Lesson: This is Us: Using Time Capsules to Create History
Published on June 16, 2026
This is Us: Using Time Capsules to Create History
Freedom 250
📝 Overview
This 70-minute lesson introduces students to American pop culture in the 1990s through a time capsule. Students then plan what could go in their own time capsule.
📚 Teacher Goals
This lesson plan (LP) guides teachers to:
- use student-centered teaching practices
- prompt students to collaborate, communicate, and think critically
- facilitate collaborative decision-making through voting activities
🎯 Student Goals
As a result of this lesson, students will be able to:
- think critically about a 1990s American pop culture time capsule by completing a KWL (Know - Want to Know - Learned) chart
- identify and explain items for a class time capsule that represents their everyday lives, interests, communities, and current time period
📖 Key Vocabulary
Below, you can find key vocabulary related to This is Us: Using Time Capsules to Create History. You will find a glossary of definitions on page 16 of the downloadable lesson plan.
- category / categorize
- entertainment
- internet and communication
- on the go
- slang
- time capsule
- trends and lifestyle
