CULTURAL STUDIES-11
ESSENTIAL UNIT 1 (E01)
(Early Humankind)
(July 2015)
Unit Statement: The student will use this unit to inspect the role the environment played in
shaping how humankind has developed from nomadic societies to early civilization.
Five Themes of Geography Focus: Human/ Environment Interaction
Essential Question/s:
How does man adapt to live in his environment?
How does the environment shape where and how man chooses to live?
Essential Outcomes: (must be assessed for mastery)
1. The Student Will discuss the impact of archaeology on what we know about human
history (Harcourt Social Studies: Ancient Civilizations 14-17, 21).
2. TSW identify the characteristics of early hominids, and infer how this affected their
way of living (HSS 17-20).
3. TSW explain how the development of tools helped early modern humans to adapt to
their environment (HSS 22-25).
4. TSW compare how different early hunter-gatherer societies (i.e.Africa, Europe, Asia
and the Pacific, North America, and South America) adapted to their
environments (HSS 30-37).
5. TSW analyzes the culture of early farming communities and hunter-gatherer
settlements (HSS 30-37, 48-55, 56-59).
6. TSW explain the effects of trade on early farming villages (HSS 60-67).
7. TSW discuss the formation of villages into towns (HSS 66-69).
8. TSW explain the effects of greater populations on the governments of early cities in
the Fertile Crescent region (HSS 70-71).
9. TSW locate and summarize current events related to the unit of study.
Introduced Outcomes: (taught, but not assessed)
1. The Student Will use maps, charts and data in order to synthesize logical conclusions
(see Suggested Assessment Tools).
2. TSW identify the elevation of a point on a map using contour lines (HSS 62-63).
Practiced/Ongoing Outcomes: (ongoing development, but not assessed)
1. The Student Will identify key terms and concepts.
2. TSW list historical events on a timeline to compare people and events over time (HSS 54-55).
3. TSW determine connections with the 5 Themes of Geography (e.g. HumanEnvironment Interaction: The student will retrace migration of early humans
and infer reasons for these movements) (see Suggested Assessment Tools).
6
QSI CULTURAL STUDIES-11 E01
Copyright © 1988-2015
Key Terms and Concepts:
prehistory
archaeology
hominid
migrate
Paleolithic era
adapt
hunter-gatherer
nomad
society
culture
livestock
agriculture
slash-and-burn
surplus
irrigation
pastoral societies
barter
technology
government
civilization
human kind
domesticate
terraces
Çatal Hayuk
Suggested Activities and Strategies:
● The students can create an ongoing archaeologist's notebook about why early humans
migrated, and how early humans adapted to their environments. Here, the student can
collect data and information from various sources (including their text books,
periodicals, and internet references) to help formulate reasons on early human
environmental adaptation and migration (HSS 80, Harcourt Ancient Civilizations
Teacher’s Edition 1N-1O) (see Suggested Assessment Tools).
Cross-curricular Suggestions:
Reading:
● Review the reading strategy of pulling out the main idea and the details of a text,
using the Our Ancestors leveled readers book. Have students create a graphic
organizer that list details for each of the main ideas. Students should check that each
detail relates to the main idea (Harcourt Teachers Edition 1D).
Writing:
● After reading chapter 1, have students write a paragraph in first or third person on
what daily life would be like. Review with the students what “historical fiction”
means, and how they can take information from the chapter to create their paragraph.
Before writing, have students discuss the kinds of research Ann Turnbull, author of
Maroo of the Winter Caves ,would have done to write her story (HSS10-13).
● The Student Will write an essay explaining why religion developed along with early
man. It should cover the following: religion as an adaptation for survival, its ability to
promote group success, and, subsequently, how it promotes the development of
culture.
Art:
● Have students, using various charcoals or conte sticks (actual charred wood pieces
can be used also), draw and create their own versions of the Lascaux Cave paintings
on rough watercolor paper or found stones. Review different theories of why early
humans created the Lascaux Cave paintings then encourage students to put meaning
into their “cave paintings”. When the students finish, have them share the meanings of
their “cave art”.
Science:
● Involve students in the process of taxonomy by having them research and organize
hominids into these categories: kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species.
