THE DAWN OF MAN
READINESS LEVEL
Partnerships???
PICTOGRAPHIC MURAL
STRAIGHT-AHEAD (Analyze, create)
You may work with a partner.
Directions
Create three pictographic cave murals: One about the Old Stone Age, one about the New Stone Age,
and one about the characteristics of early civilizations. Use the checklists below to guide you.
Mural 1: LIFE IN THE PALEOLITHIC ERA

_____ Draw pictograms that show the tools and discoveries of Paleolithic nomads.

_____ Draw pictograms that show how Paleolithic nomads acquired food.

_____ Draw pictograms that show the settlement patterns of Paleolithic nomads.

_____ Draw pictograms that teach about the roles of Paleolithic men and women.

_____ Make sure the mural looks neat and professional, not last-minute or sloppy.

_____ Attach a well-written paragraph that describes life in the Paleolithic Era. Your
paragraph and pictograms should express the same understandings.
Mural #2: LIFE IN THE NEOLITHIC ERA

_____ Draw pictograms that teach about the discoveries of the Agricultural Revolution.

_____ Draw pictograms that show the new settlement patterns of Neolithic populations.

_____ Draw pictograms that teach about the roles of Neolithic men and women.

_____ Draw pictograms that show the skills learned by Neolithic societies beyond farming.

_____ Make sure the mural looks neat and professional, not last-minute or sloppy.

_____ Attach a well-written paragraph that describes life in the Neolithic Era. Your
paragraph and pictograms should express the same understandings.
Mural #3: FEATURES OF CIVILIZATIONS

_____ Draw pictograms that teach about the eight features of advanced civilization.

_____ Make sure the mural looks neat and professional, not last-minute or sloppy.

_____ Attach a well-written paragraph that identifies and describes the eight features of
advanced civilization that you have shown in your pictograms.
Name:______________________________________
GRADING RUBRIC: Pictographic Mural
Straight Ahead
Comments
Evaluation
 Demonstrates Mastery. The mural is thoughtfully organized and presents a
comprehensive understanding of Paleolithic, Neolithic, and civilized life. The pictograms
illustrate a) the adaptations (tools and discoveries), settlement patterns, social relationships,
and food provisions of Paleolithic nomads; b) the Agricultural Revolution (farming and
domestication) and characteristics of Neolithic life (declining status of women, permanent
settlement by rivers, development of skills beyond agriculture); and c) the eight features of
advanced civilization (cities, government, written laws, social classes, public works, job
specialization, art and architecture, complex religion). The paragraphs aptly describe the
pictograms and explain their significance with respect to the content.

Demonstrates Competence. The mural presents one or two questionable pictograms
without describing them, which creates a gap in the larger understanding of the content.
The rest of the mural achieves its purpose of illustrating life in the three intended eras. Still,
it would benefit from some more organization and attention to appearance.

Suggests Competence. The mural suggests that the student understands some of the
larger ideas of the unit, but it does not offer proof of those understandings. It focuses too
narrowly on food production and neglects a number of other aspects of early human history
(settlement patterns, social relationships, behavioral adaptations and discoveries, the features
of advanced civilization). The descriptions are vague and neglect to illuminate confusing
pictograms.

Does Not Suggest Competence Yet. The mural neglects to contrast the Paleolithic and
Neolithic eras by focusing on completely different topics in each. (For instance, the mural
focuses on food provisions of the Old Stone Age but does nothing to illustrate food
provisions during the New Stone Age). It also neglects to present a number of the features
of advanced civilization. The descriptions are vague or missing, forcing the evaluator to
figure things out on his own. The whole project lacks organization. It ignores some of the
instructions, and its quickly finished appearance suggests a misuse of time.

Does Not Suggest Competence Yet. The mural looks like a 5-minute effort and fails to
present even a partial understanding of the differences between the Paleolithic and Neolithic
eras and the features of civilization.