You practice testing claims a lot in this course. You make claims as well, often within the context of writing assignments. This activity gives you the opportunity to practice making claims, which will help you make strong historical arguments both verbally and in writing.

Claim testing
In many ways, claim testing is really shorthand for “making and testing claims.” In this activity, you will practice your claim-making skills.

This is a quick activity where you’re asked to make two claims about foraging and farming. Today you’re just making claims, but you’ll be making counterclaims in similar activities later in the course!

In pairs or small groups, discuss what you already know about foraging and farming. You may also want to look at articles from the course to help you. Then, come up with two claims about the differences between the two. These will likely be comparisons. In pairs or small groups, come up with one claim about foraging and one claim about farming. For each claim, find two pieces of evidence that support it. You should be able to support your claims using course materials, but your teacher might ask you to use the Internet, as well.

Be prepared to share your claims at the end of class. Note that most if not all of these claims are comparative claims. Historical claims often relate to historical thinking practices such as causation, CCOT, and comparison. You should consider the types of historical claims you want to make when you respond to a particular type of historical question.

In this final vocab activity of the era, as with all of the final vocab activities in each era, you will engage in a deeper exploration of the era’s vocabulary. You’ll move beyond defining words to representing them in a variety of ways, including acting them out, drawing pictures, defining them in sentences, providing antonyms, and connecting them to course content.

Your teacher will give you a vocab card. Once everyone in the class has their cards, hold your card up to your forehead (with the word facing out), and try to find the other students in the room that have synonyms of your card. You and your synonyms are a group.

Now, you’re going to play a few rounds of the Word Wheel Game. The Word Wheel game works like this:

• Your teacher spins the wheel and calls out the action.
• For each spin, one person in your group has to complete the action related to where the spinner has landed. The actions are as follows for each word:
  • Use it in a sentence
    • Come up with a sentence that uses the word.
  • Think of an antonym
    • Come up with a word that is the opposite of the card you have.
  • Draw it
    • Create a quick sketch of the word.
  • Act it out
    • Act out the definition of the word. (Don’t just act out the word itself!)
  • Explain how your word relates to course content.
    • Relate your word to an activity, a lesson, a concept, the era driving question, or even one of the practices. This one can be hard!
  • You choose!
    • You can do any of the above.
• You and the rest of the people in your group determine if the student whose turn it was gave a correct answer. If your group can’t decide, ask your teacher to help.
• Each time a student gets a correct answer, they get a point.
• Then, the teacher spins the wheel again and it’s the next person’s turn to go.

Once all of the word in the group have been explained (after two or three rounds), your teacher will collect the cards, shuffle them, and redistribute them. Repeat the process as many times as your teacher says!

The Agricultural Revolution is widely considered to be a key turning point in human history. Agriculture popped up in different areas around the world independently. It’s easy to forget how significantly the introduction of agriculture changed both humanity and the planet. In this video, John Green shows how something as simple as a cheeseburger is a product of the Agricultural Revolution. While the importance of agriculture is clear, it remains a question whether 1) this was a positive change and 2) if this change can even be called a “revolution.”

This video provides an overview from a global level to respond to the Era 2 Problem: What caused some humans to shift from foraging to farming and what were the consequences of this change? In particular, this video will help you identify the difference between the lives of foragers and those of early farmers. It also provides evidence to begin answering whether the shift from foraging to agriculture was a positive change for humanity.

Preview—Skimming for Gist

Before you watch the video, open and skim the transcript. Additionally, you should always read the questions below before you watch the video (a good habit to use in reading, too!). These pre-viewing strategies will help you know what to look and listen for as you watch the video. If there is time, your teacher may have you watch the video one time without stopping, and then give you time to watch again to pause and find the answers.

