Grade 6 World History, Quarter 1, Unit 2 of 3 Migration of Early Humans. Overview

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1 Grade 6 World History, Quarter 1, Unit 2 of 3 Migration of Early Humans Overall days: 8 (1 day = minutes) Purpose Overview In this unit, students investigate the peopling of the world, the first development in human history that took place on a global scale. The unit explores the chronology and range of human migrations, beginning with the movements of the human ancestor Homo erectus from Africa into Eurasia and the later migrations of Homo sapiens from Africa to the world s other major land masses. The unit introduces students to the question of how small communities of hunters and gatherers adapted creatively to a variety of contrasting environments in Africa, Eurasia, Australia, and the Americas. Humans were successful in peopling the globe and developing sophisticated tools. Students explore the connection between climate, migration, and the resulting adaptations of human groups to the various latitudes. Content to be learned Understand how long-term climate changes may have influenced human migrations from Africa. Understand how and when both Homo erectus and Homo sapiens spread from Africa to other parts of the world. Classify tools that early humans used to adapt to different environments. Understand why the capacity for language (symbolic thinking and communicating) contributed to human migrations and cultural development. Processes to be used Draw comparisons across eras and regions to analyze how the last Ice Age and its termination may have contributed to human settlement of Europe, Australia, and the Americas. Draw upon data in historical maps to trace patterns of human migrations from Africa to the world s other major landmasses. Formulate historical questions about how particular tools early humans used may have contributed to humans adaptation to a range of environments. Examine historical data to explain the difference between language, which humans use, and communication, which all animals are capable of. Essential questions students should be able to answer by end of unit How did climate and environment influence the migration of Homo sapiens from Africa to Asia, Australia, and the Americas? How and why did human beings come to inhabit nearly all land areas of the world, while most animal species occupied only limited parts of the world? How did language contribute to the human ability to adapt to nearly every part of the world? Providence Public Schools, in collaboration with the D-9

2 Grade 6 World History, Quarter 1, Unit 2 Migration of Early Humans (8 days) Written Curriculum Grade-Span Expectations HP 1: History is an account of human activities that is interpretive in nature. HP 1 (5-6)-1 Students act as historians, using a variety of tools (e.g., artifacts and primary and secondary sources) by c. asking and answering historical questions, organizing information, and evaluating information in terms of relevance. National Standards for History (World History, Grades 5 12) Era 1: The Beginnings of Human Society Standard 1: The biological and cultural processes that give rise to the earliest human communities. 1B The student understands how human communities populated the major regions of the world and adapted to a variety of environments. Therefore, the student is able to Analyze current and past theories regarding the emergence of Homo sapiens and the processes by which human ancestors migrated from Africa to the other major world regions. [Evaluate major debates among historians] Compare the way of life of hunter-gatherer communities in Africa, the Americas, and western Eurasia and explain how such communities in different parts of the world responded creatively to local environments. [Compare and contrast differing behaviors and institutions] Assess theories regarding the development of human language and its relationship to the development of culture. [Evaluate major debates among historians] Infer from archaeological evidence the characteristics of Homo sapiens hunter-gatherer communities of western Eurasia, including tool kits, shelter, clothing, ritual life, aesthetic values, relations between men and women, and trade among communities. [Analyze cause-and-effect relationships and multiple causation] Analyze possible links between environmental conditions associated with the last Ice Age and changes in the economy, culture, and organization of human communities. [Analyze cause-and-effect relationships and multiple causation] Common Core State Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies Reading Key Ideas and Details RH Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas RH Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts. Writing Production and Distribution of Writing WHST Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. D-10 Providence Public Schools, in collaboration with the

3 Migration of Early Humans (8 days) Grade 6 World History, Quarter 1, Unit 2 Research to Build and Present Knowledge WHST Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis reflection, and research. Notes, Clarifications, and Prerequisites Studying the cultural forms, social institutions, and practical techniques that emerged during this time period lays the foundation for study of the emergence of all early civilizations. Care should be taken in helping students understand processes that give rise to organized human communities, which will be studied in subsequent units. Discussion of the technology of early humans should include cave art and other forms of symbolic expression. Taught Curriculum Learning Objectives Students will be able to: Explain and illustrate the migration patterns of early humans. (2 days) Demonstrate understanding of where and why humans spread across the world and how they survived in diverse environments. (2 days) Describe the differences between animal communication and human language. (2 days) Show an understanding of human techniques and tools for controlling their environments and their migration patterns. (2 days) Resources History of Our World, Pearson, 2008 Teacher s Edition (pp. 4-19) Color Transparencies (p. B20) Unit 1 Teaching Resources Assessment Rubrics (pp. 8, 14-15) Step Up to Writing, Expository Paragraph Scoring Guide, Tool 10-15a World History for Us All, Big Era Two, Overview of the era Big Era Two, Panorama Unit Big Era Two, Landscape Unit 2.1, Lesson 2: Human Beings Around the World Big Era Two, Landscape Unit 2.2: Language: What Difference Does It Make? Facing History and Ourselves Big Paper Building a Silent Conversation, strategies/big-paper-building-a-silent-c Materials Colored pencils Providence Public Schools, in collaboration with the D-11

4 Grade 6 World History, Quarter 1, Unit 2 Migration of Early Humans (8 days) Instructional Considerations Key Vocabulary biome climate Ice Age language migration Neolithic nomad Paleolithic Stone Age technology (tools) Planning and Instructional Delivery Considerations This unit is intended to introduce students to the peopling of the world and the chronology and range of early human migrations. As an intended outcome, it is expected that students will be able to demonstrate their understanding of the influence of climate and the environment upon human migration and survival and well as the means by which humans modified the environment. Students will use historical evidence to substantiate their claims. The strategies listed below represent a menu of choices and possibilities to support each learning objective. Use the color transparencies and Unit 1 resources for additional support in this unit. The following teaching strategies are aligned to the order of the learning objectives. To ensure that students will be able to explain and illustrate the migration patterns of early humans (2 days): Have students create a map illustrating global migration patterns of Homo sapiens. Use the maps on page 5 of the Pearson text and in World History for Us All, Big Era Two, PowerPoint Overview Presentation, slide 10 as references. In a class discussion, ask students to hypothesize why humans migrated to particular parts of the world at particular times. As an anticipatory set, have students to do a quick write on what they think the explanation might be for humans who started out from Africa reaching Australia before they reached most of Europe. Standard 1: Chronological thinking To ensure that students will be able to demonstrate understanding of where and why humans spread across the world and how they survived in diverse environments (2 days): From World History for Us All, Big Era Two, teach the Landscape Unit 2.1 lesson called Meeting New Challenges: Early Humans on the Move. Focus student learning to the Essential Question: How did climate and environment influence the migration of Homo sapiens from Africa to Asia, Australia, and the Americas? How and why did human beings come to inhabit nearly all land areas of the world, while most animal species occupied only limited parts of the world? Divide the students into groups and ask them to discuss and record why they think human beings have been able to adapt to so many different ecological conditions including Arctic latitudes, dense rainforests, and arid deserts when most animal species have been less flexible. Standard 3: Historical analysis and interpretation Have students read pp and of the Pearson text. Take notes with the students using a protocol from Step Up to Writing. D-12 Providence Public Schools, in collaboration with the

