NAGEL
Lesson Plan 1.1
Rise of Humans
How do we learn about prehistoric societies?
State Standards
6.C.1 - Explain how the behaviors and practices of individuals and groups influenced societies, civilizations and regions.
6.G.1.1 - Explain how the physical features and human characteristics of a place influenced the development of
civilizations, societies and regions (e.g. location near rivers and natural barriers, trading practices and spread of culture).
6.G.1.2 - Explain the factors that influenced the movement of people, goods, and ideas and the effects of that
movement on societies and regions over time (e.g. scarcity of resources, conquests, desire for wealth, disease and
trade).
6.G.1.3 - Compare distinguishing characteristics of various world regions (e.g. physical features, culture, political
organization and ethnic make-up).
6.G.1.4 - Explain how and why civilizations, societies and regions have used, modified and adapted to their environments
(e.g. invention of tools, domestication of plants and animals, farming techniques and creation of dwellings).
6.G.2.1 - Use maps, charts, graphs, geographic data and available technology tools to draw conclusions about the
emergence, expansion and decline of civilizations, societies and regions.
6.G.2.2 - Construct maps, charts and graphs to explain data about geographic phenomena (e.g. migration patterns and
population and resource distribution patterns).
6.H.1.1 - Construct charts, graphs, and historical narratives to explain particular events or issues over time.
6.H.1.2 - Summarize the literal meaning of historical documents in order to establish context.
6.H.1.3 - Use primary and secondary sources to interpret various historical perspectives.
6.H.2.3 - Explain how innovation and/or technology transformed civilizations, societies and regions over time (e.g.
agricultural technology, weaponry, transportation and communication).
7.G.1.3 - Explain how natural disasters (e.g. flooding, earthquakes, monsoons and tsunamis), preservation efforts and
human modification of the environment (e.g. recycling, planting trees, deforestation, pollution, irrigation systems and
climate change) affect modern societies and regions.
Lesson Objectives:
By the end of this lesson, students should be able to
explain the processes used by archaeologists to understand ancient history
analyze the development of hominins in Africa and how their development relates to the rise of Homo erectus and draw
conclusions about change over time
connect patterns of early human settlement to the physical geography of settled regions
Lesson Essential Question:
How do we learn about prehistoric societies?
Key Vocabulary
Asia, DNA, Fertile Crescent, Giovanni da Verrazzano, Henry Hudson, Homo sapiens, Petra, artifact, bipedal,
chronological, civilization, climate, culture, dig site, epoch, evolution, fossil, genus, hominin, savanna, scientific method,
technology, hominin, hominin
Students: Change course on Discoveryed.com to -World History (Prehistory - 1800) The Rise of
Civilizations Human Origins 1.1 Rise of Humans
ENGAGE (20 minutes) – WATCH THE CLOCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Students watch the video Crime Scenes and Archaeology (1:15) from the ENGAGE tab. Students examine the bottoms of their
shoes. Write down a few words that describe what you see in complete sentences in your one subject notebook.
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Are the soles thick and cushy, like sneakers, or thin and flimsy, like flip-flops?
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Do the soles have a lot of tread, like work boots, or are they flat, like dress shoes?
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Does the shoe have a high heel, like a pump, or a low heel, like a loafer?
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Do the shoes look fairly new or do they show signs of wear and tear?
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Does the sole or shoe have a logo or writing on it?
Students: Imagine that on the way home from school today, you step in wet concrete and leave a shoe print behind. A thousand
years from now, archaeologists (social scientists who study how people lived in earlier times by examining the remains of what
they left behind) uncover this shoe print. What will these archaeologists most likely conclude about your life by studying the
shoe print you left behind?(copy and answer question complete sentence in one subject notebook)
After warmup-up I need volunteers from each pod to show the class the bottoms of their shoes and explain what
archaeologists might conclude about their lives. Have one member from your pod JIGSAW with another pod so we have
different answers
Stimulate Interest: 20 minutes WATCH CLOCK
On the screen the image titled Ancient Fossil Footprints from the ENGAGE tab. Ask students to read “What Can We Learn
from Footprints?” from the ENGAGE tab. Have students answer the following discussion questions in think-pair-share (work
goes in one subject notebook):
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Who made these footprints?
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How did they become etched in rock?
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What, if anything, can they teach us about our past?
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What other information would you need to gather in order to confirm your ideas?
In your 3-5 subject notebook – copy and answer in complete sentences: How do we learn about prehistoric societies?
EXPLORE (30 minutes)
Read the first part of Core Interactive Text (CIT) page 1, Archaeologists as Detectives, up to the heading “A
Developing Science.” In your 3-5 subject notebook write down the word archaeology and come-up with a
definition/description.
When you finish, look at the graphic organizer Rise of Humans: Change Over Time Chart . Individual students write
down ideas. Then, they work in small groups to categorize their responses to develop a collective answer.
