Early Man Review

1. Early Man Review Day 2

2. Do Now • Take out your hominid notes

3. Examples of Paragraphs By: Mr. Preble

4. Australopithecines My name is Lucy, and my species, the australopithecines, is the earliest known hominid group. My fossil was later discovered by Donald Johnson, a man who studies archeology. Since my species lived before writing occurred, I am considered a part of prehistory. Because of this, scientists have had to develop theories as to how we lived. My species walked on 2 legs, leaving our hands free to do work such as killing animals for food.

5. Australopithecines Some of the hominids I know live in the forests, while others live in the open grasslands. Those who live in the grasslands may have access to more meat, which may lead to certain advantages, such as a more balanced diet. I hope that Mr. Preble’s students enjoyed my story, and that they continue to write about me!

6. Homo habilis My name is Homo habilis, but you may know me as a “wise person.” This title was given to me after the Leakey family discovered my remains. They were a group of archeologists who were good at finding fossils and artifacts! Their findings are considered the beginning of the Paleolithic Era, because I was the first hominid to use stone chipped tools.

7. Homo habilis (continued) I was found in Africa, just like other early hominids. It is believed that I lived around 2.5 million years ago. I had a larger brain than the australopithecines. I also had a rounder skull, and a smaller face and jaw. Do you remember what my early tools looked like?

8. Homo erectus My name is Homo erectus, and I am the most advanced hominid we have studied so far. My name means “upright person,” and I was found in Kenya about 1.9 million years ago. I was larger and stronger than other hominids, and I had a bigger brain too! I was also the only hominid to survive, and one of the theories for this is because we learned to migrate to get more resources.

9. Homo erectus (continued) I was also able to create stone hand axes, which were more complex than the tools that Homo habilismade. I also mastered fire, so that I could cook food and keep warm at night. Finally, I was able to communicate better because I had better language skills that helped me to survive.

10. Directions • Work with your partners to answer the questions to A Distant Past on page 1 of your Homework and Practice Book