1.1 The First Humans

• History
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 1

1. The Age of Hunters and Farmers

1.1 The first humans

What is this lesson about?

Some people believe that a god or gods created the first humans. Scientists say that it took millions of years before people evolved into what we are now. 

Archaeologists and palaeontologists have found bones of the first humans in Africa. Modern humans are called Homo sapiens and they didn’t stay living in Africa. Instead they spread all over the world.

Which Age are we studying in this Unit?

What you will learn in 

this lesson

• the definition of the evolution theory
• what the "Out of Africa" theory means
• how to read the family tree of modern humans
• explain what palaeontologists and archaeologists do

Word Duty

1.1 First humans

Fossils: remains of plants or animals that are preserved in stone

Scientist: someone who studies a science, for instance history or biology

Creation narrative: a story that says God created man and the rest of the world

Theory of evolution: theory written by Charles Darwin to explain the way species change

Excavation: process by which you uncover something through digging away the earth that covers it

Palaeontologist: someone who studies ancient life on the planet

Archaeologist: someone who digs up remains to investigate human activity in the past

Tool: an object held in one hand to accomplish a task

Out of Africa theory: theory of beliefs that modern man evolved in Africa and then migrated to 

other areas in the world

Link to WRTS wordlist for all the other difficult words: WRTS HISTORY

KEY WORDS

1. In your textbook, read Lucy (p.8)
Copy the sentence from the text that explains what fossils are.

Tekst

2. Drag the box with the name Ethiopia to the correct country in the map.

When you see this symbol you need to use internet to help you find the answer.

Ethiopia

3a. The scientists were looking for fossils, but were really interested in the remains of early humans in Ethiopia.

1. TRUE
2. FALSE

3b. The scientists knew right away that they had found remains of a human.

1. TRUE
2. FALSE

4. Look at the drawing of Lucy on page 8. Here you see another
kind of reconstruction; it shows us what Lucy might have
looked like when she was still alive. (click the photo to enlarge)

Why would a museum use this kind of reconstruction instead
of a display that only shows a few bones from a skeleton?

1. Because it attracts people more than showing only bones.
2. Because Lucy was a beautiful girl.
3. Because we know exactly what Lucy looked like.
4. A, B and C are all correct

5. Why was it special that Lucy’s skeleton was well preserved?

1. because the bones were found by accident.
2. because the bones were so old.

6a. In your textbook, read "Where do humans come from" (p.9)
Create a correct English sentence with these words:

by a god / humans / people believed / created / at first / were

6b. In your textbook, read "Where do humans come from" (p.9)
Create a correct English sentence with these words:

Adam and Eve / is the story of / of a creation narrative / a famous example

7. What is a creation narrative?

It is a story that says....

1. humans were created by scientists
2. God was created by humans
3. God was created by scientists
4. humans were created by God

8. In your textbook, read "Theory of evolution".

Drag the missing words to the correct place in the text.

Darwin

changes

puzzle

apes

survive

fossils

archaeology.mrdonn.org

9. Go to the website in the previous slide.

Then click on ‘what is the job of an archaeologist?’ and read the text.

Use the information to make the correct combinations

archaeologist

paleontologist

historian

10. In your textbook, read "Out of Africa" (p.9)

Describe the Out of Africa theory in your own words.

Write down one question about something from this lesson that you find difficult.

congratulations