Planet of Life: Apes to Man: Teacher s Guide

Transcription

1 Planet of Life: Apes to Man: Teacher s Guide Grade Level: 6-8 Curriculum Focus: Animals Lesson Duration: Two class periods Program Description Climb our family tree in Apes to Man to find out how the unpredictable forces of evolution shaped our primate ancestors and Earth's first hominids. And discover the many fine traits we have in common including perception, cleverness, and a gift for communicating! Onscreen Questions and Activities Segment 1, Planet of Life: Apes to Man: Part One Pre-viewing questions: o What do you know about how organisms evolved? Do you know how different species evolved? o As you watch the documentary, pay attention to the ways in which evolution is applied to humans. Take note of the evidence used to support the ideas presented. Post-viewing questions: o Scientific theories often change as new information is revealed. Discuss the significance of the discovery of Lucy. o How did the study of her skeleton provide a turning point in the understanding of human evolution? Activity: Find out what happens after the discovery of an important fossil. Use print and online resources to research the complete process, from collection to laboratory analysis, preparation, model building, classifying and naming. Segment 2, Planet of Life: Apes to Man: Part Two Pre-viewing questions: o What do you know about the geological events that created the Great Rift Valley in Africa? o How did these events affect the surrounding environment? o As you watch the documentary, pay attention to the ways that these geological events may have influenced the evolution of apes.

2 Planet of Life: Apes to Man: Teacher s Guide 2 Post-viewing questions: o The documentary shows how theories of human evolution have changed with the discovery of new evidence. Discuss the nature of scientific theories in general. o How does a hypothesis become a theory? Illustrate your discussion with examples from the documentary. Activity: Compile a list of important discoveries that have provided evidence in support of human evolution. Then develop a concept map that shows how these discoveries are related. What conclusions do you draw from this map? Lesson Plan Student Objectives Students will understand: Primates (e.g., monkeys and apes, such as chimpanzees and gorillas) in the African savannas, or grasslands, were the first animals in evolutionary history to exhibit bipedalism, or the ability to walk on two feet. About 3.5 million years ago in Africa, the first hominids appeared bipedal primates who walked erect. Those early hominids were the ancestors of recent humans. The ability to walk erect gave hominids greater speed, stamina, and agility, and therefore a better chance for survival in the African savannas, or treeless plains. The ability to walk erect is considered a milestone in human evolution because it allowed for the use of arms and enabled the production of complex sounds necessary for human speech. Materials Planet of Life: Apes to Man video and VCR, or DVD and DVD player Computer with Internet access or videotapes of primates such as monkeys and chimpanzees walking Procedures 1. Share the following information with your students: Primates (e.g., monkeys and chimpanzees) in the African savannas, or grasslands, were the first animals in evolutionary history to exhibit bipedalism, or the ability to walk on two feet. 2. Tell the class that they are going to observe and analyze the way human beings walk and compare human walking with that of other bipedal primates (monkeys or apes, such as chimpanzees and gorillas). 3. Have several volunteers demonstrate typical human walking by walking up and down several times in front of the class.

3 Planet of Life: Apes to Man: Teacher s Guide 3 4. Each student should make a written list of observations of the demonstration. Suggest that students include posture as well as foot, leg, and arm motions in their observations. (Note: You may want to remind students that they are making scientific observations and caution them not to include any inappropriate or judgmental remarks in their descriptions.) 5. Have students watch a demonstration of at least one other type of primate walking, such as a monkey, gorilla, or chimpanzee. The class could watch a video, or download a video from a Web site. 6. Each student should make a written list of observations similar to the ones they made for the human walking demonstration. 7. After students have completed their observations, hold a class discussion to compare and contrast human walking with the walking of the other primate observed. 8. Conclude the discussion by telling the class that about 3.5 million years ago in Africa, the first hominids appeared bipedal primates who walked erect. Those early hominids were the ancestors of recent humans. 9. Next, have the class assign ratings based on their observations. They should rate both primates for speed, stamina, and agility based on a system of 0 (very low) to 10 (very high). Students should conclude that humans rate higher than other primates. 10. Finally, hold a wrap-up discussion with the class, or have students form small discussion groups, to talk about why hominids had a better chance for survival on the African savannas, or treeless plains, than earlier primates. Students should conclude that without trees to climb, the ability to run quickly over long distances was more important for survival than the ability to brachiate, or use arms to swing through the tree branches in a forest habitat. 11. Tell students that, in addition, the ability to walk erect (without bending over or touching the ground with the hands) is considered a milestone in human evolution because it allowed for the use of arms for other purposes. Also, erect posture enabled the production of complex sounds necessary for human speech. Discussion Questions 1. Discuss some traits of primates that distinguish them from other mammals. 2. Discuss the significance of the discovery of Lucy. 3. Discuss the universality of DNA and how this molecular data can be used to construct family trees. 4. Explain the geologic events and the consequences created by the formation of the Great Rift valley. 5. Explain how human behavior is different from the behavior of other animals. 6. Why are primate fossils rare? Assessment Use the following three-point rubric to evaluate students' work during this lesson.

4 Planet of Life: Apes to Man: Teacher s Guide 4 3 points: Student observations careful and complete; comparisons and contrasts careful and complete; conclusions and answers show creative thinking. 2 points: Student shares adequate observations; comparisons and contrasts adequate; conclusions and answers need more thought. 1 point: Student shares adequate observations; comparisons and contrasts inadequate; inadequate conclusions and answers. Vocabulary anthropoid Definition: Humanlike. (Note: Anthropoidea is a suborder of primates.) Context: Higher primates (more advanced) such as monkeys, chimps, and humans are known collectively as anthropoids. bipedalism Definition: The condition of having two feet or of using only two feet for locomotion. Context: Humans and chimps exhibit bipedalism when walking. brachiating Definition: To progress by swinging from one hold to another by the arms. Context: In trees, brachiating is a more efficient form of locomotion than bipedalism. genetic maps Definition: The arrangement of genes on a chromosome. Context: Genetic maps can show evolutionary relationships. hominid Definition: Any of a family (Hominidae) of erect, bipedal, primate mammals comprising recent humans together with extinct ancestral and related forms. Context: One of the earliest signs of human arrival is hominid imprints dating back 3.5 million years. savanna Definition: A treeless plain. Context: A savanna is a tropical grassland with seasonal rainfall and drought and adapted scattered bushes and other plants.

5 Planet of Life: Apes to Man: Teacher s Guide 5 Academic Standards National Academy of Sciences The National Science Education Standards provide guidelines for teaching science as well as a coherent vision of what it means to be scientifically literate for students in grades K-12. To view the standards, visit This lesson plan addresses the following science standards: Life Science: Diversity and adaptations of organisms Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) McREL's Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education addresses 14 content areas. To view the standards and benchmarks, visit This lesson plan addresses the following national standards: Science Nature of Science: Understands the nature of scientific inquiry. Science Life Science: Understands biological evolution and the diversity of life. Science Earth Science: Understands Earth's composition and structure. Support Materials Develop custom worksheets, educational puzzles, online quizzes, and more with the free teaching tools offered on the Discoveryschool.com Web site. Create and print support materials, or save them to a Custom Classroom account for future use. To learn more, visit