Materials for the lesson

Bring different items that represent different time periods such as a CD, tape, old phones, Ipad, mp3 player, quill pen, pager, camera, fax etc. If the teacher cannot find these items it can be enough with their pictures on A4 papers.

Layout of the classroom

Phase 1. There should be a stage where each group could improvise their machine.

Phase 2 and 5. Normal classroom settings.

Phase 3 and 4. The room setting is empty to move freely.

Phase 1

The teacher and the whole group stand in a circle. The teacher counts one to four and divides the whole class into four groups.

Each group decides one machine to pretend. It can be TV, Play station, Airplane or washing machine. If any group cannot decide a machine the teacher can come with any suggestion.

Each group will have 10 minutes to practice how to improvise the machine with their group’s member. When they are ready they come to stage and freeze. The teacher pretends to push a button. Then the group starts to improvise the machine. The rest of the class guesses what machine it is.

Phase 2

When all groups are done, the teacher will ask students some machines that they know. The teacher takes note on the white board and explains to the class if some students do not know.

Tips to the teacher: It can be good to discuss about before and now questions.

–       What are the functions of the machine in order to understand why the machine has been invented?

–       How was the size of the machines before and now?

–       Some machines which will disappear later on?

Phase 3

The teacher and the whole class stand in a circle. The teacher distributes the pictures of the items or the real items for each student.

Now standing in the circle the teacher lets the student one by one to say “I invented this because ….”. If the student doesn’t know what the object is for he or she must try to make something up. But then the item is passed along the circle until someone actually knows what it is.

If nobody can figure it out, the teacher will then end it and say “I invented this because” and the reason why (let’s say a quill pen) “because people back in the days, before computers, could write beautiful letters.

Phase 4

After the previous exercise is done each student in the class keeps an item. The class needs to cooperate and tries to place the items in the order. The order will be time wise in history/past. The teacher needs to monitor and helps the class so the discussions/decisions are on a good level.

When all are placed in a line representing the timeline of items the teacher goes over the items and corrects the wrong. Now all students help the teacher to put the classroom back in order.

Phase 5

Have a fun discussion with class if there are any items that they think will be lost in time when they get old?