Review the Academic Content Standards related to this lesson. Imagine that they have developed a time machine that allows them to travel back and forward in time in the community in which they live and speculate about how the community has changed in the fifty years before and fifty years after today. Develop a set of interview questions to ask older members of the community regarding changes in the community from their youth or early adulthoods to today. First, you travel back fifty years. Next, you travel forward fifty years.
Students share their answers.
It may be best to read the article straight through, as it is a narrative piece of writing. As a class, brainstorm the history of your town, city, or neighborhood. Then, discuss how the community has changed since its original founding, particularly in the people and industries of the community. Tell students that they will each be interviewing a person in their town, city or neighborhood about changes that they have observed over time. As a class, develop a set of questions that students would like to use as interview questions.