7
QSI CULTURAL STUDIES-11 E01
Copyright © 1988-2015
Suggested Materials: (provided by school)
● Down to Earth Geography: Grade 6
● Harcourt Social Studies: Ancient Civilizations Student Edition
● Harcourt Social Studies: Ancient Civilizations Homework & Practice Book
● Harcourt Social Studies: Ancient Civilizations Teacher Edition
● Harcourt Social Studies: Ancient Civilizations Resource Pack
● Harcourt Social Studies: Ancient Civilizations Leveled Readers Teacher Guide
● Harcourt Social Studies: Ancient Civilizations Leveled Readers Grade 6
● Harcourt Social Studies Leveled Readers Grade 6 (Online version)
● Harcourt Social Studies: Ancient Civilizations One Stop Planner for Teacher Grade 6
CD-ROM
● Harcourt Social Studies: Ancient Civilizations World Interactive Map Grade 6
Transparencies
● Harcourt Social Studies: Ancient Civilizations World Interactive Grade 6 Desk Maps
Additional Resources: (may not be provided by school)
● Rand McNally Classroom Atlas
Technology Links:
Destiny Webpath Express (see Librarian)
Use this search engine to find age-appropriate websites that align with your unit.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/topics/early-people/
BBC - This link explores world history through historical objects. This is geared towards
older elementary students.
http://www.britishmuseum.org/
British Museum - This website contains a variety of historical information related to
primary sources.
http://www.discoveryeducation.com/
Discovery Education - This website has a variety of geography information, news, videos,
and pictures for elementary students.
http://www.eharcourtschool.com/
Harcourt - This website has all of the textbook resources online, an atlas, a geography
glossary, multimedia biographies, and Video Extenders.
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/
Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History - A very comprehensive website containing
information and visuals related to primary sources.
https://www.khanacademy.org/
Khan Academy - The history and the arts and humanities portion of this website contain
various videos and information related to cultural studies.
https://genographic.nationalgeographic.com/human-journey/
National Geographic - This link contains a visual map of the migration flow of early
humans.
8
QSI CULTURAL STUDIES-11 E01
Copyright © 1988-2015
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/
National Geographic Kids - This website has a variety of geography information, news,
videos, and pictures for elementary students.
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/kids-world-atlas/maps.html#
National Geographic Kids - An EXCELLENT link to world maps that allows you to
change the map type.
http://www.si.edu/
Smithsonian - This website contains a wide variety of historical information and current
events.
Suggested Assessment Tools:
1. Attached rubric or teacher-generated rubric that assesses ALL essential outcomes
(TSWs). An effective rubric is presented and discussed with the student at the
beginning of the unit, referred back to throughout the unit, and used to assess at
the end. Students will collaborate with peers and the teacher to assess mastery of
the unit with final judgement by the teacher.
2. Chapter tests and activities can be used to evaluate student mastery of TSWs from the
textbook.
3. Map reference that may be used for Practiced/Ongoing Outcome number 3: HSS 26.
4. The student’s self-created archaeologist's notebook (see Suggested Activities and
Strategies). Use project rubric found in HSS TE 1M or in the Harcourt Assessment
Program 20.
RUBRIC FOUND ON FOLLOWING PAGE………………………
9
QSI CULTURAL STUDIES-11 E01
Copyright © 1988-2015
Name:__________________________________
Date:______________________
CULTURAL STUDIES-11 E01 RUBRIC
(Early Humankind)
(July 2015)
To receive a ‘B’, the student must show ‘B’ level mastery on ALL Essential Outcomes (TSW’s). To receive
an ‘A’, the student must show ‘A’ level mastery on 4 of 5 TSW’s and ‘B’ level mastery on all TSW’s.
‘A’ Level
The Student Will
‘B’ Level
1. The Student Will discuss
the impact of archaeology on
what we know about human
history.
I can explain, in brief, the
process in which archaeologist
find and record information.
I can indicate ways that
archaeology has impacted
what we know about
humankind in the distant
past.
2. TSW identify the
characteristics of early
hominids and infer how this
affected their way of living.
I can compare and contrast
characteristics of types of early
hominids and make inferences
of how this affected the way
they lived.
I can list the characteristics
between types of early
hominids.
3. TSW explain how the
development of tools helped
early modern humans to
adapt to their environment.
TSW explain the advantages
tools gave to early modern
humans.
4. TSW compare how
different early huntergatherer societies adapted to
their environments.
I can the student will compare
these early societies’
environmental adaptations to
that of modern societies.
I can describe ways different
early hunter-gatherer
societies adapted to their
environments.
5. TSW analyzes the culture
of early farming communities
and the hunter-gatherer
settlements.
TSW explain how these
differences helped the farming
communities to live in a
permanent settlement as
opposed to a nomadic lifestyle.
I can identify ways the
culture of early farming
communities differed from
the culture of hunter-gatherer
settlements.
6. TSW explain the effects of
trade on early farming
villages.
I can list examples of how
trade caused changes to early
farming villages.
7. TSW discuss the formation
of villages into towns.
I can outline and explain
specific ways that early
villages were able to grow
into towns.
8. TSW explain the effects of
greater populations on the
governments of early cities in
the Fertile Crescent region.
I can give examples of the
effects of greater populations
in the Fertile Crescent
region.
9. TSW locate and
summarize a current event
related to the unit of study.
TSW summarize and
connect a current event
article to this unit.
10
QSI CULTURAL STUDIES-11 E01
Copyright © 1988-2015
‘P’- in progress