How
Old is Old?
OVERVIEW:
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The
student will develop concepts of "young, younger,
youngest" and "old, older, oldest" by applying
these terms to pictures of familiar things, such as
houses, pets, trees, cars, and people. Students will
visualize and illustrate how they think they will look
when they are older.
Appropriate
for Grade Level: K-3 (May be adapted for older students.)
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OBJECTIVES:
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Students
will:
- Understand
the relativity of the terms "young" and
"old."
- Understand
that we change physically as we age.
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MATERIALS:
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Photographs
and illustrations of buildings, animals, trees, cars,
people, etc. which clearly demonstrate various ages.
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Start by asking
some open-ended questions to explore what the children understand
about the meaning of the word old and the concept of growing
older. The following questions and information may be helpful:
What
do we mean by old? At what age is someone old? Is someone
who is 20 old? Is someone who is 30/40/50/60 old? Is your
Dad old? Is your Mom old? Are your grandparents old?
ACTIVITY
1:
- Ask
students if they think they can always tell how old someone
(or something) is by appearance alone.
- Have the students
help you determine how to arrange one set of pictures from
youngest to oldest in a whole class setting.
- Divide students
into smaller cooperative groups and give each group a different
set of pictures to arrange.
- Call the class
back together and have each group share how they arranged
their pictures, explaining their reasoning for doing so.
ACTIVITY
2:
Start
a group discussion by talking about birthdays. Ask the children
what age they were at their last birthday, before their last
birthday, and what age they will be after their next birthday.
Elicit that they were younger in the past and will be older
in the future and that eventually they will be as old as their
parents first, then as old as their grandparents, or other
older people that they know.
Talk about
how the children think they will look and feel when they are
older. Answers will include the physical changes such as gray
hair, wrinkles, possible lack of mobility, less independence.
(1)
ACTIVITY
3:
Instruct
children to sit quietly with their eyes closed. Instruct them
to picture in their heads what they will be like when they
are much older, for example, as old as their grandparents.
Ask the following questions to generate thinking:
- What
do you look like? What color is your hair?
- What
are you wearing?
- Where
do you live and with whom?
- What
do you do every day?
- What
do you like to do for fun?
- What
do you like to eat?
- Who
are your friends?
Follow
by asking the children draw a picture of the mental image
they had of themselves when they were older.
Discuss
the images the children created. Encourage the students to
share why they drew certain features or characteristics they
way they did. (1)
EXTENSION
IDEAS:
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Develop a
list of basic words related to aging. Have students
write sentences using the terms correctly.
Ask students
to make a list of activities they can or cannot do now.
Have them examine the list for activities they can or
cannot do when they grow older. Discuss growing older
as a process of growth, development, and change.
Provide students
with a list of long-lived artists, poets, musicians,
photographers, architects, dancers, or actors. Have
students note the age at which important accomplishments
were made. (2)
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Return
to Teacher Guide Main Page
(1)Adapted from Young and Old (2000).
Irish National Council on Ageing and Older People, 2000.
(2) Extension Ideas adapted from Couper, D.
& Pratt, F. Teaching about Aging: Enriching Lives across
the Life Span. National Retired Teachers Association and
National Academy for Teaching and Learning about Aging, 1997.
National Science Education Standards - Standard A - Science
as Inquiry, Standard C - Life Science, Standard F - Science
in Personal and Social Perspectives |
