Chapter -4 Timeline And Sources

Contents
 Learning Objectives
 Learning Outcomes
 SDGs
 Theme and Value of the month
 Curricular Goal
 Mind Map
 Key Terms
 Important Points
 Book Exercise
 Big Questions
 Let’s Explore/Activity Based Question/Answer
 Activity
 Subject Integration
 Class test

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Learning Objectives Learning Outcomes SDGs ALIGNED

1. Remember – List the Remember SDG 4 – Quality

sources of history Education
(oral, written,  Students will be able (Historical literacy & critical
archaeological) and to identify and list thinking skills development)
units of historical different sources of
time. history (written, oral, SDG 11 – Sustainable
2. Apply – Arrange archaeological) and Cities & Communities
events in define key terms (Understanding early human
chronological order such as timeline, settlements & community
using a timeline. chronological order, development)
3. Analyze – Compare and century.
types of historical SDG 12 – Responsible
sources and examine Apply Consumption & Production
early human lifestyles. (Early agriculture &
4. Evaluate – Assess the  Students will be able sustainable use of natural
reliability of sources to arrange events in resources)
and judge the chronological order
significance of and use timelines to
timelines. organize historical
5. Create – Design a events.
timeline or mind map  Activity 1 – My Life
representing historical Timeline: Students
events and sources. will sequence
personal life events
and visualize them on
a timeline.

Real-Life
Application: Helps in
planning personal
events, tracking
milestones, and
understanding
sequences in daily
life.

Analyze

 Students will be able

to differentiate
between various
sources of history
and examine early

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 human life, tools,
and first crops.
 Activity 2 – Source
Sorting Game:
Students will classify
historical sources,
recognize their types,
and analyze
reliability.

Real-Life
Application: Helps in
evaluating credibility
of news, reports, or
stories in everyday
life.

Evaluate

 Students will be able

to assess the
reliability of sources
and judge the
significance of events
in shaping human
history.

Create

 Students will be able

to construct simple
timelines, design
mind maps, or
represent early
human life visually.
 Activity 3 – Century
Table: Students will
connect years to
centuries, organize
events, and
understand historical
chronology.

Real-Life
Application: Helps in
planning projects,

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 understanding
historical dates, and
presenting
information visually.

Theme of the month- New Beginnings & Goal Setting

 Connection: History shows our evolution and how societies developed over time.
Timelines and chronology help us see progress, understand sequences, and learn from
the past.
 Student Relevance: Just as humans built new ways of living, students can look at their
own personal timeline, reflect on their growth, and plan what needs to be done to
become a better version of themselves.

Value of the month-“Blossom with Balance”

 Connection: Early humans adapted to nature, balanced work and survival, and
developed communities, showing the importance of harmony and thoughtful
planning.
 Student Relevance: Students can learn to balance academics, personal growth, and
social responsibilities, applying lessons from history to their own lives.

Curricular Goal : CG-1:

C-1.1
Collects and interprets multiple sources of information ( primary and secondary) to understand
the historical, ultural, geographical and socio- political aspects of human life.
C-1.2
Represents and analyses data related to various aspects of human life given in the form of text,
tablets, charts, diagrams and maps.
CG-3: C-3.2
Identifies reasons behind harmony and conflict among social groups and communities, in their
region and in other parts of the world and their impact on human societies.

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Mind Map

Key Terms
1. History: The study of human past.
2. Era: A distinct time period
3. Fossils: Parts of plants and animal that are found within layers of soil or rocks
4. Gregorian calendar: The calendar which has 12 Months or 365/366 days.
5. Auspicious: Favorable or bringing luck
6. Historian: A person who studies and writes about the past.
7. Genetics: The branch of biology that studies how, in plants, animals or humans, certain
features and characteristics get passed down from one generation to the next.
8. Afterlife: A life that begins after death.
9. Welfare: Health, prosperity and well being.
10. Hamlet: A small settlement or small village.
Important points
1. There are different ways to measuring time – years, decades, centuries, millenniums.
2. Person who studies the physical features the earth, like soil, stories, seas etc. – Geologist
3. People who studies the remains of plants animals and human in the form of fossils –
Palaeontologists
4. Study of human societies and culture from the oldest times to the present – Anthropology
5. Study of past by digging up remains that people, plants and animals left behind such as
tools, pots, bones, burnt grains and bricks etc. – Archaeology
6. CE – Common Era

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 7. BCE – Before Common Era
8. A period of 10 years – Decade
9. A period of 100 years – Century
10. A period of 1000 years – Millennium
Book Exercise
Q1. As a project, write the history of your family (or village if you live in one), using sources
of history at your disposal.
Answer: For example: I live in_____________ village. In the year_____________ my grandfather
came to this village. In the year_____________ my father was born. Main activity of my family
was gathering & hunting. But later my parents became farmers.
Q2. Can we compare historians to detective? Give reasons for your answer.

Answer: Yes, historians can be compared to detectives because:

1. Both study clues or evidence to understand events.

2. Detectives solve crimes, historians study the past.
3. Detectives use witnesses and records, historians use historical sources.

