Core Concepts History and Geography Skills

Measuring & Organizing Time VOCAB Historians – people who study events in the past Timeline – line marked off with a series of events and dates Chronology – list of events in the order they occurred. Period – a length of time singled out because of a specific event or development that happened during that time. Prehistory – the time before humans invented writing History – refers to written history -Historians use timelines to put events in chronological order. -Timelines usually put dates in order based on the time of the event. -B.C. – before the birth of Christ or B.C.E – before the common era -A.D. – anno domini (in the year of our Lord) or C.E. (common era) -Historians use periods to organize and describe human activities. Periods can also be known as an era or epoch. -The past is split into 2 parts: -Prehistory -History – began about 5200 years ago

Historical Sources To understand the past, historians study historical sources PRIMARY SOURCES: -Information that comes DIRECTLY from a person who experienced the event. -Examples: letters, diaries, speeches, photographs, artifacts -Artifact – object made by a human being (tools/weapons) SECONDARY SOURCES: -Information about an event that does not come from a person who experienced that event. -Examples: books, articles, movies that make sense of the past

How do you know the sources are reliable? -Historical Sources DO NOT always give a true account of events. -Author might allow for personal feelings to influence what they wrote -Sometimes stories are not recalled accurately -Make sure you are using an accurate website -You have to evaluate a source to determine how reliable it is

How to evaluate the reliability of your source: -Who created the source material? -Does the source have a good reputation? -Witnesses to events are more reliable than someone just looking back at an event. -Is the information provided a fact or an opinion? -A fact is something that can be proved true or false. -An opinion is a personal belief. -Does the material seem to have a bias? -Bias is an unfair preference for or dislike of something. -Biased material often leaves out facts that do not support the author’s point of view

Archaeology and Other Sources Much of the ancient world has disappeared and cities have collapsed into ruins. Many artifacts that would show how people lived in the ancient world have been buried under layers and layers of soil. Archaeology aims to uncover this hidden history. Archaeology is the scientific study of ancient cultures through the examination of artifacts and other evidence. Archaeologists are like detectives and treasure hunters. Explore places where people once lived, search for artifacts like tools, weapons, and pottery. They study the objects they find to learn more about the past.

Anthropology Anthropology helps historians understand the past. Anthropology is the study of humankind, especially development and culture. Anthropologists seek to understand the origins of humans and the way humans develop physically. Often study fossils: bones and other remains that have been preserved in rock. Clues to the past can come from a cultures oral traditions- a community’s cultural and historical background, passed down in spoken stories and songs.

Understanding Maps

Themes of Geography There are 2 ways to talk about location – absolute and relative location Absolute location – describes a places exact location on Earth using latitude and longitude Latitude lines – run east to west Longitude lines – run north to south Relative location – the location of a place in relation to another place EXAMPLE: Somerset Academy is down the street from Target. PLACES Mix of human and nonhuman features at a given location EXAMPLE: Ms. Klein’s classroom is very colorful with lots of posters all over the walls. During the school day the desks are filled with students. REGIONS Region – an area with at least one unifying physical or human feature such as climate, landforms, population, or history.

Human-Environment Interaction Humans interact with their environment in two ways: adapt or change Adapt – The grocery store is an hour away from home so you decide to grow a vegetable garden. Change – Everytime it rains, my backyard floods and so does my neighbors. The county came in a built a canal to catch all the run-off water.

The Uses of the Themes of Geography Geographers use the themes to study the human world and the physical world. Geography helps us understand why the world looks the way it does, how humans interact with the world and change it, and how it will change in the future.

What is Culture? All people have the same basic needs and wants, such as food, clothing, and shelter. BUT different cultures respond to those needs and wants in different ways. CULTURE: the beliefs, customs, practices and behaviors of a particular nation or group of people. The features that make up a culture are known as cultural traits. CULTURAL TRAIT: an idea or way of doing things that is common in a certain culture. EXAMPLES: language, laws, religion, values, food, clothing, and many other customs. Common cultural traits are called norms NORMS: are behaviors that are considered normal in a particular society.

Culture can change over time. Example: Americans dress much differently today than they did in 1913.