Lesson Purpose
Considering we have never met a Homo habilis or an Australopithecus, how do we know about these early human species? Disciplines such as anthropology, archaeology, primatology, and history give us bits and pieces of evidence to help solve the puzzle of how humans have evolved over time. While we have learned a great deal about this topic in the last hundred years, there are still many unanswered questions and more evidence to be found!
The outcomes of this lesson are: 1.) To describe how early humans lived; 2.) To understand what scholars from multiple disciplines know about a topic and the questions they can ask to gain an understanding of the topic from an integrated perspective.
The outcomes of this lesson are: 1.) To describe how early humans lived; 2.) To understand what scholars from multiple disciplines know about a topic and the questions they can ask to gain an understanding of the topic from an integrated perspective.
Activity 1 - Driving Question Notebook
Activity Objectives
This activity presents the driving question for Unit 6. It’s meant to help you stay focused on this question as you learn new material. Activity Tasks
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Activity 2 - Intro to Anthropology
Activity Objectives
In this introduction to anthropology, Professor Kathy Schick describes the study of anthropology and what it means to be an anthropologist. This video will provide you with information on this discipline and possibly inspire you to investigate this field in the future. Activity Tasks
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Being an anthropologist is like being a detective who uses clues from both the modern world and the past to learn about our early human ancestors. If you like traveling, seeing new cultures, learning a new language, or searching for clues to solve puzzles, you’ll make a great anthropologist!
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Activity 3 - Intro to Archaeology
Archaeology informs us about early humans by examining the remains of ancient peoples (fossils) and the items they left behind, such as tools and pottery.
Hiking and searching to find new dig sites, using pickaxes and shovels to excavate fossils, putting clues together from fossil records to discover long-lost information from the past – these are the types of things an archaeologist does to learn about our early human ancestors. |
Activity Objectives
Professor Nick Toth describes the study of archaeology, the tools used by archaeologists to study fossils, and the questions that archaeologists ask to uncover clues about the past. The discoveries made by archaeologists are just one of the many ways we know about our early ancestors. Activity Tasks
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Activity 4 - What do you know? What do you ask?
Activity Objectives
This activity asks you to decide what kinds of questions scholars from different disciplines might ask about an object or a significant event. The goal is to help you solidify your understanding of the different disciplines, but more important, to move yourself toward thinking in an interdisciplinary fashion. Activity Tasks
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Activity 5 - Historos Cave
Activity Objectives
Earlier in this lesson, you learned about the fields of archaeology and anthropology. Now you’ll put that information to use as you attempt to describe how early humans at a fictional site would have lived. Although Historos Cave is fictional, the images in this activity are from a variety of sites in the area around Blombos Cave, South Africa. This activity will allow you to draw on previous information from the lesson as well as new research in order to draw conclusions about how early humans lived. Activity Tasks
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Activity 6 - Little Big History Kickoff
Activity Objectives
In this activity, you are introduced to the Little Big History project (LBH), which is the culminating project for the course. You will be using a Big History approach to examine a single object about which you’ll create a Little Big History. This is an opportunity for you to practice what you’ve learned throughout the course. Activity Tasks
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Challenge Yourself! - Optional Activities
1. The world's most famous fictional archaeologist? Indiana Jones.
2. Making Stone Tools - Nicholas Toth shows how early humans made stone tools that were simple but effective.
2. Making Stone Tools - Nicholas Toth shows how early humans made stone tools that were simple but effective.