Hyde School
UNIT 1:
UNIT BACKGROUND
Unit Title
Prehistoric Man and the Cradles of Civilization
Subject/ Topic
Neolithic Revolution and River Valley Civilizations
Key Words
Geography, Agriculture, Social Classes, River Valleys
Unit Designer
Geoffrey E. Fenelus
Time Frame
School
Grade Level 9, 10
14 Days
Hyde School
Trimester
1
BRIEF SUMMARY OF UNIT
This unit will bridge the gap between prehistory and the earliest recorded human civilizations. Major topics will include the impact of
geography on the discovery of agriculture, the impact of the Neolithic Revolution, the development of written language and the
formation of systems of government and law in four key river valley civilizations.
STAGE 1: DESIRED RESULTS
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ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
What kind of lives did humans lead before the advent of agriculture?
Was the Neolithic Revolution a blessing or a curse for mankind?
What is a revolution? Is it accurate to describe the beginning of farming as “revolutionary”?
What impact did geography have on the growth of river valley civilizations?
Why did social classes develop? Are they a necessary by-product of civilization?
Why would systems of law or government emerge in early history? What role would these institutions play in early history?
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ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS
Geography plays a critical role in the development and sustainability of civilizations
Written language is a necessary tool for the growth and eventual interaction of civilizations
Systems of social class and government are the products of the specific time and place of a civilization
REAL WORLD CONNECTION AND THEMES
VOCABULARY
cultural diffusion, fossil, artifacts, hominid, homo erectus, homo sapiens, Neanderthal, Cro-Magnon,
Paleolithic, technology, nomadic, hunter-gatherer, agriculture, Ice Age, domestication, division of labor
(specialization), surplus, irrigation, social classes, religion, Sumer, Ur, civilization, cuneiform, ziggurat,
hierarchy, Fertile Crescent, Mesopotamia, Tigris and Euphrates, city-state, dynastic cycle, Epic of Gilgamesh,
Hammurabi’s Code, Nile River, Old Kingdom, pharaoh, theocracy, pyramid, Rosetta Stone, hieroglyphics,
papyrus, mummification, Yellow River, polytheistic, Neolithic Revolution, subcontinent, Harappan civilization,
monsoon, loess, Middle Kingdom
COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS
MISCONCEPTION
Written language and spoken language emerged simultaneously
The advent of agriculture made human life easier
There have always been groups of people who are more wealthy
or powerful than others in their society
CLARIFICATION
Humans were speaking complex languages for thousands of
years before they started to write
Nomadic lifestyles required less work for sustenance, but could
not support large populations
The Neolithic Revolution and the division of labor in society
created the foundation for class societies
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STAGE 3: LEARNING ACTIVITIES/ RESOURCES
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1
Aims and Objectives
What lifestyle did pre-historic humans live, and what similarities
exist between our lives and theirs?
- identify differences between human ancestors and modern
humans
- create a hypothesis re: advent of human language
- explain aspects of modern life that existed in pre-history
Instructional Choice
Mini-Lesson, partner
work to create
hypothesis
Resources
Prezi – Unit 1
-Pictures of homo erectus,
neanderthals, homo sapiens
- Video Clip: Guns, Germs, and
Steel – Hunter-Gatherers (5:46)
- Lascaux cave paintings
2
What was the Neolithic Revolution, and how did it lead to the
formation of complex societies?
- define the neolithic revolution
- create a T-chart listing positive and negative effects of NR
- explain genetic basis for domestication
Mini-Lesson, partner
debate. “Telephone
Game” with protowriting
3
What does a social group need to have to be considered a
civilization?
- identify necessary components for civilizations
- test sample scenarios to determine whether a group is or is
not a civilization
Graphic Organizer
Mini-Lesson,
“Civilization” tour /
test
The Worst Mistake in the History
of the Human Race (Jarred
Diamond)
- “Telephone Game” for
understanding the difficulties of
creating a writing system
Graphic Organizer, sample
civilization posters for tour
4
What writing strategies can make a student more successful on
a thematic essay?
- break down and explain a thematic essay task
- identify and explain the function of introduction, body and
conclusion paragraphs
- create a sample outline based on a thematic essay task
What was the geography of the Fertile Crescent, and how did it
impact the civilizations that formed there?
- identify and locate the Tigris and Euphrates rivers
- infer cultural impact of geography from a text selection
- explain the concept of kingship and possible reasons for such
a structure
What was the Code of Hammurabi, and what reasons would a
king have for creating such a list?
Mini-lesson, partner
activity (brainstorming
and outlining)
June 2011 thematic essay prompt,
graphic organizers
Mini Lesson,
discussion
Map of Fertile Crescent, selection
from the Epic of Gilgamesh
Thought Experiment &
Discussion
What was the geography of ancient Egypt, and how did it
impact the civilization that formed there?
- identify and locate the Nile river, distinguish upper from lower
Egypt
- synthesize the importance of the Nile flooding with the
dynamic influence of the Pharoah
What are the geographical and cultural roots of the lasting
remnants of ancient Egyptian culture?
- identify and explain the role of geography and culture in the
creation of the pyramids, mummification, the rosetta stone
Quiz (Early humans, NR, Characteristics of Civilization)
Essay Draft Due
What was the geography of the Indus River Valley, and how did
it impact the civilization that formed there?
- identify and locate the Indus river
- how do weather systems differ in this region, and what is the
impact of these differences?
- provide supporting details for essay thesis
Mini Lesson, riddle
activity (how is the
Pharoah's power
related to the Nile?)
Selection from The History of the
Ancient World, Thought
Experiment graphic organizer
Selection from The History of the
Ancient World, detective notes
sheet
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10
Gallery Walk /
Scavenger Hunt
Stations documents describing
the pyramids, mummification
and the rosetta stone
Quiz
Unit 1, Quiz 1
Mini-Lesson, IP
Map of Indus river valley, video
from Guns, Germs and Steel
(??:??)
2
11
12
13
How did the Harappan civilization stand out from other
contemporary groups, and what might be a cause for its
decline?
- identify aspects of Harappan city planning that were novel for
the time period
- make an educated guess, based on problems faced by other
river valley civilizations, for the decline of the Harappan
What was the geography of ancient China, and how did it
impact the civilizations that formed there?
- identify the Himalayan Mountains and Gobi Deserts, the
Yellow River
- explain the impact of geography on the isolation between
Chinese and western civilizations
- explain the differences between the writing systems of
mesopotamia and China, and make predictions about the
cultural impact of these differences
How did the selection of leaders differ in China from other river
valley civilizations?
- define and explain the Dynastic Cycle
- identify traits desired for Chinese rulers
- review through comparison the 4 major river valley
civilizations
Unit Test – Prehistoric Man and the Cradles of Civilization
14 15
Unit Test
Mini-Lesson,
investigation into
possible causes of
decline
Map of Harappan city grid
system, Harappan seal, map of
the reagion. Youtube clips
Mini-Lesson, Chinese
Characters 101
Map of ancient China
Mini-Lesson, unit
review IP
Graphic Organizer, previous
notes (Cornell Style question
review)
Test (MC, Maps, MiniEssay)
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