Instructions to fill out Graphic Organizer: Fill in the Topic line on the chart with the following question: How
has archaeology changed over time? Students will list in the Before column details about what archaeology was
like before the mid-20th century. Students will list in the After column details about what archaeology was like from
the mid-20th century to the present. Students in order for you to complete the chart read the rest of CIT page 1 and
view the video segment Anthropologists.
When students have finished reading and viewing the video, in your pod discuss what they have recorded in the
Before and After columns. Students to work together to categorize their responses and develop a collective answer
to the topic question. One member from your pod can JIGSAW with other pods to share their collective responses.
Students can gain additional information about working in the field of archaeology from the reading passage on
page 1 Biography: Howard Carter: The Real Indiana Jones and by responding to the selected-response
comprehension items at the end. You must copy the four questions at the end of this reading passage in your
notebook and write down the correct answer. You do not have to copy all the multiple choice answers, just the one
answer you think is correct. Compare your answer with members from your pod to make sure you have the correct
answer.
EXPLORE (30 minutes)
READ/VIEW CIT page 2: the core text Tools of the Craft and the two video segments Archaeology in Modern
History and Carbon-14 Dating. Pay special attention to the steps archaeologists take to research a site, dig for and collect
artifacts, and study their findings. Students use the sources to answer the following guiding questions by copying these
questions and answering in complete sentences in your 3-5 subject notebook:
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What types of artifacts do archaeologists and anthropologists search for? Why?
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What processes do archaeologists use to learn from these artifacts?
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What kinds of conclusions can archaeologists draw from artifacts? Provide at least three examples of artifacts and the
conclusions archaeologists drew from each artifact.
EXPLAIN (20 minutes)
After students explore the core text and video segments in Tools of the Craft, you will use the above Graphic Organizer
Archaeological Investigation . With your pod create a storyboard of the steps involved in an archaeological investigation by
drawing, writing descriptions, First step write "Locate a dig site" in the first box. Archaeologists often spend years searching
for a dig site because they must consider factors such as terrain, soil, and closeness to water. Record these details on the lines
below the first box. Spend 5–10 minutes discussing at least five other steps involved in an archaeological investigation and
completing their storyboards. The other steps may include the following:
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excavate or dig
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extract artifacts from a dig site
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record information about discovered artifacts
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report findings in books or articles
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display artifacts in museums
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study artifacts in a lab
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compare newly discovered artifacts with other artifacts from the same period
You may have one member of your pod JIGSAW with other pods to help complete this Graphic Organizer
EXPLORE (90 minutes)
EXPLORE Core Interactive Text (CIT) pages 3–5: Early Human Life, Hominin Prehistory and Hominins, and Hominin
Habitats. As you read the core text and view the video segments, you will complete the above Comparison Chart. Each column
on the chart corresponds to a page in the CIT.
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1: Read the core text Early Human Life page. View the videos Neanderthal Tools and Cave Paintings at Gilf Kabir. Study
the image Learning from Artifacts.
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2: Read the core text Hominin Prehistory and Hominins page. View the videos Unearthing the Past,Common Terms and
Their Meanings, and The Age of Fossils.
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3: Read the core text Hominin Prehistory and Hominins page. View the videos A Famous Fossil: Lucy,Interpreting the
Fossil Record, and Changing Theories on Evolution.
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4: Read the core text Hominin Habitats page. View the videos Ardi’s World, Global Distribution Patterns, and The
Development of the Genus Homo.
REMEMBER As students explore the resources, they will complete their column of the Rise of Humans: Comparison
Chart graphic organizer.
One member from your POD may represent your POD by going to other PODS to compare answers and bring back other
answers/ideas to your POD.
Students will gain additional information about Homo erectus from the reading passage A Day in the Life: Daily Life for Homo
erectus and by responding to the selected-response comprehension items. You must copy and answer in complete sentences the
four questions at the end of this reading passage in your 3-5 subject. To compare and contrast where humans lived in the past to
where humans live today, students can read the reading passage Connection to Current Times: Where Humans Live and respond
to the selected-response comprehension items. You must copy and answer in complete sentences the four questions at the end of
this reading passage in your 3-5 subject.
On a separate sheet of paper Copy and answer in complete sentences the Essential Questions (THIS WILL SERVE AS A
TAKE HOME EXAM):
How do we learn about prehistoric societies?
How has the study of ancient humans changed over time?
How do archaeologists examine a site?
What have archaeologists learned about ancient people and cultures?
What have archaeologists discovered about prehistory?
Where did hominins settle?
Each of the following must be defined: Key Vocabulary
Asia, DNA, Fertile Crescent, Giovanni da Verrazzano, Henry Hudson, Homo sapiens, Petra, artifact, bipedal,
chronological, civilization, climate, culture, dig site, epoch, evolution, fossil, genus, hominin, savanna, scientific method,
technology, hominin, hominin