If you were heading somewhere new, you needed a paper map to help you get there. You also had to know how to read it!
iStockPhoto/Getty Images (Map); M4OS Photos/Alamy Stock Photo (Podcast Icon); Courtesy of Sony (Walkman); Shutterstock.com (All Other Images)
Life Before Smartphones
Today, we can do almost anything with a device that fits in our pockets. But it hasn’t always been this way. Here’s what we needed 40 years ago.
From the May/June 2022 Issue
Standards
iStockPhoto/Getty Images (Map); M4OS Photos/Alamy Stock Photo (Podcast Icon); Courtesy of Sony (Walkman); Shutterstock.com (All Other Images)
Maps
Weather
Is it going to rain today? You had to watch the news on TV, listen to the radio, or read the newspaper to get the weather forecast.
Telephones
Need to call someone for a ride home? You had to have coins to
use the pay phone. If you didn’t know the person’s number by heart, you could use a phone book—a big book that listed people’s phone numbers!
Cameras
To take pictures, you used a camera and a roll of film. Then you dropped your film off at a store so your photos could be printed. That could take several days!
Information
Need to look something up? You might find the answer in your family’s encyclopedias—large books with information on many topics. Otherwise, off to the library you went! After all, there was no Google.
Music
Listening to music on the go required a cassette tape and a music player like this Walkman. Want to listen to a certain song? You had to fast-forward through the tape until you found it.
Write to Win
Interview an adult about what life was like before smartphones, using the infographic to help you write your interview questions. Then write an article based on your findings. Send it to “Before Smartphones Contest” by June 1, 2022. Five winners will each receive a Storyworks prize. Visit the Storyworks Contests page for more information.
This infographic was originally published in the May/June 2022 issue.
video
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Activities
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Skills Activities
Answer Key
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Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
1. Reading and Discussing
Project the infographic as students follow along in their magazines.
Prompt students to use the headline, subhead, and central image to identify the topic of the infographic.
Ask: Is the purpose of the infographic to
- explain something to you?
- convince you of something?
- tell you how to do something?
Have students look over the labels and images surrounding the central image. Ask:
- How are they related to the central image? (They provide details about the main idea.)
Break students into groups to read each section of the infographic and discuss what they find interesting, surprising, or convincing.
Come back together as a class and ask volunteers to summarize the main idea and supporting details from the infographic.
2. Writing
Preview the writing prompt in the “Write to Win” box.
Download and distribute the guided-writing activity that goes along with the infographic.
Have students respond to the writing prompt. If you wish, send their responses to our infographic contest.
3. Ideas to Engage and Inspire
Have students create their own infographics! Download our “Make Your Own Infographic” activity from Storyworks Digital.
Text-to-Speech