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Describe one of the cartoons in your own words.
Summarize it!
Next describe what this cartoon has to do with
“What is History”? Do you think we get our some of our current ideas about history from cartoons like these?

What you Know What you Want to know
What you Learned
Draw this table into you composition book, on page 22

 In the WHAT I KNOW column, write what you already know about what history is.
 Ex.: Can you define History?
 In the WHAT I WANT TO KNOW column, write what you would like to know about studying history.
 Leave the WHAT I LEARNED column blank.

History?
Dating Events
Measuring time
Calendars

 History is the study of the people and events of the past. It tells the story of the ways that cultures change over time.
 The people that study history are called historians. A historian’s job is to examine the causes, or reasons, that something happened in the past.
 History explains why things are the way they are.
 Learning about the past helps us understand the present and make decisions about the future.

 Periods of History: Decade- 10 years, Century- 100 years, Millennium- 1,000 years
 Eras- larger blocks of time that historians divide the past into.
 Examples of eras: Prehistory- the time before writing was invented, Ancient history- starts when writing was invented and ends around 500 A.D., Middle Ages- 500
A.D. to 1400 A.D., Modern History- 1400 A.D to the present.

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A calendar is a system for arranging days in order.
Some calendars are based on nature, such as the cycle of the moon or the sun.
Julian Calendar- invented by Julius Caesar, started counting years at the founding of Rome. A year on this calendar was 365.25 days, which would mean that every four years and extra day was added. These years are called leap years.
Gregorian Calendar- invented by Pope Gregory XIII. First, he started counting from the birth of Jesus. Next, he ordered that the days between October 4-15 be dropped from the Calendar. Gregory also included leap years, but no century year will be a leap year unless it is divisible by 400.

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B.C.- In the Gregorian calendar, the years before the birth of Jesus are know as “B.C.” or “ Before Christ”.
To date events before B.C., historians count backward from 1 A.D. There is no year
“0”.
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A.D.- The years after the birth of Christ are known as “A.D.” or “anno domini” which is Latin for “in the year of the Lord.”
To avoid a religious reference in dating, historians changed “B.C.” to “B.C.E.”, which means
“before common era” and changed “A.D.” to “C.E.” which means “common era.”

 Archaeology- study of the past by using what people left behind. These scientists dig in the earth to find objects that people left behind, which are also known as artifacts.
 Paleontology- study prehistoric times by analyzing fossils, which are the remains of plant and animals.
 Anthropology- study of human culture and how it develops over time. These scientists study fossils and artifacts, too.

 On the front of a blank piece of paper, draw a timeline of your life. Remember to include important events in your life along with the dates. For example, Birth:
January 3, 2001, Little League Championship: March
14, 2006.
 On the back of your timeline, answer the following questions. What is history and what does it mean to me?
 If an archaeologist were to explain my daily life, what artifacts do you think he/she might use?

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SS.6.W.1.1- Use timelines to identify chronological order of historical events.
SS.6.W.1.2- Identify terms (decade, century, epoch, era, millennium,
B.C./B.C.E., A.D./C.E.) and designations of time periods.
SS.6.W.1.4- Describe the methods of historical inquiry and how history relates to other social sciences.
SS.6.W.1.5- Describe the role of historians and recognize varying historical interpretations (historiography).
SS.6.W.1.6- Describe how history transmits culture and heritage and provides models of human character.
LA.6.1.6.1- The student will use new vocabulary that is introduced and taught directly
LA.6.1.6.3- The student will use context clues to determine meanings of unfamiliar terms.
LA.6.1.7.3- The student will determine the main idea or essential message in grade-level text through inferring, paraphrasing, summarizing, and identifying relevant details.