NAGEL LESSON PLAN 2.1 Neolithic Revolution In what ways did the agricultural revolution change human life?
Lesson Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students should be able to

analyze the impact of the Neolithic Revolution, which brought on the evolution from nomadic hunter-gatherer
civilizations to the rise of stable, permanent civilizations
Lesson Essential Questions
In what ways did the Agricultural Revolution change human’s way of life?
Key Vocabulary – MUST KNOW THIS FOR QUIZ
Bronze Age - is a time period characterized by the use of bronze, proto-writing, and other early features of urban civilization
Central Asia - is the core region of the Asian continent and stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to China in the east and
from Afghanistan in the south to Russia in the north.
Euphrates River –and Tigris River The Euphrates River is one of the most important rivers in the world. Along with the Tigris, it
provided much of the water that supported the development of ancient Mesopotamian culture. The Tigris Euphrates valley was the
birthplace of the ancient civilizations of Assyria, Babylonian, and Sumer. Fertile Crescent - include Mesopotamia, the land in and
around the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
Middle East - is a region that roughly encompasses a majority of Western Asia and Egypt.
Neolithic Period - Of or relating to the cultural period of the Stone Age beginning around 10,000 B.C. in the Middle East and later
elsewhere, characterized by the development of agriculture and the making of polished stone implements.
Neolithic Revolution - sometimes called the Agricultural Revolution, was the wide-scale transition of many human cultures from a
lifestyle of hunting and gathering to one of agriculture and settlement, allowing the ability to support an increasingly large
population
agriculture - the science or practice of farming, including cultivation of the soil for the growing of crops and the rearing of animals to
provide food, wool, and other products.
cultivate - prepare and use (land) for crops or gardening
domestication - to adapt a plant or animal so as to be cultivated by and beneficial to human beings.
environment - the social and cultural forces that shape the life of a person or apopulation.
hunter-gatherer - a member of a nomadic people who live chiefly by hunting, fishing, and harvesting wild food.
migration - movement from one part of something to another
nomadic - hunter-gatherer tribes follow the animals they hunt, carrying tents with them.
pastoral - (especially of land or a farm) used for or related to the keeping or grazing of sheep or cattle
surplus, - an amount of something left over when requirements have been met; an excess of production or supply over demand.
Lesson Outline EXPLORE (45 minutes)
CHECK OFF THE FOLLOWING ITEMS AS YOU FINISH EXPLORING EACH ITEM (this way you keep track of
everything you have to do in order to complete the work)
Core Interactive Text (this is the reading part of the EXPLORE TAB)
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Why, Where, and When
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The First Crops
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The First Farm Animals
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Sophisticated Stone Tools
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Video Segments
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Farming in the Fertile Crescent
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Early North American Agriculture
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Inventions and Innovations of Ancient Mesopotamia
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Images
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Map of the Fertile Crescent
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Winter Wheat
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The Gray Wolf
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An Angora Goat
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Beasts of Burden
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Stone Tools
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Pottery of the Longshan Culture
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Hemudu Bone Plow Head and Clay Figure of a Pig
Students read EXPLORE page 1 – make sure you understand that revolution means “a sudden, radical, or complete change."
With your pod complete the Cause/Event/Effect Chart (BELOW) with information from EXPLORE pages 2–4. For example,
an event discussed on page 1 is the development of agriculture. Students: What is a cause of the development of
agriculture? For a cause, students might provide causes such as areas with plentiful resources and lush vegetation or the
warming of the climate after the Ice Age. Record students’ responses in the cause section of the organizer. Students: How did
the development of agriculture affect people? Students might explain that people could build settled communities instead of
living a nomadic lifestyle. Students please keep in mind that an effect of one event or change could become the cause of another
event or change.
Students will complete the Cause/Event/Effect Chart:
EXPLAIN (20 minutes)
After students complete the Cause/Event/Effect Chart, read the Neolithic Revolution: Advertisement BELOW. Students spend
20 minutes addressing the following activity:
The first early humans were largely hunter-gatherers, moving from place to place to hunt and gather the food they needed to
survive. With the Neolithic Revolution, agriculture developed and people began to develop more settled communities. Imagine
you live in a settled community during the Neolithic Age. In this activity, you will create an advertisement to convince a group
of hunter-gatherers to create a settlement in your community. Create an advertisement that shows how you would sell the idea
of settled life to a hunter-gatherer community. The advertisement should clearly show the drawbacks of the hunter-gatherer
lifestyle, the benefits of establishing a settlement, and what the settlement will offer to the hunter-gatherer group.
Finish reading the EXPLORE Tab pages 5 -6
Use the SOCIAL STUDIES EXPANATION GRAPHIC ORGANIZER BELOW TO ANSWER ESSENTIAL QUESTION
In what ways did the agricultural revolution change human life?
Students to review “The First Farm Animals,” which is found on page 2 of the EXPLORE tab of the Neolithic
Revolution concept. Students reread the page and then answer the following review questions:
i.
Which animal do researchers believe was the first to be domesticated?
ii.
How did the domestication of farm animals begin?
iii.
What were the physical characteristics of the first domesticated farm animals?
iv.
How did people use domesticated animals?
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.1.3 - 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.2.2 - Compare historical and contemporary events and issues to understand continuity and change.
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.1.1 - Explain how environmental conditions and human response to those conditions influence modern societies and regions
(e.g. natural barriers, scarcity of resources and factors that influence settlement).
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.
7.G.2.1 - Construct maps, charts, and graphs to explain data about geographic phenomena (e.g. migration patterns and
population and resource distribution patterns).
7.G.2.2 - Use maps, charts, graphs, geographic data and available technology tools (i.e. GPS and GIS software) to interpret and
draw conclusions about social, economic, and environmental issues in modern societies and regions.
7.H.1.1 - Construct charts, graphs, and historical narratives to explain particular events or issues over time.
7.H.1.2 - Summarize the literal meaning of historical documents in order to establish context.
7.H.1.3 - Use primary and secondary sources to interpret various historical perspectives.