Reading BCE and CE Timelines

Teach the counting rule with the box on the first sheet and work one BCE to CE example together. Then have students draw the six bars with a ruler and answer the comparison questions from their own timeline.

Count years across BCE and CE dates and plot Tutankhamun and the Colosseum on a timeline. The directions on the page read: Read the text and study the timeline. Answer questions 1 to 5. For 6 and 7, draw a dot on the timeline at the year and write the letter above it. An answer key is included.

Yes, both. We made it for 6th Grade Ancient History, and the page works the same whether it lands on a kitchen table or a center rotation. At home, most families go through it together and talk the answers out loud, and that talking is where most of the learning happens with BCE and CE timelines. In class it runs well as independent work while you pull a small group. Print one copy or thirty, whichever the day needs.

BCE years count down toward year 1, so 3000 BCE came before 2000 BCE. Reading BCE and CE Timelines states this rule and has students explain it using the Great Pyramid and Hammurabi's Code.

Add the two numbers and subtract 1, because there is no year 0. For two BCE dates or two CE dates, subtract the smaller number from the bigger one. The sheet practices both, including 753 BCE to 476 CE.

Ancient Civilizations Timeline has rows for Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, the Indus Valley, Rome, the Classic Maya and the Aztec. Students draw each bar and then use the dates to find which lasted longest and which overlapped.