Q3. A few exercises with dates:

1. Place these dates chronologically on the timeline: 323 CE, 323 BCE, 100 CE, 100 BCE, 1900
BCE, 1900 CE, 2024 CE.
Answer: 1900 BCE → 100 BCE → 323 BCE → 100 CE → 323 CE → 1900 CE → 2024 CE
2. If king Chandragupta was born in 320 CE, which years was that after the Buddha’s birth?

Answer: King Chandragupta was born in 320 CE. Buddha was born in 560 BCE.

Years after Buddha’s birth:

560 (BCE) + 320 (CE) – 1 = 879 years

So, King Chandragupta was born 879 years after Buddha.

3. Rani of Jhansi was born in 1828. Which century she belong to? How many years was that before
India’s independence?
Answer: Rani of Jhansi born in 1828, It belonged to the 19th century.
To find how many years before India’s independence she was born, we will subtract her birth year
from the year of India's independence as :- 1947-1828 = 119 years.
So, we can say Rani of Jhansi was born 119 years before India’s independence.
4. Turn’12000 years ago’ into a date.

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Answer:

1. Current year = 2026 CE

2. Subtract 12,000 years: 2026 – 12,000 = –9,974
3. Since negative years represent BCE, this is 9,974 BCE

So, 12,000 years ago was around 9,974 BCE.

Let’s Explore
Q1. How do we measure historical time?

Answer: We measure historical time using:

1. Timelines – to show events in order.

2. Calendars – like Gregorian, Islamic, or Chinese.
3. Divisions of time – decades (10 years), centuries (100 years), millennia (1000 years).
4. Labels – BCE, CE, or AD to denote periods.

Q2. How can various sources help us understand history?

Answer:

1. Written records – inscriptions, manuscripts, and travelogues tell about daily life
2. Oral traditions – stories and folk tales provide cultural and historical information.
3. Archaeological sites – ruins and burial sites show cities and social life
4. Maps – show geography of past settlements

Q3. How did early humans live?

Answer:

1. Hunting and gathering – they collected fruits, nuts, and plants.

2. Nomadic lifestyle – moved from place to place for food and water.
3. Tools – used simple tools made of stones, bones, and wood.
4. Shelter – lived in caves or made temporary huts from branches and leaves.
5. Clothing – wore animal skins for protection from cold and rain.

Activity- (Page No-65)

1. Create a timeline stretching from 1900 CE to the current year and place the dates of birth of
your grandparents, parents, siblings and yourself. Also mark the years that the 20th Century CE
begins with and ends with.

Answer: Do it yourself. Below given is sample for your reference.

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Activity- (PgNo.67)

1. Have you ever seen old coins, books, clothes, jewellery or utensils in and around your house?
What type of information can we gain from such objects? Or from old houses or buildings.

Answer: Old coins, clothes, jewellery, utensils, and houses are sources of history. They tell us
about kings, lifestyle, economy, culture, and language of people in the past.

Activity- (PgNo.68-69)

1. Ist image is of a coin from Samudragupta Period. This coin provides information about
Samudragupta's period, language, metal used in the minting of coin and about the image of the
ruler playing veena.

2. This image shows a Veeragallu, also known hero stone or memorial stone. It has been taken
from the Kadamba Yadava dynasty from the 12th CE. It was found in Molcornem, Goa. At
present it is displayed at the ASI museum in Goa. It was made in the memory of soldiers who
sacrificed their lives.

[Link] image is of ‘The National Emblem of India’. It has been adopted from the Lion Capital
of Ashoka Pillar at Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh, India. It provides information about India's economic
growth and standard of living with progress.

Activity- (PgNo.70)

3. Which activities of early humans in a rock shelter. Which can you recognise give a brief
description for each.

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Answer: Some activities of early human in a rock shelter are:

 Hunting animals

 Using fire for cooking food.

 Making stone tools and bone tools

 Making and crafting in the caves or cave walls.

 Making colours

Activity ([Link].71)

4. Observe the scene on the next page. It depicts an agricultural community from a millenniums
ago. List the main activities you can identify.

Answer: The main activities shown in the picture are:

 Farming

 Domestication of animals and

 Cooking

 Making tools

 Harvesting grains etc.

Activities

Activity 1: My Life Timeline

Activity 2: Source Sorting Game

Activity 3: Century Table Activity

Subject Integration

 Maths: Use timelines and chronological order to calculate differences between events.
 Science: Explore scientific methods like Carbon dating to understand how artifacts are
dated.
 Geography: Connect historical events with their geographical locations.
 Language (Hindi/English/Sanskrit etc): Study manuscripts, diaries, letters, and
inscriptions to understand languages and scripts of the past.

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  Art: Study cave paintings and ancient symbols to explore historical art and life.
 Environmental Studies: Examine how ancient societies adapted to their environment
and used natural resources.
 ICT: Use computers or tablets to create timelines, organize historical data, and search
for information on artifacts or historical events.

Class Test

Q1.

Q2.

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Q3.

Q4.

Q5.

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6. Why do you think the study of different fields such as geology, archaeology, and anthropology
is important for understanding human history?

7. How would historians and archaeologists figure out the past if there were no written records?

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