Topic 1 Origins of Civilization

Lesson 1 The Distant Past

Explain how scientists use fossils and artifacts to draw conclusions about early humans.

Discuss how archaeological evidence indicates that human life began in Africa.

Explain how people lived by the gathering and hunting way of life.

Identify the new skills that hunter-gatherer societies developed in order to survive.

Lesson 2 Humans Spread Out

Discuss how we know the characteristics of modern humans and Neanderthals.

Explain why modern humans succeeded.

Summarize how and why modern humans succeeded and populated most regions of the world.

Analyze how the environment influenced the migrations of early humans.

Identify how early humans adapted to new environments and climate changes.

Lesson 3 Developing Complex Cultures

Discuss what the existing evidence reveals about how human societies became more complex.

Explain how humans learned to modify their environment.

Analyze why some humans developed agriculture while others lived as herders.

Lesson 4 New Ways of Life

Explain how farming helped people develop specialized skills.

Describe how farming villages developed into cities.

Identify the effects of these new ways of life.

Lesson 5 The Rise of Civilizations

Describe the environmental factors that helped civilizations grow.

Analyze the impact that civilizations and complex urban societies had on the surrounding environment.

Discuss how and why cities gave rise to the world's first civilizations.

Identify the features that all early civilizations have in common.