Ancient History Curriculum: “Pre” History – Day 3

Written by Fawn in Ancient History Curriculum,Ancient History Daily Lessons,History Curriculum by Least Restrictive LearningLast Updated September 17, 2023

Human Curiosity

Vocabulary Bingo

We will play a game using this vocabulary:

  • Hominids
  • Fossils
  • Artifacts
  • Hunter/gatherer
  • Archeologist
  • Geographer
  • Historian
  • Culture
  • Excavate
  • Nomadic
  • Prehistory
  • Primary Source
  • Secondary Source

How to do this activity:

  1. Write all the vocabulary above on notecards (one per card).
  2. On a separate notecard, write the definitions for the vocabulary above (one per card).
  3. Print the Bingo card.
  4. Put all the notecards in a bowl or a bag.
  5. Pull the cards out one at a time. If the card is a vocabulary word, mark off the spot for the definition on the Bingo card. If you pull a definition, mark off the spot for the vocabulary word on the Bingo card.

Myths and Creation

Before we had the technology and science of today, people wanted to know where we came from. You will read some creation story myths from cultures around the world. Many of the civilizations we will study later on.

Read:

  1. Myths in 30 Seconds
    • pages 12-21
  2. Ancient Rome in 30 Seconds
    • pages 12-13

Answer:

  1. Look through the Myths in 30 seconds. What other things did ancient people want to explain and could only do so with myths?
  2. What similarities do you notice between the different creation stories?

Introduction to the Textbook

The main textbook we will use this year is “Ancient History: A Secular Exploration of the World Volume 1.” Get it out and look through it.

  1. Look at and read the cover (front and back).
  2. Find some exciting pictures and briefly preview what we will get to study this year!
  3. Look at the table of contents (no page number).
  4. Read (pages 1-3):
    • How Humans Moved Across the Earth
    • A Note From Our Historian
    • On Ancient History

Answer these questions from the textbook:

How Humans Spread Across the Earth

  1. When did homo sapiens sapiens evolve?
  2. When did they start to leave Africa?
  3. How did humans get between the continents?
  4. Who is the one group that has had inconclusive DNA evidence?

A Note From Our Historian

  1. Was History her favorite subject in school?
  2. What was one of her students’ favorite memories when she was an elementary school teacher?

On Ancient History

  1. What is prehistory generally defined as?
  2. When is the end of Ancient History usually set?
  3. What is a civilization that was not included in the textbook?

Project Introduction

For each topic we cover, there will be a project that is intended to be worked on over multiple days. Towards the beginning of each unit, you will get a list of potential projects that you could do. You will spend a little time each day working on the project. It will always be due on the last day of the topic.

Decide which project you want to do and how much you will work on it each day so you don’t save all your work for the last day of the unit.

For “Pre” History, here are your options:

  1. Make a Caveman Meal
    • Research what foods they ate and how they cooked, and make sure to consider what they had access to. Choose an area of the world to base your meal on. Discover how they would cook it and make a meal. Project paperwork is available in the Student Workbook.
  2. Make a Meal Plan
    • Look up what food they would have eaten and choose one area of the world you will choose to base this on and find out what food they would have had access to. Then, write a week-long meal plan (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snack) for a family in this area. Consider what cooking implements they had access to when making this report.
  3. Excavation Report
    • Look in the news for a new find that influences what we know about a part of history in this topic (prehistory). Find the report from the people who found this published. Fill out the worksheet in the Project section of the Student Workbook.
  4. History in the News
    • Find a news article about a new find. Fill out the worksheet in the Project section of the Student Workbook.
  5. Cave Art Painting
    • Make a simple story and tell it with a cave painting. Don’t use paint – look up what they used for paint and see if you can find or make anything similar. Make a cave painting on a crumpled paper bag without using words to tell a short, simple story. See if other people can understand the story you were telling.

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