Alabama Social Studies SS24.7.3

SS24.7.3 is a cluster heading. These are the individual standards under it.

• SS24.7.3a

  Describe multiple methods for organizing and labeling periods of time, including differentiating between the BC/AD and BCE/CE notations.

01

What Students Need to Do

Students put events in time order and group them into periods based on changes such as the start of farming. They read calendar dates and explain why calendars can give the same year different numbers. They recognize that BC matches BCE and AD matches CE.

02

What Mastery Looks Like

A student can place 8000 BCE, 3000 BCE, and 200 CE in order, even though BCE numbers count down toward CE. They can relabel 3000 BCE as 3000 BC and 200 CE as AD 200 without changing the dates. They can explain why an event might mark the start of a new period.

03

Common Misconceptions

Students may think BC and BCE refer to different years, or that AD and CE do. They may put 8000 BCE after 3000 BCE because 8000 is larger, or add a year zero between 1 BCE and 1 CE. Some assume every calendar starts counting from the same event.

04

How to Assess It

Exit ticket: Order 8000 BCE (early farming), 3000 BCE (early cities), and AD 200. Rewrite the dates using the other labels, then choose one event to start a new period and explain why.

1. 01

   Lay a tape timeline; students place cards for early farming, early cities, and Roman times, then mark where a new period begins.

2. 02

   Show pictures of a farm and a city; ask, "Which change would you use to start a new historical period, and why?"

3. 03

   Give pairs cards reading 500 BC, 500 BCE, AD 200, and 200 CE; they race to match equal dates and order the pairs.

4. 04

   Print today's dates from Gregorian and Hijri calendars; students compare the year numbers and find out what each calendar counts from.

• SS24.CWI.1c

  Relate current news stories to past events and broader historical trends.

• SS24.HS.6

  Compare historical methods utilized for research and evaluate how these methods yield information regarding the selected historical subject.

• SS24.HS.2c

  Apply the concept of historiography through contrasting how various historians have interpreted the historical subject.