Unit 1:The Prehistoric
Study
Guide
Use this guide with the
three reading packets
1. The Prehistoric, 2. The Paleolithic, 3. The Neolithic
Read Packets over first to get a general idea of the information
Go back and reread to fill out the Who and What
Go back and reread to fill out the TMD in the How and Why section
Follow instructions for the map and timeline for the When and Where
section.
Study and review in class and at home to prepare for unit test.
Who and What
You will be expected to know what the following terms are in your final unit test. Identify
what each word is and why it is significant. Feel free to use a separate sheet of paper or note
cards if you need.
Prehistoric Reading
Prehistoric/ Prehistory
Archeology
B.C.
A.D.
B.C.E.
C.E.
Paleolithic
Neolithic
Hominids
Australopithecus
Lucy
Homo Habilis
Homo Erectus
Neanderthal (Homo Sapien)
Cro Magnon (Homo Sapien Sapien)
Paleolithic Reading
Bands
Nomad/ Nomadic
Hunter/Gatherer
Atlatl
Lascaux Caves
Neolithic Reading
Domesticated
Neolithic Revolution
Catal Huyuk/Jericho
Loom
Job Specialization
Chief
Shaman
Earth Mother
Summarizing – Using the TMD Method
Keep this sheet handy!
Why Summarize: Summarizing is not just a boring activity that teachers ask you to do just so you have something
to do while you read. It has a very useful purpose. When you summarize you are creating a very handy tool for you
to use later.
 Summarizing helps you break down a lot of information into the most important information
 When you are done it will be easier to remember what you read – you won’t focus on all the little things.
 When you are done you will have a quick reference to refer to later on tests and papers.
 You won’t have to memorize everything. Write down what you want to remember and save it for later.
 Summaries are for your use! The only person you need to make happy is yourself. Yours may not look
like anyone else’s.
To Summarize is to break down a long passage of reading into its most important information. When you are done
you should be left with the 6 W’s
Who
What
When Why Where
(W)how (it’s a silent W)
To help you master the art of summarizing we will use a technique called:
T.M.D.
TOPIC:
The subject of the passage. It is WHAT the passage is about. Usually a noun and can be stated in one
or two words.
MAIN IDEA:
If the topic is the WHAT, then the main idea is the WHY IMPORTANT.
as a question on a test. Then the Main Idea would be the answer to the question.
Think of the topic
The main idea is
always written as a fact – never as a question!!!
The topic word should appear in the Main Idea statement.
SUPPORTING DETAILS:
The Supporting Details are the rest of the most relevant facts left in the
passage. They should answer the rest of the W questions. They are not just any random fact, but those facts that
support the main idea. How many should you have? It depends on the length of the passage and how much
information you need.
Some Common questions and corrections for Summarizing:
Can summaries be too long?
Yes? The whole point of summarizing is to quickly break info into small easy to use chunks.
Less is more! There, you thought you’d never hear a teacher say that.
Do I have to write “This paragraph is about…” everytime?
No! remember- it’s a tool for your use – do you need to write it every time for any reason?
Do I have to write in complete sentence?
No you don’t have to. Remember, the point of summarizing is too quickly get the information
down. Also, you are the only one who has to know what you have written. As long as you can
understand what you wrote – grammar is not important.
Make your summary informative.
Always think that the summary is an answer to a question on a test. If you could use your
summary to take the test – will it give you the actual answer?
Incorrect – not informative
Correct - informative
“ Its about what dogs eat”
Dogs eat meat and kibble.
Will I always have to identify the topic, main idea and supporting details
and write them out separately.
No, this is just for practice. In a few weeks you’ll be so good at this you can start skipping the
formal steps.
How much reading should I summarize? Every paragraph or the whole
article?
Depends on how much information you want from the reading. If you are doing a research paper
you’ll want to do every paragraph. If we are just discussing a reading – you might want to just
do one summary for the whole article. In time you will have the freedom to figure that out
yourself. In the meantime we will have you practice a variety of different sections just so you
can see that it is done the same way regardless.
How and Why
Instead of just answering a bunch of questions, you will learn how to determine how and why things happened by
completing a TMD Summary. For the readings in this unit, I have labeled each section. You need to provide a topic
and main idea for the whole section. Then fill in the details. Think of the details as the main idea of each individual
paragraph in the section. I have suggested the minimum number of details you will want, but you can do more if
you think you need to. You will use these outlines to answer questions on the unit test.
The Prehistoric Reading
Knowledge of Early History
Topic
M.I.
Details (at least 2)
Measuring Time
Topic
M.I.
Details (at least 4)
Human Beginnings (In this one do one topic for the whole section, but you can do more than one Main Idea)
Topic
M.I.
Details (at least 2)
M.I. (Australopithecus)
Details (2-3)
M.I. (Homo Habilis)
Details (2-3)
M.I. (Homo Erectus)
Details (2-3)
M.I. (Neanderthal)
Details (2-3)
M.I. (Homo Sapien Sapien)
Details (2-3)
Early Human Migration
Topic
M.I.
Details (3)
The Paleolithic Reading
Introduction
Topic
M.I.
Details (at least 2)
Gathering Food
Topic
M.I.
Details (at least 5)
Making Tools
Topic
M.I.
Details (at least 3)
Learning to Talk
Topic:
M.I. Details (3)
Discovering Fire
Topic:
M.I.
Details (3)
Shelter and Clothing
Topic:
M.I.
Details (5)
Art and Religion
Topic
M.I
Details (5)
The Neolithic Reading
Introduction
Topic
M.I.
Details (at least 3)
Farmers and Herders
Topic
M.I.
Details (at least 2)
Early Villages
Topic
M.I.
Details (at least 3)
Inventions
Topic:
M.I.
Details (4)
Job Specialization
Topic:
M.I.
Details (3)
Government
Topic:
M.I.
Details (3)
Religion
Topic:
M.I.
Details (3)
Where
1. Be prepared to locate the following areas on a map.
North America, South America, Central America, Europe, Asia, The Middle East, Eastern
Hemisphere, Western Hemisphere, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean,
Mediterranean Sea.
2. Be able to identify the following:
a. Where did Australospithecus live?
b. Where did Homo Habilis live
c. Where did Homo Erectus live
d. Where did Neanderthal live?
e. Where did Cro Magon live?
f. Draw the route that Cro Magnon used to cross into the Western Hemisphere
When
1.
Year 0
Put in the year 10b.c
Put in the year 1000 ad
Put in the year 10 a.d
Put in the year 500 b.c.e
Put in the year 1000 b.c.
Put in the year 500 c.e.
2.
4 million b.c.
3 million b.c.
2 million b.c.
1 million b.c.
Draw a block that shows when Australopithecus lived and label it.
Draw a block that shows when Homo Habilis lived and label it.
Do the same for Homo Erectus, Neanderthal and Homo Sapien Sapien.
Draw a block that shows when the Paleolithic began and ended.
Draw a block that shows when the Neolithic began and ended.
Draw a line that shows when people first started using fire to warm themselves and label it.
Draw a line to label when modern humans crossed the Bering Land Bridge
Draw a line to label when the oldest villages were created.
Today