Special Educator Survival Guide

Social Studies for Special Education: Teaching Then and Now

We know that we must make education accessible for all of our students, but where do we begin when it comes to social studies? When you have students who are still working on communication skills and social-emotional skills, it can feel like a huge undertaking to teach social studies for special education. But it doesn’t have to feel that way! Here is the number one concept that I teach to help make social studies more accessible for my students: the concept of then and now.

Teaching students the concept of then and now is the basis for them to understand that some events happened in the past while also helping them understand that events take place every day in the present. It might seem simple, but this is truly the key to success in social studies for special education. Here are some ways you can easily teach this concept to your students.

Errorless Activities

Errorless activities are the way to go when first teaching your students about a concept such as then and now. These types of activities make it so that students can only answer correctly. That way they do not practice making errors and are more likely to learn the difference between something. In this case, the difference between then and now.

I find that using very distinct visuals is a great way to do this. For example, after giving students examples of items or words that represent then and now, having them complete an errorless cut and paste worksheet to practice. The only visuals for students to cut out and paste as the answers are either things from the past or present. And the visuals on that sheet will all be of items we no longer use (or the technology has been upgraded) if targeting the past OR items currently in use that they see in their every day life if targeting the present.

Then and Now Cut and Paste Errorless Worksheets

Here are some ideas for visuals you could use in these types of activities:

Horse drawn carriage (then)
Car (now)
Quill and ink (then)
Computer (now)
Cooking fire (then)
Stove (now)

By starting with distinct visuals and presenting errorless activities, you will set your students up for success with this more abstract concept!

Simple Discrimination Tasks in Social Studies for Special Education

Once students have gained an understanding of then and now using errorless activities, they need to practice simple discrimination. Meaning, we need to help them determine if something or an item falls under the category of then or now. Here are my two favorite ways to practice simple discrimination.

Task Cards

Task cards, specifically yes/no task cards, are a great way to get students discriminating between then and now. Simply create a card that has a picture of an item that was used in the past or is used in the present. Ask, “is this the past?” or “is this the present?” Students choose yes or no using whatever response modality works for them (pointing, clipping with a clothespin, circling with a dry erase marker, etc.)

The student is given one image to look at and then must discriminate between “yes” and “no.” This tends to be an easier discrimination then discriminating between multiple visuals, so I like to use task cards first when working on this skill.

Identification Worksheets

Identification worksheets are a great way to get students discriminating between different visuals AND determining what category they fall under: then or now.

Add images of items from the past and present on a worksheet. I recommend sticking with the same visuals from the errorless activities and task cards to start. This is a great way to make the discrimination easier since students are familiar with the images. Then you can make the task more difficult by switching out images, using a mix of cartoon images and real pictures, or even new items.

Ask the students to identify all of the items on the worksheet that either represent the past or the present. They can circle them, put an x through them, point to them if you are working one on one. Any response style is fine, because the real work is scanning the page, finding an item, and then determining is it past or present.

Matching Worksheets

Matching worksheets are a great way to start to bring more text into the learning of then and now. Up until this point, my students get a lot of practice with identifying then and now using visuals. This is how I bridge visuals and text.

You can simply put the words then and now down the side of a sheet or past and present. Then on the other side have images of items. Students match the image to the correct word.

Adapted Books

These are probably my favorite independent activity as well as my favorite way to include more reading practice when learning about then and now. Adapted books allow students to manipulate information in the book in order to answer questions about the content.

For example, on the page you can have a picture of a horse drawn carriage. Under the picture, it could read, “Is this from the past?” Students look at the picture, read the sentence (or have it read aloud to them) and then determine yes or no. They add a symbol or the word yes/no to the page to answer the question.

Once students have had a lot of practice, you can give out adapted books and have students practice independently. You can also pull out adapted books every so often to make sure that students are retaining the concept of then and now OR if you find they are struggling with other areas of social studies and need a refresher.

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Need Help Teaching Social Studies for Special Education?

Grab this done for you Social Studies for Special Education Then and Now resource that includes errorless activities, cut and paste practice, matching worksheets, video and digital activity links and so much more!