LEARNING ACTIVITY-ELEMENTARY LEVEL
Transportation Now and in the Past
Palmer, Frank. 1916. “Coeur D'Alene man, Phillip Wildshoe and family, in his Chalmers
automobile.” Photograph. From Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
Washington, D.C. 20540 USA
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3c01166
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - LEARNING ACTIVITY OVERVIEW
Overview
Students will explore photographs of transportation from times past with an emphasis on
continuity and change. The focus is to compare different times and different places and how
certain aspects of life change over time while some things stay the same. Transportation of the
past (along with topics such as schools and communities) provides an area of study that students
are familiar with in the present. Students will compare and contrast transportation from the past
with transportation today. As students develop conceptual understanding, they will also develop
academic language and vocabulary through structured support.
Objectives
After completing these activities, students will:
 Develop concept knowledge about transportation
 Identify common methods of transportation in the early 20th century
 Describe how transportation today is the same or different today than in the past
 Develop academic language and vocabulary in English about transportation
Time Required
Four 30-40 minute class periods
Recommended Grade Range
Pre-K-2
Topic/s
Transportation (Part of Cities and Towns category)
Subject/ Sub-Subject
History
1
Standards
McREL 4th Edition Standards & Benchmarks
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/browse.asp
Family Life Past and Present
Level 1 (Grades K-2) Benchmark 4.
Understands family life in a community of the past and life in a community of the present (e.g.,
roles, jobs, communication, technology, style of homes, transportation, schools, religious
observances, cultural traditions)
Historical Understanding Standard 1.Understands and knows how to analyze chronological
relationships and patterns
Level I (Grade K-2) Benchmark 5. Knows how to identify change and continuity in his or her
own life
Class Period #1: How Do You Travel to School?
PREPARATION
Materials Used
Have these materials ready before the activity:



Chart Paper with graph (how you travel to school) prepared
Transportation picture cards (multiple copies) Downloaded from
http://www.freedigitalphotos.net and http://classroomclipart.com
Sentence scaffolds chart
PROCEDURES
1. Ask the students, “How do you travel to school most days?” Call on students to respond and
label the graph you have prepared with various transportation types (walk, bike, skateboard,
car, bus, taxi, etc). Add a picture of that type of transportation from the transportation cards
to the graph.
2. Ask the students to choose a card that represents the way they travel to school most days.
Ask the students to share the way they get to school with a partner and then tape them to the
graph.
3. Discuss the graph, using questions such as, “How do most students in this class travel to
school?” How many more people travel by car than walk to school?”
4. Extension: Ask students to write about the way they travel to school and illustrate their
writing. Language Experience Approach (student dictates response and then reads with
teacher) may be used for emergent students or English Learners. Sentence scaffolds (below)
may also be used to scaffold the writing.
STRUCTURED SUPPORT FOR ENGLISH LEARNERS
Use pictures and sentence scaffolds to encourage students to develop language as they learn
about the past. For students who are not yet reading, model the sentence scaffold while pointing
at the words.
2
EL (Beginning Levels)
Students may respond to questions/talk to partner using short responses or by holding up the
pictures (give students who are not speaking yet the pictures ahead of time.) When students use
one word or short phrases, extend their language by rephrasing into a complete sentence. For
example, if a student says, “come in car”, you might say. “Mari travels to school in a car.” You
might also use the student’s first language to clarify directions or to provide a translation of
words.
EL (Intermediate Levels and Advanced)
Use sentence scaffolds to encourage and extend language production.
Sample Sentence Scaffolds



I ride to school in a _________.
I travel to school on my _______.
I _______ to school.
Complex Sentence Scaffolds



