THE
FIRST
AMERICANS
DBQ
SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS:
DOCUMENT 1: This excerpt is from a story that deals with the life of early
humans as they made their way into North America.
In the Beginning:
“Easily, quickly, the hunter makes a kill. Growling in a low hum, he eats the meat raw
to stay his hunger. Then, bagging the meat for his family, he starts back. He probably
smiled as he returned to tell his people about the sweet land he had found.
Not 25 years ago. Not 250 years ago. Not 2,500 years ago. But over 25,000 years ago
this hunter from Asia set foot on North America. He and his tribe were the first humans
to do so.
Their homeland back in Asia had begun to dry up. They could not find food. Other
tribes, also hungry, had become enemies. And so the hunter’s people had left the land
we now call the Gobi Desert, in present-day China. And they had set off to look for a
better life.”
1. How long ago did this hunter live?
2. Where was the hunter’s original home?
3. Why did the hunter and his tribe leave their homeland?
SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS:
DOCUMENT 1:
1. The hunter lived more than 25,000 years ago.
2. The hunter’s original home was in Asia. More specifically, he
came from the land we call the Gobi Desert in modern day China.
3. The hunter and his tribe left their homeland because the land was
drying up and food was hard to find. Also, other tribes became
their enemies.
DOCUMENT 2:
1. Discuss two ways in which early humans got the food that they needed to survive.
2. During the Ice Age, what happened to the supply of food available to humans in
Asia?
SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS:
DOCUMENT 2:
1. Early humans got the food they need to survive by hunting and
gathering. Generally, the men hunted animals such as mammoths,
bear, and bison. Also, the women gathered foods such as nuts and
berries.
2. During the Ice Age, the food supply in Asia went down because of
the glaciers. The glaciers caused the water to dry up in Asia. This
caused plants to die and animals to migrate out of Asia in order to
find food.
ANSWER BOX:
INTRODUCTION:
ESSAY TOPIC SENTENCE: Take the Historical Context and rewrite it to make the ESSAY
TOPIC SENTENCE for the introduction.
Historical Context:
Between 20,000 and 40,000 years ago, early humans began migrating from Asia into North
America. Over time, the Americas would be populated by people now known as the First
Americans.
______________________________________________________________________________
ESSAY TOPIC SENTENCE: Early humans began migrating into the America’s from
Asia more than 20,000 years ago.
TASK TOPIC SENTENCE(S):
CONCEPT:
TASK TOPIC SENTENCE(S): Take the Task(s) and use them to write the Task Topic
Sentences for the introduction. These sentences explain what you are going to write about
in the essay.
Task(s): Using information from the documents and your knowledge of social studies,
answer the questions that follow the documents in Part A. Your answers to the questions
will help you write an essay in Part B, in which you will need to do the following:
1. Discuss why early humans left their homeland in Asia and migrated into North America.
______________________________________________________________________________
ESSAY TOPIC SENTENCE: Early humans began migrating into the America’s from
Asia more than 20,000 years ago.
TASK TOPIC SENTENCE(S): Early humans left their homeland in Asia and came
to North America for several reasons.
CONCEPT:
CONCEPT: The concept is “CHANGE.”
ESSAY TOPIC SENTENCE:
TASK TOPIC SENTENCE(S):
CONCEPT: The concept of change can be seen throughout history.
ESSAY TOPIC SENTENCE: Early humans began migrating into the America’s from
Asia more than 20,000 years ago.
TASK TOPIC SENTENCE(S): Early humans left their homeland in Asia and came to
North America for several reasons.
CONCEPT: The concept of change can be seen throughout history.
ANSWER BOX:BODY:
TASKS:
1.
Discuss
why early
humans left
their
homeland in
Asia and
migrated to
North
America.
TOPIC
SENTENCE:
Early
humans
migrated
from Asia
into North
America
for several
reasons.
INSIDE
INFORMATION:
OUTSIDE INFORMATION:
-During Ice Age, humans left Asia and came to
North America across land bridge called Beringia.
-Came from Asia more Ice Age: time when glaciers covered much of
than 25,000 years ago. Northern Hemisphere. Glaciers: huge sheets of ice.
-Gobi Desert, China
Land was exposed due to glaciers. Glaciers caused
-Land dried up, food
oceans to go down. Land exposed connecting Asia
scarce, tribes became
to NA. Humans walked across land bridge into NA.
enemies.
-left Asia to find better -Lived in Mongolia, which is in Asia.
-Glaciers caused water to dry up.
life.
-Plants died and animals migrated.
Doc. #2:
-Humans did not know how to farm. They survived
by hunting and gathering. Lived as nomads.
-Picture showing
Nomads move to find food. Men hunted animals.
animals Mammoths,
(mammoths, bear, bison, seals, fish)
deer.
-Picture showing apples. Women gathered food such as fruits and nuts.
-Humans left Asia when food supply ran low/out.
Left to find food, better life, survive.
-Some followed animals and made it to NA.
Doc # 1:
TASKS:
INSIDE INFORMATION:
OUTSIDE INFORMATION:
Concept:
Change
Doc.
Doc. #__:
# 1:
Change has also affected other
events in American history. One
other event in American history
that shows change was the
American Revolution. As a
result of the American
Revolution, the English Colonies
became independent and the
United States was created.
TOPIC
SENTENCE:
The concept
of change can
be seen
throughout
history.
Definition:
Change is
when
something
becomes
different over
time.
the hunter and his tribe have
left their homeland in Asia and
are migrating into NA.
ANSWER BOX:
CONCLUSION:
TOPIC SENTENCE: Use the same topic sentence as the topic sentence for the introduction.
SUMMARAIZE PARAGRAPHS OF BODY: Take the topic sentence for each paragraph in
the body of the essay and rewrite them in the conclusion.
TOPIC SENTENCE: Early humans began migrating into the America’s from Asia
more than 20,000 years ago.
SUMMARIZE PARAGRAPHS OF BODY:
Early humans left their homeland in Asia and came to North America for several
reasons.
The concept of change effected early humans.