Key Ideas—Understanding Content

Think about the following questions as you watch this video:

1. Where geographically did early humans tend to settle and why? Can you think of an example of how this affects humans today?
2. What evidence do we have that foragers “had it pretty good”?
3. What are some advantages and disadvantages of agriculture? (Hint! You may want to make a T-chart here to list these as John Green will jump back and forth.)
4. John Green tells you there is evidence that more than 13,000 years ago, humans in Southern Greece domesticated snails. What claim is this evidence meant to support?
5. According to the video, what are some of the negative consequences of agriculture?

Evaluating and Corroborating

1. Do you think that the Agricultural Revolution was a positive or negative change? Defend your claim with evidence from this video and from your own experience.
2. Did this video change your understanding of the production and distribution frame?

Comparison is a key process that historians use to help them better understand the past. While comparing and contrasting is something that you’ve likely engaged in prior to this course, in this activity you’re introduced to a systematic way of conducting historical comparison. The ultimate goal is for you to be able to describe and explain the relevant similarities and differences between specific historical developments and processes, as well as be able to explain the relative historical significance of similarities and differences between the topics of study. In addition, you’ll learn to use the Comparison Tool (which you’ll see an example of in this activity’s worksheet) to conduct and generate historical comparisons.

Reading
You’ll conduct historical comparison both as part of reading historical accounts and as part of generating your own historical interpretations. This comparison activity also has you look at two points of time (temporal scale) and place (spatial scale). Try to use the language of spatial scale when describing your comparisons (for example: local, regional, national, and global).

Although comparing and contrasting may sound simple, it actually gets really complicated when what you’re comparing is multidimensional, as is the case with historical topics. Because comparison is harder than it looks, your teacher will show you a tool you can use to conduct historical comparisons using the frames you learned about earlier in this era.

First, your teacher will either hand out or have you download the Comparison – Life in the Neolithic and Today worksheet. Review the questions associated with each of the frames in the Part 1: Identifying and Describing chart. The questions in the left-hand column of the worksheet chart have been selected because they are most relevant to this particular comparison. As this is the first comparison activity of the course, you’ll complete this one together as a class. Your teacher will guide you through the process of using these questions to fill in the columns in the top few rows of the worksheet.

Before you read the synopsis about life in the Neolithic (c. 10,000 BCE to 4500 BCE), decide which period you’d rather live in—the Neolithic or today. Be sure to explain your choice.

Next, read the synopsis of life in the Neolithic. This is a general story of what life was like during this time period; the specifics would change depending on your geographic location and the exact time period, such as in the early, middle, or late Neolithic.

Then, as a class, work to fill out the first part of the worksheet using the synopsis for the Neolithic. After this, do the same thing to complete the sections for life today, using your own knowledge of today to fill out those columns. Remember that community focuses on how people organize into groups, usually with shared values or beliefs as well as being inhabitants of the same region or nation. Production and distribution refers to how people make goods and get them into the hands of other people. For example, do they make goods at home or in a factory? Do they travel to markets to sell these goods or do they trade with neighbors? Networks is about how people connect with others, sometimes through work-related connections or through trade or, in the twenty- first century, via social media and the Internet. Once you’ve filled out the Today section with your class, discuss the following questions:

• How are these stories similar?
• How are they different?
• What’s important about those similarities and differences?

Now that you’ve learned more about life in the Neolithic versus today, would you change the answer you gave at the start of this activity about which period you’d rather live in? Be prepared to share your reasoning with the class.

Once everyone has completed the rows relating to the frames, you’ll review the answers together, and then work in small groups to identify similarities and differences between life in the Neolithic and today. You’ll then add these to the similarities and differences sections in the Comparison Tool.

Finally, you’ll come back together as a class to share the similarities and differences your groups came up with.

Your teacher may also discuss how to use these similarities and differences to develop two thesis statements, one about the similarities between the Neolithic and today, and another about the differences between the Neolithic and today. Don’t worry—if your teacher wants you to do this extension, they’ll walk you through the definition of a thesis statement and how to create a thesis statement that answers a comparison prompt.

