“Ancient Civilizations: Early Humans” Unit—Study Guide
DIRECTIONS: This is the study guide for our “Early Humans” Unit. This is meant to provide you with important vocabulary and the key questions that will be addressed by our test
Part 1: Unit Vocabulary
1.Social Studies –
2.Geography –
3.History –
4.Culture –
5.Government –
6.Economy –
7.Absolute Location –
8.Anthropologist -
9.Archaeologist -
10.Fossil –
11.Artifact -
12.Hominids –
13.Neanderthals –
14.Homo Sapiens –
15.Hunter-Gatherer –
16.Migrate/Migration –
17.Nomads/Nomadic Society –
18.Agrarian/Agricultural Society -
19.Agriculture –
20.Fertile –
21.Domesticate -
22.Fertile Crescent –
23.Primary Source –
24.Secondary Source –
Part 2: Unit Essential Questions
1.What is social studies? Why do we study it?
2.What is absolute location? How can I use it?
3.What is the difference between an archaeologist and an anthropologist?
4.What is the difference between a fossil and an artifact?
5.How did human beings originate?
6.How were Neanderthals different from Homo Sapiens?
7.What are examples of early human tools?
8.How did the use of tools lead to human development?
9.What caused the transition from nomadic societies to permanent communities?
10.What are some reasons that agricultural societies thrived more than hunter-gatherer societies?
11.What effects can location have on a society?
12.What are the most essential resources necessary for societies to survive?
Part 3: Unit Map Questions You must be able to identify the below geographic features on a world map.
1.North America8. Pacific Ocean13. Equator
2.South America9. Atlantic Ocean14. Prime Meridian
3.Europe10. Arctic Ocean15. Northern Hemisphere
4.Africa11. Indian Ocean16. Southern Hemisphere
5.Asia12. Southern Ocean17. Western Hemisphere
6.Australia18. Eastern Hemisphere
7.Antarctica
Part 4: Absolute Location :Be able to accurately plot the absolute location of a place using lines of latitude and longitude.
Unit 1: Early Humans and Societies
Section 1: What is Social Studies?
Key Idea: Why do scholars study people, events, and ideas of long ago?
Essential Questions:
1.What is social studies? Why do we study it?
Vocabulary:
Social Studies - geography, history, economics, government, and culture
Geography – the study of the earth
Culture – the knowledge, beliefs, customs, and values of a group of people; the way of life
History – is the study of the past
I.The Study of the Past
a.What is history?
i.History is the study of the past. Historians are people who study history. They are concerned with human activity in the past. What pronblems did these people face and how did they try to solve these problems.
ii.Historians are interested in how people lived their daily lives. They study the past to understand people’s Culture – the knowledge, beliefs, customs, and values of a group of people; the way of life.
b.What is Archaeology?
i.Archaeology is the study of the past based on what people left behind. Archaeologists, or people who practice archaeology, explore places where people once lived, worked or fought. Objects that may be studied include jewelery, dishes, tools, or weapons. The object become clues and tell us more about the past.
II.Using Clues – We must rely on a variety of sources to learn about history.
a.Fossil
i.A Fossil is a part or imprint of something that was once alive. Bones and footprints preserved in rock are wxamples of fossils.
b.Artifact
i.As human beings learned to make things, thay also made more sources of information
c.Sources of Information
i.Primary Source
ii.Secondary Source
Unit 1: Early Humans and Societies
Section 2: Absolute Location
Key Idea:
Essential Questions:
2.What is the difference between an archaeologist and an anthropologist?
3.What is the difference between a fossil and an artifact?
Vocabulary:
Absolute Location – the exact spot on the earth using lines of latitude and longitude
Unit 1: Early Humans and Societies
Section 3: Studying History
Key Idea:
Essential Questions:
Vocabulary:
Archaeology – is the study of the past based on what people left behind
Archaeologist – people who study past objects to learn about the people left behind
Anthropology – is the study of people, past and present
Anthropologist – people who study about people, past and present
Fossil – a part or imprint of something that was once alive
Artifact – an object created by and used by humans
Primary Source – an account of an event created by someone who took part in or witnessed the event
Secondary Source – information gathered by someone who did not take part in or witness an event
Unit 1: Early Humans and Societies
Section 4: The First People
Key Idea:
Essential Questions:
Vocabulary:
Unit 1: Early Humans and Societies
Section 5: Early Human Migration
Key Idea:
Essential Questions:
Vocabulary:
Unit 1: Early Humans and Societies
Section 6: Beginnings of Agriculture
Key Idea:
Essential Questions:
Vocabulary: