Southern Life, Then and Now

School, farming, travel, and talking, then and today.

Warm-up, learn, try it together, practice, then a quick check. About 15 minutes.

What children learn in Level 37

In Carver's time, around 1900, most Southern farmers plowed with mules and picked cotton by hand. Today, tractors and big machines do much of that work.
Most homes in the South had no electricity then. Families lit oil lamps, and rode wagons to town.
In Ruby's time, around 1960, many families had a TV, but most TVs showed only black and white!
Phones were attached to the wall with a cord. To write a letter neatly, people used a typewriter.
School is different too. In Ruby's time, laws in the South kept Black and white children apart. Today, public schools are open to all children.
Some things are the same! Kids went to school, helped with chores, played jump rope, and ate sweet potatoes and peanuts.
Your turn! Sort them. Is it from long ago, or from today?
Try it with a grown-up! Ask a grandparent or older friend what phones and TVs were like when they were six.

Georgia Standards of Excellence in Social Studies:

SS1H1.b — Describe how everyday life of these historical figures is similar to and different from everyday life in the present (for example: food, clothing, homes, transportation, communication, recreation, etc.).
IPS.1 — Information Processing Skill 1: compare similarities and differences