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March 12-14, 1998
Presented by: Fran Morrison Length of Unit: Six days
I. ABSTRACT This unit is intended to teach first-graders about the time period of the Ice Age through focusing on the
people, their customs and their methods of communicating. This unit incorporates science, geography, art,
language arts.
II. OVERVIEW A. Objectives 1. Students will identify what history is and the story of the Ice Age. Students will understand the climate of the time period, the ways in which the people and the animals adapted to the environment, and the living conditions around them at that time. 3. Students will learn about the modern scientists called archaeologists. B. Content to be taught 1. The earliest people: hunters and nomads. 2. Crossing the land bridge from Asia to North America. 3. The hunting and farming techniques of the time period. 4. The dynamics of the weather and the limitations that the people had due to the cold temperatures. C. Skills to be taught. 1. Locate Asia and North America on the map. 2. To be able to identify the animals that were prevalent at the time. 3. To be able to describe the techniques that were used to hunt animals of that time and gather food. 4. Be able to show how the cave people communicated through cave paintings. 5. Identify the weapons and the way in which they manipulated the stones, rocks and sticks.
III. BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE A. Resources to increase teacher's background knowledge. 1. What Your First Grader Needs to Know Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Doubleday, 1997 2. What Your Kindergarten Needs To Know Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Doubleday, 1996 B. Applicable background knowledge. 1. Geography of the seven continents. 2. Use of Maps and the Globe.
IV. RESOURCES A. Eyewitness Books Early Humans, Alfred A. Knopf, 1989 B. The Magic School Bus Shows and Tells, A Book About Archaeology, Scholastic, 1997 C. Living in Prehistoric Times, Usborne Publishing Ltd., 1982 D. Journey Through History Prehistory to Egypt, Barron's Educational Series, Inc. 1988 E. How They Lived An Ice Age Hunter
V. LESSONS A. Lesson One: What is History? 1. Objective/Goal: a. Students will be able to describe what it felt like to live in the Ice Age period. b. Students will be able to describe what they think the people looked like and how they lived. c. Students will understand the job of an archaeologist. 2. Materials a. What Every First Grader Needs to Know, Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Doubleday, 1997 b. Paper, crayons and markers. 3. Prior Knowledge for Students a. Review prior knowledge of polar bears. Talk about how they kept warm and do a compare and contrast lesson between the animals and people. Tie this in so they can relate to how cold it was during the ice age. 4. Key Vocabulary a. Ice age b. History c. Cave people d. climate e. temperature f. archaeologist 5. Procedures/Activities a. Read out loud with large group showing pictures of polar bears, cave people, and pictures from the Core Knowledge book. b. Brainstorm with the children about where they think the people would live, what they would eat and how they would hunt. This can be done through a KWL. Keep this handy for future lessons. 6. Evaluation/Assessment Collect pictures from the students showing what they think it would look like during the Ice Age. b. Observe to see who participates in the KWL. B. Lesson Two: Crossing the Land Bridge 1. Objective/Goal a. Students will identify the route taken by animals and people when they crossed from Asia to North America. Students will learn that this was called "Crossing the Land Bridge." 2. Materials a. Map of the world b. Map from the Core Knowledge book. c. Paper and crayons or markers. 3. Prior Knowledge for Students a. Location of the world from previous lessons. b. Location of Asia and North America. c. Knowledge that people need food to survive. d. Refer to the KWL about what their predictions were from the day before. 4. Key Vocabulary a. land bridge b. Asia c. North America d. survival e. woolly mammoths f. reindeer g. bison 5. Procedures/Activities a. Locate Asia and North America on the world map b. Show the picture out of the Core Knowledge book that shows Asia and North America connected. c. Have the students identify how close Alaska and Asia are on the two different maps. d. Discuss why it was called a land bridge, using the map as a visual aide. Discuss how the animals were running away out of Asia and that the people needed to follow in order to have food so they could survive. f. Ask children what kind of animals they might be chasing and hunting. g. Have children draw the people chasing the animals across the land bridge. 6. Evaluation/Assessment a. Observe children locating Asia and North America on the map. b. Collect the drawings from the lesson. C. Lesson Three: Why are they called Cave People? 1. Objectives/Goal: a. Students will be able to identify where the people lived during the ice age. Students will be able to identify how the people kept warm. Students will be able to identify the ways in which the people survived through creative use of the environment. 2. Materials a. Journey Through History, Prehistory to Egypt, Barron's 1988 b. Living in Prehistoric Times, Usborne Publishing, 1982 c. How They Lived, An Ice Age Hunter d. Eyewitness Books, Early Humans, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. 1989 e. Wild and Woolly Mammoths, Aliki, 1996 3. Prior Knowledge for Students a. Knowledge that the cave people came over the land bridge to follow animals for their survival. b. Knowledge that the climate was very cold imposing limitations on people. 4. Key Vocabulary a. caves b. hunting c. gathering d. fire e. climate Procedures/Activities a. tell the students that the weather was so cold that they couldn't live in tents and they didn't have houses. Ask the students if they could think where the people might live. Discuss ways of how the people might have kept warm. Brainstorm with the children on what items outside laying around might the people be able to use. Spend time browsing and reading the books. Give the children visual examples. Show the students how they rubbed stones together to make fire. 6. Evaluation/Assessment a. Observe the students answers to various questions. b. Observe the students identifying the animals in the books. c. Observe the students identifying the items used in the cave.