Khunanup was a peasant in Middle Kingdom Egypt who made his living farming, trading, and gathering goods. One day, Khunanup loaded up a donkey with his belongings to trade, but he was stopped by an official who stole all of his goods. Khunanup’s complaints to the governor led him to appeal to the Pharaoh, who awarded Khunanup the official’s belongings.

This biography provides a lens for you to think about what life was like for farmers in the ancient world—was it good, or bad? It will also help you respond to the Era 2 Problem: What caused some humans to shift from foraging to farming and what were the effects of this change? Khunanup’s story will help you evaluate the production and distribution frame by providing an individual example of how the shift to farming changed how people lived.

Read 1: Observe

As you read this graphic biography for the first time, review the Read 1: Observe section of your Three Close Reads for Graphic Bios Tool. Be sure to record one question in the thought bubble on the top-right. You don’t need to write anything else down. However, if you’d like to record your observations, feel free to do so on scrap paper.

Read 2: Understand

On the tool, summarize the main idea of the comic and provide two pieces of evidence that helped you understand the creator’s main idea. You can do this only in writing or you can get creative with some art. Some of the evidence you find may come in the form of text (words). But other evidence will come in the form of art (images). You should read the text looking for unfamiliar vocabulary words, the main idea, and key supporting details. You should also spend some time looking at the images and the way in which the page is designed. By the end of the second close read, you should be able to answer the following questions:

1. How did Khunanup make his living and provide for his family?
2. What happened during Khunanup’s trip that eventually led him to appeal to the Pharaoh?
3. How was Khunanup described by the Pharaoh and by himself? Do you think this had any effect on the outcome of Khunanup’s case?
4. According to the biography, in what ways could Khunanup be considered a poor man? In what ways could he be considered a rich man?
5. How does the artwork support the idea that Khunanup was a poor man? Conversely, how might the artwork support the idea that Khunanup could also be considered a wealthy man?

Read 3: Connect

In this read, you should use the graphic biography as evidence to support, extend, or challenge claims made in this unit of the course. On the bottom of the tool, record what you learned about this person’s life and how it relates to what you’re learning.

1. Khunanup’s story is one of the earliest written sources we have of the life of farmers in the ancient world. What evidence does this story present as to what the consequences were of the shift to farming? How does this evidence support, extend, or challenge what you have learned about the consequences of that shift?
2. Do you think Khunanup chose to travel to the city to sell his goods because he wanted to, or do you think he was forced to leave his farm and try to sell his possessions because of drought? What does your answer tell you about the quality of life for early farmers?

To Be Continued…

On the second page of the tool, your teacher might ask you to extend the graphic biography to a second page. This is where you can draw and write what you think might come next. Here, you can become a co-creator of this graphic biography!

Not all human communities immediately adopted agriculture. The author claims that farming was not as beneficial for some humans, and often required more work than being a forager. However, as humans became stranded in areas, and used up their resources, most were forced to adopt agriculture. The adoption of agriculture laid the foundation for more complex societies.

Africa is a useful case study for investigating how and when humans did—or did not—become farmers. This article will help you evaluate the production and distribution frame narrative, in particular arguments about the shift to farming. This will also provide evidence to answer the Era 2 Problem: What caused some humans to shift from foraging to farming and what were the consequences of this change?

Preview—Skimming for Gist

Fill out the Skimming for Gist section of the Three Close Reads Worksheet as you complete your first close read. As a reminder, this should be a quick process!

Key Ideas—Understanding Content

For this reading, you should be looking for unfamiliar vocabulary words, the major claim and key supporting details, and analysis and evidence. By the end of the second close read, you should be able to answer the following questions:

1. According to the reading, what kind of production and distribution characterized most sub-Saharan Africa societies until about 1000 CE?
2. According to the author, what were the problems and benefits of becoming farmers instead of foragers?
3. What is the “Gardens of Eden” or “trap of sedentism” hypothesis?
4. Why didn’t humans in sub-Saharan Africa fall into the trap of sedentism?
5. What evidence does the author use to prove that farming in sub-Saharan Africa developed independently of other civilizations?