5 Migration of Early Humans (8 days) Grade 6 World History, Quarter 1, Unit 2 To ensure that students will be able to describe the differences between animal communication and human language (2 days): From World History for Us All, Big Era Two, teach the lesson (What Makes Language Special?) in Landscape Unit 2.2. After completing the lesson, ask a number of students to stand before the class and try to communicate the following to their classmates: I will meet you a week from Thursday at the movie theater on Broad Street, but only if it is not raining and only if you feel in the mood. Do this, however, using only gestures and sounds that a chimp might make no speech, pictures, written notes, text messages, or props. Have the whole class discuss why it is difficult to communicate this message without spoken or written language. To ensure that students will be able to show an understanding of human techniques and tools for controlling their environments and their migration patterns (2 days): From World History for Us All, Big Era Two, teach Lesson 2 (Be an Archaeologist at a 24,000 Year- Old Settlement) from the Panorama Unit. Have student groups identify the types of archaeological evidence of the means by which humans used tools to modify the environment. Additional Teaching Strategies The following pages contain strategies for the concepts being studied and are listed in the order of the learning objectives: Migration patterns of early humans (Pearson, p. 5) Effects of climate on migration (Pearson, pp. 6-7) Differences between humans and animals using signs as language and/or communication (Big Era Two, Landscape Teaching Unit 2.2) Mapping migration patterns (Pearson, p. 5) Use a group activity to investigate environments in which early humans lived. Designate material from the textbook and provide supplemental materials that focus on what factors made a particular geographic location an advantageous place for hunter-gatherers to live. Create small groups that can hold a Silent Conversation on the factors (the conversation takes place entirely in writing). Discuss the groups findings with the whole class. (See the Facing History and Ourselves Silent Conversations webpage for more information about this type of activity.) Formative Assessments Assessed Curriculum Provide feedback to students through daily monitoring of student understanding using a variety of methods. For example, use exit cards. Have students answer questions on paper before they leave the class. Keep the activity prompt specific and brief to check for understanding of the day s concepts. For instance, to check students comprehension of how language facilitated life in diverse climates, ask students to respond to the following prompt: Describe one situation in which language would help humans survive in an extremely cold climate. Providence Public Schools, in collaboration with the D-13

6 Grade 6 World History, Quarter 1, Unit 2 Migration of Early Humans (8 days) To assess the progress of understanding: how to explain and illustrate the migration patterns of early humans, have students create an annotated map illustrating global hominid migration patterns. The students must annotate the map with explanations of when and where humans migrated. Standard 2: Historical comprehension how to demonstrate understanding of where and why humans spread across the world and how they survived in diverse environments, have students construct an argument in a short writing assignment or journal entry that makes the claim substantiated with evidence from the lesson that either the (a) climate or (b) environment was a more important challenge to the migration of early humans. how to describe the differences between animal communication and human language, have student groups create a Language Chart comparing human-to-dog, dog-to-human, and dog-to-dog communication, including things that humans cannot communicate. As independent practice, have students write a journal entry explaining how early humans might have used language to hunt animals like bison that are much larger and faster than any human. how to show an understanding of human techniques and tools for controlling their environments and their migration patterns, have students write an article for their hometown newspaper. Students will describe their discoveries at an archaeological site, citing evidence from the site that provides an account of the life of the people who once lived there. Students should provide some idea of the reliability of their conclusions by using such words as definitely, probably, and perhaps when making their claims. Standard 4: Historical research The formative assessments in this unit provide an opportunity to implement reading standards for literacy RH and RH when learning about reading maps and other non-narrative texts. It is also an opportunity to introduce writing standards for literacy in history/social studies WHST and WHST Summative Assessment To address the Essential Questions, have students create an Early Homo Sapiens s Guide to Migration flyer, offering advice for hominids intending to migrate to new areas. The flyer should include descriptions and illustrations of tools and techniques connected to early human migration and survival in different physical environments. Use the Step Up to Writing rubric on writing expository paragraphs to assess this assignment. D-14 Providence Public Schools, in collaboration with the

7 Migration of Early Humans (8 days) Grade 6 World History, Quarter 1, Unit 2 Notes Providence Public Schools, in collaboration with the D-15

8 Grade 6 World History, Quarter 1, Unit 2 Migration of Early Humans (8 days) D-16 Providence Public Schools, in collaboration with the