CCOT

1. CCOT Change AND Continuity over Time AP World History

2. Purpose: • To evaluate your ability to analyze historical changes and continuities that have shaped social, political, economic developments in history and to gauge your analysis of global processes. • This is really a high level analysis of history.

3. Prompt Example • Analyze continuities and change in patterns of interaction along the Silk Road from 200 B.C.E. to 1450 C.E.

4. Scoring Worksheet/Rubric • Thesis (1 point) • Includes both changes and continuities (2 points) • Uses accurate historical evidence (2 points) • Uses global historical context (1 point) • Analyzes process of change and/or continuity (1 point)

5. Rubric--Thesis • Thesis that answers the question (1 point) • Must include both a change and a continuity • Ex. “While the goods traded, and the nations and people involved changed over time, the continuous flow of new technology, religions, customs, ideas and occasional plague never abated along the Silk Road between 200 BCE and 1450 CE.”

6. Rubric—Change and Continuity • Addresses both changes and continuities (2 points) • In other words, both must be discussed at some point in the essay. • Ex. changes in the amount of trade, ideas and goods exchanged, etc. Continuity in that religion and ideas spread continuously

7. Changes: • Must discuss, utilize concrete detail and analyze changes that occurred relevant to the prompt and correctly! • If the prompt discusses command terms (social and economic) you need to focus on social and economic. • If your prompt is more vague- you need to think of aspects on which to base your analysis- use the SPRITE chart!

8. Continuities • The prompt also asks you to address continuities--generally these are patterns or cultural tendencies that remain stagnant for years and years. • Example: Think of role of women, religions, philosophies or clash/conflict between the social classes. • You need to have concrete detail to back up your continuity however.

9. Rubric--Evidence • Provide as much detailed, concrete evidence as possible. Also use key terms whenever possible • E.g.—Han China, Roman Empire, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Abassid Empire, Delhi Sultanate, Bubonic Plague, Mongols, ship-building and navigational technologies

10. Rubric—Global Context • Must be able to connect the analysis to a larger global phenomenon; e.g. patriarchy in civilizations, global trade systems, etc. • In other words, how can you connect larger forces to the question you are answering: How did the fall of the classical empires impact Silk Road trade? How did the rise of Indian Ocean trading impact Silk Road trade?

11. Rubric—Process of Change • Analyzes process of change over time and/or continuity (1 point) • Not just what changed or stayed the same, but why • Could be either change or continuity • E.g. The amount of trade fell by 600 C.E. This is due to the fall of the Han and Roman Empires. Because these large empires could no longer guarantee safety for travelers, interactions became more dangerous and the overall amount of trade thus declined

12. STEPS TO WRITING AN EFFECTIVE CCOT • You must create a baseline at the starting point of the prompt • E.g. what interactions were happening on the Silk Road in 200 • Rise of classical empires; rising demand for goods and interactions (e.g. Buddhism)

13. STEPS TO WRITING AN EFFECTIVE CCOT • You should discuss important change points within the time period, not just at the end • Change rarely happens quickly—it usually occurs in stages over time. • Example—trade flourished between 200 BCE and 200 CE, then declined somewhat from 200 CE to 1200 CE, then rose again from 1200 to 1450 under PaxMongolica.

14. Paragraph Construction • Intro: background statement with date, intro for reader. Thesis that answers in detail the question. • BODY: will depend on prompt. You can choose to format it two ways. • SPRITE: Social paragraph in which you discuss the social starting point, social changes and analyze OR…. • TIME: Starting point: In which you will address and analyze the social, political and economic starting points. Second body paragraph would then discuss social, political and economic transition.

15. Chronological Format • Thesis Paragraph • Background (Optional) • Thesis Statement (1-2 sentences) • “Road Map” of later paragraphs

16. Chronological Format Continued • Body Paragraph #1: Early/Beginning Time Period • Beginning Situation (start with “changing from what?” so the reader can recognize the later changes in the paragraph) • Change(s) at/near beginning date, including description of the type of change (sudden, gradual, etc.) • Evidence of change (if possible, name a specific example that represents this change) • Analysis of the process of change (What caused the changes? What were the later effects? How did these changes propel history into the next chronological era?) • Comparison to the larger Global Context (How do the examples in this paragraph compare to the larger world context during the same time period or during the next time period?)

17. Chronological Format Continued • Body Paragraph #2: Middle Time Period. (same characteristics as above) • Body Paragraph #3: Late/Ending Period (same characteristics as above) • Body Paragraph #4: Continuities • What characteristics exist throughout the entire time period? • Analysis of the continuities (What caused the continuities?) • Global Context (How do these examples of continuities compare to the larger world context during the same time period?) • Concluding Paragraph (recommended, but optional)

18. Topical Format • Thesis Paragraph • Background (Optional) • Thesis Statement (1-2 sentences) • “Road Map” of later paragraphs

19. Topical Format Continued • Body Paragraph #1: Topic #1 • Beginning Situation (before you begin to describe changes, start with “changing from what?” so the reader can recognize the later changes in the paragraph) • Change(s), including description of the type of change (sudden, gradual, etc.) • Evidence of change (if possible, name a specific example that represents this change) • Analysis of the process of change (What caused the changes? What were the later effects? How did these changes propel history into the next chronological era?) • Continuity (What characteristics of this topic exist throughout the entire time period?) • Comparison to the larger Global Context (How do the examples of continuity and change in this paragraph • compare to the larger world context during the same time period or during the next time period?)

20. Topic Format Continued • Body Paragraph #2: Topic #2 (same characteristics as above) • Body Paragraph #3: Topic #3 (same characteristics as above) • Body Paragraph #4: Topic #4 (same characteristics as above) • Concluding Paragraph (recommended, but optional) • Restatement/summarization of Thesis

21. CCOT Practice Consider when you were born. What did you look like? What was your temperament? What was important to you? Now think about when you were eight years old. What did you look like? What was your temperament? What was important to you? Now think about yourself at fifteen/sixteen years old. What do you look like? What is your temperament? What is important to you? Now ask yourself the big questions: What changed over those years, and what stayed the same about you? Finally, why did those specific aspects about you change, and why did other elements about you stay the same? The answers to all those questions would form the information for a CCOT essay about you.