D. Lesson Four: It's Time for Dinner 1. Objective/Goal: a. Students will be able to describe orally how the people dressed liked animals and how the hunted the wild beasts. b. Students will be able to draw pictures of the giant traps that the cave people made to catch the animals. c. Students will be able to identify the weapons used. d. Students will be able to describe the utensils used to eat and what materials were used. 2. Materials a. Books from previous lessons. b. paper, crayons and markers. 3. Prior Knowledge for the Students a. Review information from previous lessons. b. Review prior knowledge through questions. 4. Key Vocabulary a. flint b. spearheads c. weapons d. flakes e. tools f. spears g. leather h. bone 5. Procedures/Activities a. Read the book Wild and Woolly Mammoths, written by Aliki, 1977. b. Discuss the way the cave people dressed in skins from the animals to camouflage themselves to sneak up on the wild beasts. c. Discuss the weapons used, how they were made, and how food was prepared. d. At this point take your cue from the students on which part interests them the most. e. Have the students draw a picture representing the hunting and gathering. 6. Evaluation/Assessment a. Collect pictures from the student. b. Observe the participation and the comprehension from the discussion. E Lesson Five: Cave Painting 1. Objectives/Goal a. Students will be able to demonstrate a knowledge of cave painting by making their own painting. b. Students will be able to describe the technique used to cave paint. c. Students will be able to identify the colors that were used in cave painting. 2. Materials a. Paper b. crayons or charcoal in the colors of black, shades of red, brown and yellow. c. air brush if available. d. paint e. straws 3. Key Vocabulary a. Cave painting b. charcoal Communicating
4. Procedures/Activities a. Read the book Living in Prehistoric Times, Usborne Publishing, 1982 b. Highlight the section on cave paintings. c. Have the children participate in their own cave painting using crayons and charcoal. d. Coordinate with the art teacher to use air brush painting and air brush around the hands of each student. e. Discuss with the students that the cave people did not speak using words; this was the only way to communicate. 5. Evaluation/Assessment a. Collect cave paintings. b. Display the work in the classroom. VI. CULMINATING ACTIVITY To finish up your unit there are several options. First review the information from the last five lessons. Have a field trip scheduled to a area museum where artifacts are displayed. If there is anyone who collects woolly mammoth teeth or tusks, invite them into your classroom. Call area malls to check if they have any prehistoric displays. Spend one day talking and sharing art work and writing samples. Let this be an enjoyable time for reflection.
VIII. BIBLIOGRAPHY A. Eyewitness Books Early Humans, Alfred A. Knopf, 1989 B. The Magic School Bus Shows and Tells, A Book About Archaelolgy, Scholastic, 1997 C. Living in Prehistoric Times, Usborne Publishing Ltd., 1982 D. Journey Through History Prehistory to Egypt, Barron's Educational Series, Inc. 1988 E. How They Lived An Ice Age Hunter F. What Your First Grader Needs to Know Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Doubleday, 1997 G. What Your Kindergarten Needs To Know Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Doubleday, 1996 |
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