Cookie Policy

Our website uses cookies to understand content and feature usage to drive site improvements over time. To learn more, review our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Skip Navigation
OER Logo

CCOT – Early Humans to Empires

Page 1 of 3
STUDENT MATERIALSSTUDENT MATERIALSS-1CCOT—EARLY HUMANS TO EMPIRESWORLD HISTORY PROJECT ORIGINS / LESSON 3.6 ACTIVITYPurposeYou have been introduced to the CCOT Tool, and in this activity you will use your continuity and change over time skills to analyze a historical topic. This process will help you make claims in response to questions about how things have stayed the same or changed in history.PracticesComparison, causation, claim testingIn this activity, you will use both your comparison and causation skills and apply them to analyzing changes and continuities that took place as agricultural communities became empires from c. 10,000 BCE to c. 550 CE. Additionally, you will be making claims in this activity by determining which changes and continuities are most historically significant. ProcessYou’ve read a lot about the formation and characteristics of agrarian societies and empires. Now we’re going to take that information and analyze the changes and continuities that took place as agrarian societies expanded to become empires. We’ll look at the time period from about 10,000 BCE, when many communities were transitioning from foraging to farming, to about 550 CE, as large empires were collapsing and restructuring.Your teacher will either hand out or have you download the CCOT—Early Humans to Empires worksheet and divide the class into small groups of three to four students. You’ll follow the directions on the CCOT Tool, included in the worksheet, and start by adding the timeframe you’ll be investigating (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 550 CE). Then, you’ll work with your group members to identify and write down on sticky notes as many continuities and changes (one continuity or change per sticky note) you can find for this time period. Remember that you can review any of the articles or videos in these units to jog your memory—looking over the Eras 2 and 3 overview articles is a good place to start!Once your group has written your changes and continuities on sticky notes, you’ll determine if each change or continuity was positive or negative. You’ll share your changes and continuities with the class by placing your sticky notes on the graph on the board. Be sure to share your reasons for categorizing your changes and continuities as positive or negative. You are allowed to move any sticky notes that you think were placed incorrectly by the prior group, but you must provide justification for doing that. After your group has moved any of the previous group’s sticky notes, you can place any of your changes or continuities that are not already up on the graph and explain your reasoning to the class.Finally, return to your groups to answer the remaining questions on the tool. Remember that you can use the acronym ADE to determine historical significance. Consider if most people’s lives were affected by these changes and continuities (amount); if people living in this time period were deeply affected by these changes and continuities (depth); or if these changes and continuities were long lasting (endurance). Be prepared to share your most significant change and continuity with the class along with your reasoning for your selections.Your teacher will collect these worksheets to review your understanding of these historical processes and to assess your CCOT skills. Unless otherwise noted, this work is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Credit: “CCOT—Early Humans To Empires”, OER Project, https://www.oerproject.com/
Name:Date:Name:Date:STUDENT MATERIALSS-2CCOT—EARLY HUMANS TO EMPIRESWORLD HISTORY PROJECT ORIGINS / LESSON 3.6 ACTIVITYDirections 1: Fill in the following information for the assigned topic. 1. Write the dates for time period being studied. 2. Write down on sticky notes as many continuities and changes for the time period that you can find. Write one per sticky note and place each on the graph to show whether it was a continuity or a change, and whether it was positive or negative. Be prepared to explain your thinking. PositivePositiveNegativeNegativeContinuityContinuityChangeChange
Name:Date:Name:Date:STUDENT MATERIALSS-3CCOT—EARLY HUMANS TO EMPIRESWORLD HISTORY PROJECT ORIGINS / LESSON 3.6 ACTIVITY3. Were there more changes or continuities? Explain why there were more of one than the other for this time period. 4. Look over the changes on your graph.• Were they more positive or negative, overall? Explain why these were more positive or negative during this time period.• What was the most significant change during this time period? Why?5. Look over the continuities on your graph.• Were they more positive or negative, overall? Explain why these were more positive or negative during this time period.• What was the most significant continuity during this time period? Why?Historical significance can be determined in several ways. Use the acronym ADE to help you:• Amount: How many people’s lives were affected by the continuity/change?• Depth: Were people living in the time period being studied deeply affected by the continuity/change?• Endurance: Were the changes people experienced as a result of this continuity/change long-lasting and/or recurring?