Same Social studies › Time and change › Change and continuity
What does change and continuity mean?
Change is what became different over time; continuity is what stayed the same. Kids compare a topic at two times, like schools in 1880 and today, and sort what changed from what continued. It teaches them that history isn't only about change; some things last for centuries.
- Change: what became different.
- Continuity: what stayed the same.
- Then ask why each changed or lasted.
Why schools teach it
It's a core way historians think
Students classify historical events and developments as examples of change and continuity (C3 D2.His.2.6-8). High school AP history calls it CCOT, continuity and change over time.
Comparing then and now also makes the past concrete: kids see how ordinary life, like school, travel or news, has shifted.
At the kitchen table
What to say, and what to skip
Say this
What was different then?
ChangeWhat's still the same today?
ContinuityWhy do you think that changed?
Why do you think that lasted so long?
Skip this
- Listing only changes.Finding continuities is half the task.
- “People back then were dumb.”They solved problems with the tools they had.
- Changes with no reasons.Ask what caused each change: inventions, laws, ideas.
See it in action
Schools in 1880 and today
Changed
one-room schoolhouse → many classrooms · slates → laptops · walk miles → busStayed the same
kids learn reading, writing and math · a teacher leads the class · a school year with breaksWhy
New technology and more money for schools changed tools; the goals of school lasted.
A T-chart (changed | stayed the same) is the usual organizer.
Free practice sheet
Make a change and continuity sheet
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Parents also ask
What is continuity?
Something that stayed the same over a period of time.
What is CCOT?
Continuity and Change Over Time, the AP history name for this skill.
How many of each should kids find?
Usually two or three changes and two or three continuities.
Is this the same as compare and contrast?
Similar, but it compares the same thing at two different times.