I usually _______to school but sometimes I _______.
Most days I ________ but when it is raining __________.
Some days I ________ to school and other days I ___________________.
Class Period #2: Types of Transportation
PREPARATION
Materials Used
Have these materials ready before the activity:
 Chart paper with the title: Types of Transportation
 Transportation picture cards (multiple copies)
 Chart paper with columns: Land, Water, Air
 Land, Water, Air Sorting Chart.
PROCEDURES
1. Refer to the How do you travel to school chart and tell the students that they started learning
about transportation when they discussed how they traveled to school.
2. Explain to students that transportation is what we use to move things, including ourselves,
from place to place. You may want post a simple definition of transportation. For example:
Transportation: The act of moving things or people from one place to another. Walking and
driving in cars are popular methods of transportation in our classroom.
3. Review some of transportation methods from the chart.
4. Have the students brainstorm a list of other types of transportation and write their responses
on the chart paper. If needed, show the students some of the picture cards for support and
then add pictures next to the list on the chart.
3
5. Open Sort: Give pairs or small groups of students a set of transportation picture cards and ask
them to sort them into groups, putting the transportation methods that are alike together. For
example, students might sort by size, speed, or type (all of the boats together). Walk around
and listen as kids discuss their ideas. After a few minutes, ask the groups to share how they
sorted the types of transportation.
6. Directed Sort: Tell the students that one way to group the transportation methods is whether
they travel on land, the water, or in the air. Start by asking the students for an example of one
transportation method or vehicle that happens on land. After one or two examples, students
can sort their pictures in pairs or in small groups or you can continue completing as a whole
group.
STRUCTURED SUPPORT FOR ENGLISH LEARNERS
EL (Beginning Levels)
Pictures, sorts, and partner work will help support access to the core learning. If there is a group
of beginning EL students, teacher may pull into a small group while other students are working
in pairs. Teacher can extend short responses of the students as detailed in lesson one. Teacher
might also use a word wall with illustrations to add vocabulary (such as transportation) that
comes up during the lesson besides the words on the charts and picture cards.
EL (Intermediate Levels and Advanced)
Use sentence scaffolds to encourage and extend language production.
Sample Sentence Scaffolds for Open Sort




I put the ________ and the ______ together.
We put all of the ______________ in a group.
I put the ________ and the ______ together because
We sorted the pictures differently than _____________. We ___________.
Sample Sentence Scaffolds for the Closed Sort



A _______ travels on land.
An example of transportation on the land is ______________.
One type of transportation on the water is ________________________________.
Class Period #3: Transportation in the Past
PREPARATION
Materials Used
Have these materials ready before the activity:

Timeline: Create a timeline from 1900 to 2010 and post in the front of the room.
4

Transportation in the Past Graphic Organizer. Prepare the graphic organizer as an overhead,
on chart paper, or may be projected.

Print out and make enough copies for each child and one for the timeline:
Photograph 1
Washington, D.C. - Treasury Building from corner of 15th & G St., crowded with traffic, low
aerial view,” Photograph. 1917. From Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
Washington, D.C. 20540 USA
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3a46628
PROCEDURES
1. Tell the students that they will be continuing their study of transportation by looking at
transportation 100 years ago. Direct the students to the timeline—if the students have not
worked with a timeline before, explain that a timeline helps us to understand history and
explain the numbers on the timeline. Point to the 1910 and tell them that 1910 was 100 years
ago and they will be studying transportation from around that time. Post one copy of
Photograph #1 on the timeline at 1917.
2. Write/post the following inquiry question and read it with the students:
o What was transportation like in the past? What does that tell you about life in the
past?
3. Pass out Photograph #1 (Street Scene of Washington DC). Ask the questions below, one at a
time, giving students a chance to look at the photograph and talk to their partners before
charting the student responses on chart paper.
o What do you see in the photograph?
o What types of transportation do you see?
o What questions do you have?
With students with less background knowledge and the English Learners, you may want to
“talk the students through” the photograph to provide more information at this point or as
you consider each type of transportation in step 4. For example, using an overhead of the
photo, you might circle the streetcar and say, “This is a streetcar. In larger cities, before there
were buses and cars, people would use a streetcar to move around the city. The streetcar is on
a track like a train and has seats for people to sit in. The first streetcars were pulled by horses.
The one you see in the photo is an electric streetcar. Point to the streetcar in the photo and tell
your partner something you notice about the streetcar.
4. After the more general discussion of Photograph #1, have a more structured discussion about
the purpose, technology, and use of different types of transportation using the Transportation
in the Past graphic organizer. Ask the students a series of questions to elicit information
about each type of information seen in the photograph. The sample chart is partially
completed to demonstrate the type of information the teacher can discuss with the students.
5
Transportation in the Past
Photograph #1: Washington. D.C. 1917
Transportation:
Purpose:

What is it
used for?
Technology & Design:





Car/Automobile

It is used to
move
people and
things from
one place
to another.
Handcart


It is used to
move
people and
things from
one place
to another.
It is used to
move people
and things from
one place to
another.

