaning two things are not alike) are explicitly defined and demonstrated with hand gestures. The day's objective is to compare school today and school 100 years ago, focusing on these two concepts using photographs.
Students are asked to observe their own classroom and notice various items, using the sentence frame 'I notice that...'. They share observations such as the big whiteboard, the color of chairs, the number of tables, and the presence of cabinets and books, preparing them to make similar observations about historical photographs.
The teacher presents a photograph of a school from 100 years ago (1914). Students are given a minute to discuss with partners what they notice in the photo. Observations include the black and white nature of the photo, the lack of various items in the classroom, the many boys, the large classroom size, and that the teacher is in the back of the room.
The double bubble map, previously used to compare historical figures like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, is introduced as a tool to compare schools from the past and present. The lesson focuses on answering the question: 'How are our class and the class in the photo different?'
The teacher introduces a sentence frame for discussing differences: 'They are different because in the photo [blank] but in our class [blank].' Students identify differences such as the presence of chalkboards versus whiteboards, lack of windows in the old photo, and the absence of a teacher's desk in the old photo versus its presence today. These observations are recorded on the double bubble map.
The lesson shifts to finding similarities using the question: 'How are our class and the class in the photo similar?' A new sentence frame is introduced: 'They are similar because in the photo [blank] and in our class [blank].' Students find similarities such as the presence of teachers, desks (albeit arranged differently), and chairs. These are also added to the double bubble map.
Students prepare to work in pairs with a new historical photo of a school from 100 years ago, which features benches instead of desks and different wall decorations. They are given their own double bubble maps to record differences (e.g., benches vs. chairs, no computers vs. computers, no projector vs. projector, flowers vs. plants) and similarities (e.g., flags, pencils). Emphasis is placed on teamwork, taking turns, and respectful communication.
The class shares additional observations from their work, including the presence of benches in the old photo versus chairs today, the lack of computers, and the presence of projectors in modern classrooms. The teacher concludes by summarizing the day's lesson on comparing past and present schools and hints at future lessons on communication in the past and present.