Building A Time Capsule:
A Webquest for the
21st Century
prepared by Dawn Stellmann
LS 521 Fall 2000
Western Maryland College
Introduction
As part of our curriculum about the new millennium we
will be designing, building, filling and placing a Time Capsule. This project will be organized by the fourth and fifth grades, but the whole school will be able to contribute an item to it.
We will be learning what a time capsule is, designing a questionnaire in order to decide what to put in it, and deciding where to put it and when to open it. We will have a ceremony to commemorate the event. We will use the internet to research this project, gain ideas, to view other’s attempts at time capsules, and see some that have been found and opened.
Task and Process
- What is a time capsule? What goes inside? To help answer some of your questions go to some of the internet sites listed in the links and resources section to see what other people have done. Who makes time capsules and why?
2. As a class we will develop a questionnaire to be used to
determine what we want to put inside our time capsule. To see some sample questionnaires go to What kinds of things do we want people to remember us-and our school-by? Will it be information about the school, or will it be more personal? Draw up some of these types of questions to ask a representative group of the student body. Go and ask them to take your survey, and to give it back to you. Let them know what it is for.
- Compile the results of your survey. Decide what most of
the students think should be included in the capsule. Now you must create guidelines for what may go in. First, how big will your capsule be? That will determine the size of the item that each student may contribute. Come up with a standard size for items. Give some examples of what might go in, and tell what cannot (see some guidelines for this at go in, and why.
- Determine the date for the capsule to be opened. Think
very hard about this. You don’t want it to be opened too soon, because it will have very little value. You don’t want to wait too long, either, or people will forget about it. Try to make the date sometime in your lifetime, so that you can come back and be a part of the opening ceremony. This date needs to be written down and given to the principal for safekeeping, and must be passed to all future principals.
- Compose a letter to the student body telling them about
your project: what it is, what they need to contribute, the deadline for bringing items in, examples of items, and when the capsule will be opened. Let them know that they are an important part of this project.
- Now it’s time to think about the actual capsule. What will
you make it out of? Again, go to some of the websites to see what others have done. How long will the container have to last? This needs to be something you already have, or you can have made, and it must be able to be sealed to keep out the elements and bugs. Where will you put the capsule once it is filled? How will someone in the future know it is there? How will you mark it? You must think about all of these things, and come up with a written plan. See the websites, especially for some thoughts about these things.
6. As your deadline approaches, plan a ceremony to install
the capsule. How will you mark it? That should have been part of your written plan, so make sure that you have the marker made before the ceremony. What do you want to say about your capsule? As a group, come up with ideas for a speech to be given during the ceremony. Everyone should take part in writing this, so compile your ideas and edit them to get a finished product.
7. It’s time to collect the items. Decide how you will
identify them. Remember to see the guidelines at for what can and cannot go in a capsule (things like staples and cassette tapes) to determine how you will attach something to mark and identify each item. What items do you want to put in about your school, to tell about it, and the students who go there, at this time?
8. Place the items in your capsule. Make sure they are all
marked appropriately. Seal the capsule. Place it in the spot you have decided on. Mark that spot. Hold your ceremony, and give your speech. As part of your speech you might wish to describe some of the items students have put in. You might also wish to register your time capsule with the International Time Capsule Society ( at this time. Put a copy of this registration into capsule. Give a copy of the registration to the principal for safekeeping, and to let people know when the capsule is to be opened. Make sure this is done, so your project is not forgotten!
9. Evaluate your project and the process you went through
to accomplish your goals. Use the checklist attached.
Links and Resources
Sample questionnaires for use in making time capsules.
The site of the International Time Capsule Society. It has a lot of information on time capsules, with links to articles and other informative sites.
The Smithsonian Institution’s site about time capsules.
A site about the documentary film “Time Capsule: Message in a Bottle.”
Evaluation Checklist
CriteriaPossible PointsInstructor Student
Questionnaire 10
Letter 10
Compilation of
data complete 10
Speech was
informative and to 10
the point
Use of resources
to develop project 10