It is used to
move things
from one place
to another.


Horse-Drawn
Wagon

It moves
people and
things from
place to
place.
People Walking
Streetcar


Use in Daily Life:
What makes it move?
How fast does it go?
What materials are used
to build it?
What features does it
have?
What does it look like?
An engine makes it
move.
Cars were made from
metal.
It has wheels, seats, a
steering wheel

Legs make it go.










Electric motors made it
move.
It moved on tracks like
a train.
It has wheels, seats, and
someone drives it.
Horses pull it
Wheels help make the
wagon move.
A person pulls or
pushes the cart.


Questions We
Have:
Do most people
use this
transportation?
How does/did it
impact daily
life?
Most people did
not own their

own car
It makes life
easier.
People can get
places faster.
Most people

walk some
places.
It is hard to walk
a long time or
when it is

raining.
How fast did a
car go back
then?
Do you see
crosswalks or
other traffic
signs for
pedestrians?
Does walking
look safe in
this picture?
How fast did it
go?
How much did
it cost?
Many people in
the city rode on
streetcars

Farmers and
shopkeepers
used wagons to
move their
goods to the
market

Where did
people “park”
their horses?

Because of
the heavy
lifting, was
this
considered
men’s work?

5. After completing the graphic organizer, discuss what is the same and different about the
types of transportation in the picture. Point out that the purpose is the same (to move people
or things from one place to another) but other things are different. For example, what makes
the transportation move and the number of people who use this type of transportation are
different.
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6. Return to the questions posed in step 1. Ask the students to tell their partner something that
they learned about transportation in the past. Then, what does that tell them about life in the
past?
STRUCTURED SUPPORT FOR ENGLISH LEARNERS
As explained in step 3, “talking the students through” the photograph with time for them to
discuss with their partner will help support students. The video clip (link in additional resources)
may also be shown to give students a better idea of the types of transportation used in the past.
As in previous lessons, giving the students a sentence scaffold will help support their production
of language.
Sample Sentence Scaffolds for Step 3



I see ________________________.
One kind of transportation I see is ___________________.
One question I have is ____________________.
Sample Sentence Scaffolds for Step 5



The ________is used for___________.
_________makes the __________move.
It is made of ________________.
Sample Sentence Scaffolds for Step 6
 I learned __________________________.
 One thing I learned about transportation in the past is _______________________.
 Life in the past was ______________________________.
 I think life in the past was ________________________ because _______________________.
Additional resources:
 American on the Move: Smithsonian National Museum of American History
http://americanhistory.si.edu/onthemove/ This website gives good background
information on transportation in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Extensions:
 Show video clip from early 1900s in Washington D. C. The video clip from the
Smithsonian National Museum of American History America on the Move exhibit
features streetcars, horse drawn wagons, bicycles, and early cars.
7
Class Period #4: Gallery Walk: Transportation Now and in the Past
PREPARATION
Materials Used
Have these materials ready before the activity:
 Print two copies each of photographs 2-6. Post the first copy of each photograph around
the room for a gallery walk activity or they may be placed on tables for the students to
look at in groups. Reserve the second copy to place on the timeline.
Photograph 2:“Locomotive "Sabine" of Morgan's Louisiana & Texas line.” 1909-1932,
Photograph from the National Photo Company, From Library of Congress Prints and
Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3b25757
Photograph 3:“Alaska--Freighting with dog teams.” Photograph. c1911. From Library of
Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3c23941
Photograph 4:“Race between Lincoln Beechey in airplane and Barney Oldfield in
automobile, going around race track.” Photograph. 1912. Library of Congress Prints and
Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3b18665
Photograph 5:“An 85,000 wool clip, Roswell, N.M, 1909.” Photograph. 1909. From
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3c12776
Photograph 6: Palmer, Frank. 1916. “Coeur D'Alene man, Phillip Wildshoe and family,
in his Chalmers automobile.” Photograph. From Library of Congress Prints and
Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3c01166

