Understanding People in Their Own Time · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Stepping into someone else's time

History · Historical Thinking · ages 8-10
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. If an old rule allowed an action, that action could not have harmed anyone.

    Circle one:   True   False

  2. In an imagined old letter, Tia writes, 'The eclipse frightened me.' These words report Tia's feeling.

    Circle one:   True   False

  3. Imagine Ina's diary. First she sent goods by handcart. Later, after a railway opened nearby, she sent them by train. What change does it report?

    • She stopped sending goods.
    • She sent more goods after the railway opened.
    • She changed how she sent goods.

  4. People in the past always knew every fact that we know today.

    Circle one:   True   False

  5. In an imagined town record, event 1 is a report of river harm in 1932; event 2 is waste dumping in 1924; event 3 is a river rule in 1938. Which order follows the dates?

    • 2, then 1, then 3
    • 1, then 2, then 3
    • 3, then 1, then 2

  6. Imagine an old theater rule that barred women from its stage. Which approach studies its context without approving the exclusion?

    • Study the rule, objections and harm.
    • Accept the rule as fair.
    • Describe its age as proof that it was needed.

  7. An imagined child's letter says, 'Without my wages we cannot buy enough food. A factory rule sets my long workday.' Which question investigates the child's options?

    • Which workday would we prefer today?
    • Which hours did the child freely choose?
    • Which choices did this child and family have?

  8. A story names a worker but gives no date or place. Why seek those details before explaining her options?

    • To settle her motives.
    • To identify her historical setting.
    • To find rules that applied to every worker.

  9. Imagine Jo's letters. In 1905: 'I do not know the new safety rule.' In 1908: 'I have learned it.' Which change do these statements report?

    • Jo began obeying the rule in 1908.
    • Jo reported learning the safety rule.
    • Jo's co-workers learned the rule too.

  10. Sam says, 'Explaining why a harmful action happened means saying it was acceptable.' Which reply corrects his reasoning?

    • An explanation need not excuse harm.
    • Explaining harm makes it acceptable.
    • Reasons matter only if we approve them.
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Stepping into someone else's time W1-mt_IlyE-Sm8k5-s1

  1. False · A rule could allow an action that hurt people. Permission does not prove that an action was harmless.
  2. True · 'Frightened me' reports the writer's feeling. It does not state how everyone else felt.
  3. She changed how she sent goods. · The reported change is from handcart to train. No change in the amount sent is stated.
  4. False · People did not always have facts learned later. Check what a particular person knew at the time.
  5. 2, then 1, then 3 · 1924 comes before 1932, which comes before 1938. The dated order is 2, then 1, then 3.
  6. Study the rule, objections and harm. · Study how the rule worked, who objected and whom it harmed. Its existence or age does not make it fair.
  7. Which choices did this child and family have? · The letter explicitly reports a need for wages and a rule setting hours. Investigate the options under those limits.
  8. To identify her historical setting. · Time and place help identify relevant rules, tools and circumstances. They do not settle every motive or establish universal rules.
  9. Jo reported learning the safety rule. · The letters report changed knowledge. They do not establish Jo's obedience or the co-workers' knowledge.
  10. An explanation need not excuse harm. · Explaining and approving are different. We can investigate reasons while recognising harm.
Worksheet · LightMySky