Evaluating and Corroborating

At the end of the third close read, respond to the following questions:

1. From what you read in the article, what examples or evidence did the author use to prove his assertion that human societies adapted in many different ways to their environment? Were those adaptations similar or different from each other?
2. How does the information in this article help you to answer the Era 2 Problem: Why did some humans become farmers, when our species had survived without farming for so very long, and what were the consequences of this change?

A team of archaeologists in China has found pieces of pottery that predate farming. This archeological find challenges the narrative that many historians previously believed: that the development of specialized skills (like pottery) always followed agriculture. Some of the pots have burn marks, indicating that they were likely used for cooking.

This biography of an object is fascinating because it provides evidence to challenge a story that many historians have believed to be true everywhere. This will provide you with evidence to respond to the Era 2 problem: What caused some humans to shift from foraging to farming and what were the effects of this change? The biography will also help you evaluate the production and distribution frame narrative as you consider how the development of agriculture differed from place to place, and how these differences may have shaped aspects of culture, even into the present.

Read 1: Observe

As you read this graphic biography for the first time, review the Read 1: Observe section of your Three Close Reads for Graphic Bios Tool. Be sure to record one question in the thought bubble on the top-right. You don’t need to write anything else down. However, if you’d like to record your observations, feel free to do so on scrap paper.

Read 2: Understand

On the tool, summarize the main idea of the comic and provide two pieces of evidence that helped you understand the creator’s main idea. You can do this only in writing or you can get creative with some art. Some of the evidence you find may come in the form of text (words). But other evidence will come in the form of art (images). You should read the text looking for unfamiliar vocabulary words, the main idea, and key supporting details. You should also spend some time looking at the images and the way in which the page is designed. By the end of the second close read, you should be able to answer the following questions:

1. What have historians typically believed about the development of pottery in relation to the development of farming?
2. What is different about the development of pottery in the Xianrendong cave, according to the biography?
3. According to the biography, what were these pots most likely used for? Are there any other factors that may have contributed to the development of these pots?
4. How might the development of these pots have shaped aspects of Chinese culture today?
5. How does the artwork show a connection between China 20,000 years ago and China today?

Read 3: Connect

In this read, you should use the graphic biography as evidence to support, extend, or challenge claims made in this unit of the course. On the bottom of the tool, record what you learned about this person’s life and how it relates to what you’re learning.

1. How does the evidence presented in this biography support, challenge, or contest what you have learned about the consequences of the shift from foraging to farming?

To Be Continued…

On the second page of the tool, your teacher might ask you to extend the graphic biography to a second page. This is where you can draw and write what you think might come next. Here, you can become a co-creator of this graphic biography!

This quick skill-building activity is intended to help you understand what is being asked of you when you’re presented with historical prompts, particularly those you’ll encounter in assessment prompts such as document-based questions (DBQs) and long essay questions (LEQs).

In this activity, you’re going to learn how to parse a prompt. What is parsing a prompt? It’s the process of analyzing a string of words. Or, put more simply, it’s trying to figure out what something—in this case a historical prompt—is saying and asking.

For the majority of historical prompts you encounter, you’ll be asked to do five things, so a LOT is packed into these sentences. Here are those the five things—keep in mind, most if not all of these elements should be included in your thesis statements:

1. Periodization – What’s the timeframe referred to in the prompt?
2. Location – Where in the world this is happening?
3. Topic – What is the main topic being explored?
4. Historical reasoning practice – Which of these three historical reasoning practices are you being asked to use: comparison, causation, or CCOT?
5. Composition – What type of essay are you writing (for example, is it expository or argumentative)?

Note that although there are historical thinking practices in addition to comparison, causation, and CCOT, those other practices are implicitly included in every response you’ll give to every historical prompt, so there’s no need to mention them. (In case you need reminding, those other practices are contextualization, claim testing, and sourcing.)

