Overview

In Unit 4 of our social studies textbooks, we learned about goods and services. We wanted our students to take a closer look at the goods that they used every day and the services that were important to them. We were hoping that by going back to the past and seeing how goods have developed over time, they would have a better sense of how present day goods would change in the future. 

Process

Week 1: Back to the Future

The first phase of our project was to travel back to the past and see the development of goods over time. We made timelines as a class, focusing on the following "basic needs":

1. Food

2. Shelter

3. Light

4. Transportation

5. Communication

Once the timelines were complete, our students were able to visually see the progression of goods throughout history. By seeing how goods continued to improve, they were able to determine that the problems with goods, were the impetus for change and continued development. Through further discussion, we were able to identify the relationship between the change in goods and the creation of new services. 

In pairs, students chose the "basic need" that they wanted to focus on for the project.  Once each team had a different area of focus, they brainstormed  current problems with the goods and services within their area of need.

Week 2: Back to the Future II

Now that our students had a list of problems with today's goods and services from the previous week, the next phase was to develop the solutions. They had many different ideas, but came to realize that it was difficult to solve all the problems. We decided that they should prioritize the problems and try to improve upon the most pressing issues.  

The video below is a sneak peek into our brainstorm session.

Once ideas were developed and our students were satisfied with their solutions, they organized the information into a graphic organizer that would  show their future goods and services, in comparison to the past and present.

Graphic Organizer

Week 3: Back to the Future III

The final phase of the project was to prepare an informative presentation on the "basic need" that our students had been examining and developing solutions for. The presentations had to include information about the past, present, and the future, with the focus being on the future goods and/or services that would solve current problems. 

Presentation Preparation

Presentations

The video below is a compilation of a few of the presentations. Enjoy!

Reflection

We were surprised by the amount of interest in and knowledge of the past that our students showed during the project. We knew that their creative minds would have no issues thinking about the future, but were encouraged to find that their solutions successfully addressed many of today's problems. They looked forward to each phase of the project and did not seem to notice how much work they were actually doing. Although there were some bumps along the way regarding teamwork, we have some insight into the next project and how to iron out the wrinkles.