THE BEGINNINGS OF HUMAN SOCIETY :BEGINNINGS TO 4000 B.C.E./B.C

Explain the basic features and differences between hunter-gatherer societies and pastoral nomads. Analyze and 
explain the geographic, environmental, biological, and cultural processes that influenced the rise of the earliest human 
communities, the migration and spread of people throughout the world, and the causes and consequences of the growth 
of agriculture.

W1.1 Peopling of the Earth 

Describe the spread of people in the Western Hemisphere in Era 1. 
In the first era of human history, people spread throughout the world. As communities of hunters, foragers, or fishers, they adapted creatively and continually to a variety of contrasting, changing environments in the Americas.

6 – W1.1.1 Describe the early migrations of people among Earth’s continents (including the Berringa Land Bridge).

6 – W1.1.2 Examine the lives of hunting and gathering people during the earliest eras of human society (tools and weapons, language, fire).

Agricultural Revolution

Describe the Agricultural Revolution and explain why it is a turning point in history. 

The Agricultural Revolution was a major turning point in history that resulted in people and civilizations viewing and using the land in a systematic manner to grow food crops, raise animals, produce food surpluses, and the development of sedentary settlement.

6 – W1.2.1 Describe the transition from hunter gatherers to sedentary agriculture (domestication of plants and animals).

6 – W1.2.2 Describe the importance of the natural environment in the development of agricultural settlements in different locations (e.g., available water for irrigation, adequate precipitation, and suitable growing season).

6 – W1.2.3 Explain the impact of the Agricultural Revolution (stable food supply, surplus, population growth, 
trade, division of labor, development of settlements).

*Note: All of these benchmarks are covered in unit #2, Human Beginnings