Make an overhead of the photographs or have the images ready to project.
PROCEDURES
1. Post the photographs around the room for a gallery walk activity, or the pictures may be
placed on tables for the students to look at in groups.
2. Tell the students that they will be continuing their study of transportation by looking at
transportation 100 years ago and comparing it to transportation today. Review what they
learned from the previous lesson and post/read the following inquiry questions:
Inquiry Questions:
 How is transportation the same as it was in the early 1900s? How is transportation
different?
 How do changes in transportation change our daily life?
8
3. Divide the students into five groups. Give the groups of students a few minutes at each photo,
using a signal to move the groups to each photo. Ask the students to talk to their partners
about what they see in the photos using the following prompts:
 I see…..
 I wonder…..
 A question I have….
If students are able to write independently or if there are older students or adults who can
help, place chart paper next to each photo. Ask the students to write their responses or have
the older students chart the students’ responses.
4. Use the overheads or project the photographs one at a time and add a copy of the photograph
to the timeline. As you look at each photograph, let the students share what they discussed
during the gallery walk. Then ask the students what was the same as now and what was
different than now. Record their responses on a piece of chart paper.
Transportation Now and in the Past
How is transportation the same as it was in the
early 1900s?
How is transportation different than in the
early 1900s?
5. Discuss the final question, “How do changes in transportation change daily life?” In order to
make this question more understandable, ask the students, “How would your life be different
if you only had the transportation from the early 1900s?” Try to bring out that transportation
would be slower and less convenient. For example, since few people used airplanes, taking a
train, boat, or car to travel a long distance would take a lot more time. Also discuss the idea
that some things change but some things remain the same, using the information about
transportation to illuminate this idea.
STRUCTURED SUPPORT FOR ENGLISH LEARNERS
During the gallery walk, teacher may group the beginning students together and remain with that
group. The teacher can extend the students responses. For example, if the students says “train.”
The teacher might say, “You see a train.” Then extend by saying, “This is the called a
locomotive. It has the engine that makes the train move.” “Do you see the wheels on the train?
Point to the wheels. How many wheels are there?”
Sample Sentence Scaffolds for Gallery Walk


I see ________________________.
One question I have is ____________________.
Sample Sentence Scaffolds for the Discussion.



One thing that is the same as today is __________________________.
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Today ______________ but in the past _________________________.
One thing that is different about ________________ is _______________.
Extensions
 Read Transportation Then and Now by Robin Nelson (Published in 2003 by Lerner
Publications (ISBN #978-0-8225-4637-5). This book is aimed at younger students,
utilizing photographs and simple text to explain how transportation has changed over the
years.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - EVALUATION
Evaluation

Create a student created book Transportation: Now and in the Past featuring writing
about the similarities and differences in transportation from today and 100 years ago.
Language Experience Approach (student dictates response and then reads with teacher)
may be used for emergent students or English Learners. Sentence scaffolds and the charts
from the lessons above may be used to help students generate sentences about
transportation. Students can illustrate their writing or paste photos into their books.
In the past, ____________________________
_____________________________________
Now, ________________________________
_____________________________________
In the past, people in large cities rode electric
streetcars.
Now, people in large cities ride in buses, in
subways, or in cars.
In the past, only a few people drove cars.
Now, most people drive cars.
10
Transportation Picture Cards
Jet
Rowboat
School Bus
City Bus
Skateboard
Helicopter
Bike
Walking
Motorcycle
Car
Subway Train
Train
11
Transportation Picture Cards
Fishing Boats
Submarine
Truck
Fire Engine
Sailboat
Cruise Ship
Motor Scooters
Hot Air Balloon
Skis
12
Land
Water
Air
13
Transportation in the Past
Photograph #1: Washington. D.C. 1917
Transportation:
Purpose:

What is it
used for?
Technology & Design:




How fast does it go?

What materials are used
to build it?
What features does it

have?
What makes it move?
Car/Automobile
People Walking
Streetcar
Horse-Drawn
Wagon
Handcart
14
Use in Daily Life:
Do most people
use this
transportation?
How does/did it
impact daily
life?
Questions We
Have: