Wndows to the past (social studies)

Time Capsules A centennial time capsule is one that will be opened in one hundred years.. A millennial time capsule is one that will be opened in one thousand years.. A company called

by Lana Cruce

Scott Foresman Reading Street 2.4.1

Expository

nonfi ction

• Compare and Contrast

• Main Idea

• Text Structure

• Captions

• Labels

• Diagrams

• Headings

ISBN 0-328-13279-9

ì<(sk$m)=bdchjj< +^-Ä-U-Ä-U

Suggested levels for Guided Reading, DRA, ™

Lexile, ® and Reading Recovery ™ are provided

in the Pearson Scott Foresman Leveling Guide.

Past

Windows

to the

by Lana Cruce

Scott Foresman Reading Street 2.4.1

Expository

nonfi ction

• Compare and Contrast

• Main Idea

• Text Structure

• Captions

• Labels

• Diagrams

• Headings

ISBN 0-328-13279-9

ì<(sk$m)=bdchjj< +^-Ä-U-Ä-U

Suggested levels for Guided Reading, DRA, ™

Lexile, ® and Reading Recovery ™ are provided

in the Pearson Scott Foresman Leveling Guide.

Past

Windows

to the

1 Compare and contrast the time capsule

Dr Jacobs put together and Garrett Nelson’s time capsule How are they alike? How are they different? Use a Venn diagram like the one below to help you organize your ideas

2 Sometimes authors use examples to tell

more about a topic What two examples

of time capsules are given in this book?

3 Look up the word culture in your

glossary What could you tell someone else about your own culture?

4 Use the headings in this book to find

the page with information about the pyramids

Reader Response

by Lana Cruce

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Windows

to the

Past

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3

Preserving the Past

Making a time capsule is a way to

preserve information about our culture We

save objects that represent our life today so

that they will be discovered by people in the future This way, people in the future can use the objects to study the past

A time capsule is a special container that holds objects from a certain time It could be

an expensive steel box designed to preserve

valuable objects for five thousand years It

could be as simple as a shoebox that you put

in your closet to be opened in five years

Pyramids and Cornerstones

In some ways the Egyptian pyramids are similar to time capsules Scientists can

study the culture of the ancient Egyptians

by examining objects found in pyramids

Pyramids, however, are not real time capsules, because they were not supposed to be opened Real time capsules are meant to be opened on a certain date

The pharaohs’ tombs were not meant to be opened.

5

Like the pyramids, cornerstones are similar to time capsules but are not real time capsules People sometimes bury objects

in the bases of buildings that are being constructed Unlike time capsules, which are meant to be opened, cornerstones are only meant to be discovered when a building falls down or is destroyed

Workers laying cornerstone for the United Nations building in New York.

Time Capsules

A centennial time

capsule is one that will be opened in one hundred years A millennial time

capsule is one that will be opened in one thousand years What do you think you would find if you opened a time capsule that

is one hundred years old?

How about one that is one thousand years old?

This time capsule

was made to be

closed up for five

thousand years!

7

The term time capsule was first used during

the 1939 World’s Fair in New York City A company called Westinghouse created a time capsule to be opened in five thousand years

In it they put many everyday objects, such

as a camera and a toothbrush They thought about calling the project a time bomb

because the capsule was shaped like a missile

However, that didn’t seem right, and it soon became known as a time capsule But who inspired this project?

The World’s Fair capsule is lowered into place.

The Crypt of Civilization

A few years before the 1939 World’s Fair,

a man in Atlanta, Georgia, was making his

own time capsule Although he did not call

it a time capsule, it is now often called “the

grandfather of all time capsules.” The man’s

name was Thornwell Jacobs, and he would

call his project the Crypt of Civilization

9

A crypt is an underground room

Dr Jacobs built his crypt in the basement of

a building at Oglethorpe University, where

he was president He built the crypt in an old swimming pool, because the pool was waterproof

The Crypt of Civilization was sealed with

a steel door Dr Jacobs said his crypt should remain closed until the year 8113

(left) Dr Thornwell Jacobs shown holding some of the objects in the Crypt of Civilization (below) This crypt is beneath a church in Germany.

The contents of the Crypt of Civilization include a typewriter, a cash register, a

sewing machine, a flashlight, dolls dressed

in the fashions of the day, a radio, a pair

of binoculars, a fishing pole, a flyswatter,

records, newspapers, toys, drinks, and a

watch The crypt was sealed on May 28,

1940 It is to be opened on May 28, 8113

Placing items in the crypt.

11

The crypt also contains a machine that teaches the English language Dr Jacobs included this machine in case the people who open the crypt in the year 8113 do not speak

or read English The machine was invented just for the crypt and is called the Language Integrator

Sealing up the crypt.

Oglethorpe University

13

Dr Jacobs wanted to fill the Crypt of Civilization with as much knowledge from books as he could Because books take up

a lot of room, Dr Jacobs and his staff made small copies of each book page, using a microfilm camera They copied more than 600,000 pages in this way

In 1990, the fiftieth anniversary of the sealing of the Crypt of Civilization, the International Time Capsule Society (ITCS) was started at Oglethorpe University One of the society’s main purposes is to keep a list

of all the time capsules made Anyone who makes a time capsule can send information about it to the ITCS

These students are looking at microfilm

Garrett Nelson’s Letter

Anyone can make a time capsule

Seven-year-old Garrett Nelson made a time

capsule with his grandfather It was a ten-year

time capsule Garrett made his time capsule

in 1990 He opened it in the year 2000, when

he was seventeen

15

Garrett and his grandfather placed newspaper clippings, photographs, drawings, and a small coin collection in a metal box

In his time capsule Garrett also included a letter to himself He wrote about his life and what he would like to do when he grew up

Garrett made some predictions about what his life would be like ten years later—the next time he would be reading the letter

Take pictures to put

in your time capsule.

17

Garrett

Feb 13, 1990

Hi Garrett, this is Garrett I am making a time capsule and Grandpa Jack is helping me

I am seven years old and in the second grade

I have a little sister named Madison and my mom’s name is Cheryl Madison is taking ballet and she is going to have a performance soon

We live in the country I like to play in the woods and wade in the creek I also like to draw

When I grow up I want to be a teacher We are going to open this time capsule in ten years In ten years I will be in high school I will be tall I will

be able to push the lawnmower and drive a car I will still live with my mom and Madison because they are my family and I love them Bye Garrett

of the future, see you in ten years !

Now Try This

Make Your Own Time Capsule

Now that you have learned a little about the history of time capsules and some ideas

for putting together a time capsule, it is time

to make one of your own

19

1 Choose how many years you want to wait

to open your time capsule It could be one year, five years, ten years, or more

2 Write a letter to yourself Tell how old you are, what your school is like, what activities you enjoy, and who your friends are Then write about what you think you will be like when you open your time capsule

3 Draw a picture of yourself and your family as they look now Then, draw a picture of what you think you and your family members will look like when you open the time capsule

4 Put your letter in a large envelope or

a shoebox Add photos, drawings, newspaper clippings, and any other small objects that you think will remind you about your life as it is now

5 Tape your time capsule shut Label it with your name, the date, and the date it is to

be opened Decorate it as you wish Have fun!

Her e’s H ow to D o It!

Glossary

one-hundred-year

anniversary

underground room

or vault

history, traditions,

and language of a

group of people

one-thousand-year

anniversary

safe from damage

or harm

to stand for something else

something that is special to someone

1 Compare and contrast the time capsule

Dr Jacobs put together and Garrett Nelson’s time capsule How are they alike? How are they different? Use a Venn diagram like the one below to help you organize your ideas

2 Sometimes authors use examples to tell

more about a topic What two examples

of time capsules are given in this book?

3 Look up the word culture in your

glossary What could you tell someone else about your own culture?

4 Use the headings in this book to find

the page with information about the pyramids

Reader Response