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Human Ancestors

Driving Question: How did early humans evolve on Earth?

Hundreds of thousands of years ago, multiple human species lived on Earth at the same time. Did all these species die out, leaving our species, Homo sapiens, to roam the Earth alone? Or do we carry some of these species with us?

Learning Objectives:

  1. Use evidence to explain human evolution.
  2. Describe how early humans lived.

Vocab Terms:

  • bipedalism
  • collective learning
  • evolution
  • hominin
  • Homo sapiens
  • symbolic langauge
STEP 1

Opener: Human Ancestors

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 2 of the Lesson 4.2 Teaching Guide Locked .

For more information about why OER Project uses openers in every lesson, check out our Openers and Closers Guide.

STEP 2

Our Evolutionary History

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 3 of the Lesson 4.2 Teaching Guide Locked .

Looking for exemplars of the Evolution Comic? Check out this post External link in the OER Project Teacher Community.

Every moment in nature is a test. This slideshow and activity walk you through how (and maybe why) our ancestors evolved the way they did.

STEP 3

One of Many Humans

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 3 of the Lesson 4.2 Teaching Guide Locked .

Check out our Reading Guide to learn about the Three-Step Reading approach.

As humans evolved, our brains got bigger, and a bigger brain means more room for complexity. As you read, think about whether our evolutionary journey is complete.

STEP 4

Closer: Human Ancestors

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 4 of the Lesson 4.2 Teaching Guide Locked .

Go to our online teacher community External link for some ideas about how to engage students even more with the topic of human evolution.

Extension Materials
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To learn more about our human origins, check out this clip from Episode 3 of the Unknowns podcast.
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Mysteries of Our Human Origins

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 5 of the Lesson 4.2 Teaching Guide Locked .

There are still some mysteries surrounding our human origins. Explore what we do and don’t know in this podcast clip.

"Unknowns" Podcast Episode 3 Clip External link

How are modern humans linked to other extinct species of humans?

Key Ideas

As this video progresses, key ideas will be introduced to invoke discussion.