Alabama Social Studies SS24.AS.1

SS24.AS.1 is a cluster heading. These are the individual standards under it.

• SS24.AS.1a

  Summarize how the geography and biodiversity of Alabama formed and evolved during the Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic Periods.

01

What Students Need to Do

Students locate Alabama’s major land regions on a map and tell them apart by terrain and rocks. They explain how seas, mountain building, sediment, and erosion changed the land and its habitats over three geologic eras.

02

What Mastery Looks Like

A student can place the Coastal Plain, Piedmont, Ridge and Valley, Appalachian Plateau, and Highland Rim on a map and name a feature of each. They can connect Paleozoic mountain building, Mesozoic Gulf sediments, and Cenozoic erosion to changes in habitats.

03

Common Misconceptions

Students may place the Coastal Plain only at the shoreline, though it extends far inland. They may think today’s ridges and forests have looked the same since the Paleozoic.

04

How to Assess It

Give students a blank Alabama map and three era labels. Ask them to label five regions, note a physical trait for two, and write one land or habitat change for each era.

1. 01

   Use clay on a printed relief map to model Appalachian ridges, Piedmont hills, and the low Coastal Plain, then label each region.

2. 02

   Have students explain in writing why a Paleozoic marine fossil could turn up in northern Alabama, using a geologic map as evidence.

3. 03

   Give pairs region cards with photos and clues; have them place each card on an Alabama outline map and defend one choice.

4. 04

   Compare a north Alabama road-cut photo with a Mobile Bay shoreline photo, then name the landforms and likely habitats at each site.

• SS24.3.3a

  Locate state and national parks within Alabama and explain their historical and economic significance.

• SS24.3.2b

  Describe the geographic features and natural resources of Alabama regions, including the Alabama Ridge and Valley, Black Belt, Cumberland Plateau, Highland Rim,...

• SS24.AS.2

  Explain how Alabama’s geography contributes to the biodiversity of the state.

• SS24.3.2

  Explain how geographic features, including land regions and river systems, connect Alabama to other states.