Survival Challenge
OER PROJECT: BIG HISTORY/ LESSON 4.5ACTIVITYSURVIVAL CHALLENGE1Map image courtesy of NASA. Unless otherwise noted, this work is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Credit: “Survival Challenge,” OER Project, https://www.oerproject.com/PurposeLearning how to survive in a new environment must have been challenging for early humans. By thinking about how you might survive in a new place, you’ll see how early humans used collective learning to adapt to new environments. Process1.Read the driving question and inquiry challenge.•Driving question: How did early humans adapt to new environments and how do we know about what they used to survive?•Inquiry challenge: You’re part of a group of early human foragers trying to survive in a new location. What wouldyour foraging group need to live and thrive in this new region?2.Before you goany further, make a prediction by considering the following questions: What do you think early human foragers needed to survive? What factors mattered most (for example: shelter, clothing, food, tools, access to fresh water)?Write your prediction in one or two sentences.3.Examine the map and read the scenario on the next page, andthen answer the questionsin the table.
OER PROJECT: BIG HISTORY/ LESSON 4.5ACTIVITYSURVIVAL CHALLENGE2Scenario: Your foraging group has to migrate farther than expected due to changing climate conditions in Africa (red dot on the map). You’re trekking to a place where Homo sapiens have never lived before (yellow triangle on the map). It’s mountainous and colder in this new region and the flora (plants) and fauna (animals) are very different compared to Africa. Your group sent a scouting party to assess this new region, and they’ve just returned to where your group is waiting. What questions do you have for them about how you’ll survive?CategoriesWhat questions do you have for the scouting party for each category?What evidence would you need to answer these questions if you were in the scouting party?ClimateTerrainFlora (plants)Fauna (animals)TechnologyOther adaptations
OER PROJECT: BIG HISTORY/ LESSON 4.5ACTIVITYSURVIVAL CHALLENGE34.Different disciplines use different tools and methods. Choose two disciplines (circle your selections).a.Archaeologistb.Historianc.Anthropologist d.Biologist5.Answer the questions below based on the disciplines you selected. You can use the Disciplines Chartto help you understand the types of questions and evidence used by each of these disciplines.a.What types of evidence might this discipline investigate to understand how these early humans survived?b.How might these disciplines work together to understand what these early humans left behind?c.What are two questions you would ask these experts about how these early humans survived?1.2.
OER PROJECT: BIG HISTORY/ LESSON 4.5ACTIVITYSURVIVAL CHALLENGE46.Use what you’ve learned to write a four-or five-sentence response to the driving question: How did early humans adapt to new environments and how do we know about what they used to survive? Your response should include:•Claim: Write a claim that answers the question.•Evidence: Use two or threeexamples from the scenarioand disciplines you selected.•Reasoning: Explain how you came to your conclusion.