Format
1. Interactive discussion-what is a human?
2. View images of various prehistoric hominids and compare them to modern humans.
3. Use casts of various hominid bones from our Museum-provided kit to demonstrate how their shapes affect locomotion.
4. Time is allowed for questions and answers.
Objectives
Students will--
Distinguish between the different primate groups: lemurs, Old World monkeys; New World monkeys; apes and hominids (humans).
Describe how science and technology have been used to identify various lines of evidence for human evolution e.g. molecular: DNA, skeletal: comparative anatomy, embryology and behavioral.
Recognize differences between various hominid ancestors: Ardipithecus ramidus; Australopithecus afarensis (Lucy); A. boisei; A. garhi; Homo habilis; H. erectus; H. sapiens neandertalensis; and modern H. sapiens. Comparisons will focus on brain size, diet and tool use.
Standards Alignment
National Standards
See Ohio Academic Content Standards below.
State Standards
Ohio
Science
Grade 6:Life Science-Cellular to Multicellular
•Living systems at all levels of organization demonstrate the complementary nature of structure and function.
Grade 8: Life Science-Species and Reproduction
•Diversity of species occurs through gradual processes over many generations. Fossil records provide evidence that changes have occurred in number and types of species.
HS Science: Environmental Science-Earth Systems: Interconnected Spheres of Earth
•Biosphere (Evolution and adaptation in populations, Biodiversity)