The Evolution of Humans

This scene takes place in a simulation of just a few of the key stages of human evolution. from the start of the scene, you can step up through five different key stages of evolution and see the most notable features of each stage starting at Australopithecus through to Homo habilis, Homo Erectus, Neanderthal and then finishing with modern day Homo sapiens. each stage highlights the key evolutionary traits of each stage of our revolution.

# Learning objectives

1: Identify the different types of Human ancestors {.info}

2: Explain the importance of Human Ancestors and how they evolved over time {.info}

# Australopithecus {.objective .objective1}

Here, students can observe our earliest known ancestors from around 4.2 million years ago. They will be able to see that they mainly ate fruit and vegetables with their hands and did not wear clothes.

# Homo habilis {.objective .objective2}

Students can learn how the term Homo habilis is Latin for Handyman and related to a community that lived between 2.4 and 1.4 million years ago in Africa.

# Homo Erectus {.objective .objective3}

Homo Erectus’ lived in northern Africa between 2,000,000 and 100,000 years ago. Students can view how they began using tools and fire as well as simple clothing.

# Neanderthals {.objective .objective4}

Neanderthals lived between 400,000 and 40,000 years ago in Europe and Asia. Historical evidence shows that they were skilled tool makers who wore clothes made of animal skins and they may have used painting to communicate with each other. Here students can search for painting that reveal this.

# Homo sapiens {.objective .objective5}

Homo sapiens in the scene are shown as modern-day humans camping at the top of the spiral. Students can draw comparisons between the modern-day human and their ancestors looking particularly at the use of fire, tools and clothes.