Introduction
Miss Doucet's Social Studies WebQuest
What are some of the things you remember from your past? Do you remember your first day of school? Your first birthday? These things make up your personal history which is important to where you got today.
Use the graphic organizer to help guide you through this WebQuest into Africa's first people.
Click on TASK to begin exploring Africa's past!
Task
Hunter-Gatherers
The earliest humans survived by gathering wild fruits, nuts and roots. They also hunted animals for meat and clothing. They made tools out of wood, animal bones, and eventually stone.
Hunter-gatherer- person who gathers wild food and hunts animals to survive
The first use of stone tools marks the beginning of a period we call the Stone Age.
Louis Leakey, a Kenyan paleoanthropologist was one of the first scientists to find evidence of early people in East Africa.
Farming and Herding
Between 10,000 and 6,000 years ago, hunter-gatherers began to farm and herd animals. The first farmers planted wild grains such as wheat, barley, sorghum, and millet. After much practice, farmers would save some seeds to plant for the next year's crop.
Later, people began to domesticate plants for their own use. They threw away seeds from weaker plants and saved the ones from the stronger ones.
Domesticating plants and animals meant people could plant their own crops. They did not have to travel to places where grains were already growing. This made it possible to settle in one place. It was important that they settled where the land was fertile.
Some communities produced a surplus, or more than they needed. This allowed people in the community to do other work besides farming.
Domesticate- to adapt wild plants and animals for human use
Surplus- more than is needed
Click on Process to learn about the civilizations on the Nile!
Process
Civilizations on the Nile
Over hundreds of thousands of years, some Stone Age groups became civilizations.
Civilization: a society with cities, a government, and social classes.
Civilizations also have architecture, writing, and art.
Egypt-
Each summer, the Nile River flooded its banks. This left a layer of fertile silt that was ideal for farming. People began farming along the banks of the Nile by around 4,000 B.C. It started out as small scattered villages that grew into the civilization of Ancient Egypt.
Ancient Egypt was ruled by kings and queens called Pharoahs. Pharoahs were considered to be gods as well as kings.
When Pharoahs died they were buried in pyramids. People painted murals and picture-writings called hieroglyphics on the walls of the pyramids.
The Egyptians were advanced in architecture, medicine, mathematics and paper-making.
Click on Evaluation to learn about the Bantu Migrations!
Evaluation
The Bantu Migrations
By about 500 B.C., West Africans had learned to heat and shape iron. They used the iron to form parts of tools such as arrowheads, ax heads, and hoe blades. The strong iron tools made farming easier and helped create food surpluses. As a result, West Africa's population increased!
Around 2,000 years ago, a group of people who spoke Bantu languages began to migrate out of West Africa, looking for new land to farm.
migrate: to move from one place to another
Over hundreds of years Bantu-speakers settled in Central and Southern Africa. They introduced farming, herding, and iron tools to these regions.
Today, people in this part of Africa belong to hundreds of ethnic groups. But almost all of these ethnic groups speak Bantu languages!
ethnic group: groups that share languages, religion, family ties and customs.
Click on Conclusion!
Conclusion
Congratulations you finished the WebQuest!
Make sure you answered all the questions, then pass your paper into your class basket and return the computer to the computer cart.
You may start your homework for tonight.
It is to answer #'s 3, 4 and 5 on page 34 in your book.