Alabama Social Studies SS24.8.2

SS24.8.2 is a cluster heading. These are the individual standards under it.

• SS24.8.2a

  Identify factors leading to the separation of Eastern Orthodoxy and Western Christianity and explain how the Orthodox Church influenced society and culture in E...

• SS24.8.2b

  Evaluate the cultural contributions of the Byzantines to art, religion, and architecture.

• SS24.8.2c

  Analyze the influence of the Code of Justinian on modern legal codes.

01

What Students Need to Do

Students describe how the emperor, Constantinople, and the church helped govern the Byzantine Empire. They explain why eastern and western churches split and how Orthodoxy shaped life in Eastern Europe and later Central Asia. They compare Byzantine art, buildings, and laws with later examples.

02

What Mastery Looks Like

A student can explain why Constantinople mattered and how the emperor and church exercised power. They can name a cause of the church split and point to Orthodox traditions in Eastern Europe and later Orthodox communities in Central Asia. They can identify a Byzantine feature in a building and compare a rule from Justinian’s Code with a modern law.

03

Common Misconceptions

Students may think the empire ended when Rome fell, rather than continuing in the east. Some treat the church split as a single argument or assume Orthodoxy reached Eastern Europe and Central Asia at the same time. Others think Justinian’s Code became modern law without changes.

04

How to Assess It

Exit ticket: Why did the eastern and western churches split? Name one Orthodox practice or image found in Eastern European churches today.

1. 01

   Give pairs colored paper squares and a photo of a Byzantine mosaic; have them make a small mosaic and label its religious purpose.

2. 02

   Post short statements about papal authority and worship language; ask students to explain how each disagreement strained relations between Rome and Constantinople.

3. 03

   Run a card sort with excerpts from Justinian’s Code and modern property laws; students match related rules and explain one difference.

4. 04

   Show maps of Orthodox churches in Bulgaria and Kazakhstan; have students mark earlier Byzantine influence and later Russian expansion.

• SS24.8.1

  Analyze the economic, political, and social consequences of the collapse of the Western Roman Empire.

• SS24.7.15d

  Summarize the influence of Roman legal and political systems on later societies.

• SS24.7.14e

  Describe the influence of Alexander the Great’s empire, including the establishment of Hellenistic kingdoms, the diffusion of Greek culture, and its role in sha...