Now that you have that background, take out the Question Parsing Tool and write down the following prompt: Analyze continuities and changes in trade networks between Africa and Eurasia from circa 300 CE to 1450 CE. Walk through the process with your teacher, and fill out the tool as you go. If you get confused, don’t hesitate to ask questions—this is a tricky process, but you’ll surely master with a little practice!

This Era 2 culminating activity asks you to compare the positive and negative aspects of foraging and farming to formulate an argument for why one is better than the other. In this way, you’ll begin to understand that each way of life has benefits and drawbacks. In addition, you’ll be better able to evaluate why most people made the switch to farming, and you’ll also understand why this change was a gradual process and one that not everyone chose to make.

Claim testing, comparison
You will have to use your claim-testing skills to evaluate the evidence for both the foraging and farming lifestyles in order to create your marketing strategy and video. In addition, you’ll have to compare both lifestyles in order to convince the public that your way of life is more desirable than the other.

In this activity, you’ll use all of the information you’ve learned so far in this era to create a commercial to promote either foraging or farming as a more desirable lifestyle. As part of this, you’ll be developing a marketing plan, a storyboard, and ultimately a commercial, to convince other people to join your particular lifestyle. In case you aren’t familiar with the term, marketing is the business of selling and promoting products and services that usually includes research and advertising. Marketing is a popular profession today, and is a major at many colleges!

First, brainstorm a list of all of the pros and cons you can think of related to both foraging and farming lifestyles. Once you’ve done this as a class and discussed the benefits and drawbacks of each, get into your assigned groups so you can start working on your commercial. You’ll be working toward creating a 30-second commercial to convince people that your assigned lifestyle is better than the other.

While you should be creative and have fun with your commercials, you also have to make sure they are historically accurate and include aspects of what advertisers might include in a marketing plan. Here is a list of the criteria that should be covered as you work on your commercial:

1. Product – In this case, the product will be the assigned lifestyle—either foraging or farming.
2. Slogan – A catchy phrase or sentence that attracts people to the product.
3. Advertising techniques – Marketers use a lot of techniques to capture the attention of their audience. Use at least two of these (there are many other techniques that can be used—feel free to add your own):
   • Call to action – Telling someone what to do (for example, “Farm Today!” is a call to action).
   • Claim – What does the product/lifestyle do for the customer?
   • Humor – Using humor to make the product being marketed stand out (laughter makes a product memorable).
   • Hype – Using words like “awesome” and “outstanding” can make products seem more exciting.
   • Repetition – Repeating the same message to make it stick in people’s minds.
   • Fear – Using fear of what the other product might do (or not do) to make people want to avoid it. What negative things will you avoid by getting involved in this particular lifestyle?
   • Special ingredients – Emphasizing what is unique about this particular product/lifestyle.
4. Customer – Who is your target audience? Think about what they would like and perhaps even conduct some light market research to find what it is about each lifestyle that people are most attracted to. It’s also important to understand what people don’t like.
5. Competition – What does the other lifestyle offer and how can you counteract its attractiveness with your advertisement?
6. Evidence – You need to use at least three pieces of historical evidence to back up any claims or assertions you make in your commercials.

Once you and your group have decided what should be included, time to start digging into the commercial itself!

First, create a storyboard for your commercial. Think about a funny, moving, or otherwise persuasive commercial you’ve seen (maybe one from the Superbowl!) and brainstorm ideas for what to include in your storyboard. Good commercials are memorable, they often have a compelling narrative, and most important, they are very clear about what they are “selling.” Your group can either write a script to go along with your storyboard, or include text as part of that work. Note: Not all commercials have narration; some just have images and pictures. It’s up to your group to decide how you want to get your points across. Once you think your storyboard is done, show it to your teacher for sign-off before you start production on your commercial.

Once you’ve created your commercial, your teacher will explain how these will be shared and evaluated. Have fun creating your lifestyle brand!