Essential Questions:
1. What geographic features contribute to the patterns of human settlement?
2. What is a civilization?
3. What is the interaction between people and the environment?
4. How does where you live impact how you live?
Big Ideas:
1. Geographical features impact the development of civilizations.
2. Civilization is made up of a large population, distribution of jobs, social structure, government, culture and trade.
3. Human settlements impact the environment.
Essential Vocabulary:
Civics, Social Pyramid, evolution, city-states/polis, social structure, migrate, Neolithic Revolution, Ice Age, Land Bridge,
society, Domestication, Hunter-Gatherers, agriculture, irrigation, Natural Barriers, Civilization, Geography, fertile soil (silt),
floods, famine, trade, papyrus, aqueduct, calendar, wheel, plow, social structure
Learning Experiences
- Introduction of themes
- “Big Paper” preview activity on the themes
- Students will understand how themes are unfold in U.S./World today (slideshow, headlines activity)
- Review geographical features and natural barriers
- Understand why early civilizations settled along rivers
- Connect the Neolithic Revolution and emergence of cities
- Review the features of a civilization
- Analyze how human settlements in ancient times and today impact the environment (science)
- NewsELA as resource
- Primary Source: Nile/Euphrates/Yellow River and irrigation channel
- Primary Source: Deforestation/erosion