4th GRADE MINIMUM CONTENTS UNIT 19: LEARNING FROM THE HISTORY: LIFE THOUSANDS YEARS AGO PREHISTORY Prehistory is the oldest and longest period of our past. It began when human beings first appeared on Earth, about two million years ago, and ended with the invention of writing. LIFE IN PRIMITIVE TIMES They lived in caves and painted the walls Many thousands of years ago, the first human beings lived in small groups called tribes. They lived in caves and painted the walls with pictures of animals. They discovered fire. Human beings were nomads. This means that they moved from place to place to look for food and shelter. They hunted animals for food and their skins, and they caught fish and gathered plants. They made simple tools using stone, wood and animal bones. Much later, human beings learned to cultivate crops and domesticate animals. They became sedentary, this means they started to build permanent villages. They lived in huts They started to build permanent villages made of branches and animal skins, and they started to stables for their animals and storehouses to keep their harvests in. They also started to make cloth, and pots made out of clay. Towards the end of prehistory, human beings to build the first Metal arrowheads learned how to make tools out of metal. They started cities.
ANCIENT HISTORY Ancient history began about 5,000 years ago. During this period of time, many important civilizations developed, for example, the ancient Greeks, the Ancient Egyptians and the Romans. THE ROMAN EMPIRE About 2,000 years ago, the romans conquered much of what is now Europe, including the Iberian Peninsula. This was Romans built cities called the Roman Empire. The Romans spoke Latin. Many modern languages developed from Latin, such as Spanish and French. The romans built many cities. In these cities they built aqueducts to carry water into the cities, theatres for entertainment, amphitheatres where they watched gladiator Romans built straight roads fights, circuses for chariot races, and temples where they worshipped their gods. They built straight roads out of stone to connect their cities. In Roman society, rich people lived in family town houses called domus. Domus were large houses made of brick, with a tiled roof. Poor people and merchants lived in apartment buildings called insulae. Families all lived The rich Romans lived in domus together in one room. There was no running water and no toilets. Villas were luxury Roman houses in the countryside where rich land owners lived.
THE MIDDLE AGES The Middle Ages began over 1,000 years ago. Noblemen lived in castles with their family, servants and soldiers. To enter the castle, people crossed a drawbridge. To keep castles safe from attack, they were built on hills and protected by thick stone walls surrounded by a moat full of water. Soldiers guarded the castle from the towers and the battlements. Inside the castle there was a large house for the lord s family and other smaller houses. There were also stables for the horses, a blacksmith s, a well for water and warehouses for storing food. A castle on the hill. Peasants lived in the village. Peasants lived in villages near the castle. They lived in simple huts, farmed the land, and paid taxes to the noblemen. In medieval times, people travelled on foot, on horseback or in horsedrawn carts. Small sailing boats carried people and merchandise. In early medieval times, people built churches in the Roman style, called Romanesque. Later, churches were built in a new style called Gothic. A Romanesque church During the Middle Ages, many different groups of people settled on the Iberian Peninsula. There were two main civilizations: The Christian Kingdoms in the north of the Iberian A Gothic church Peninsula. The Christian kings and the noblemen owned most of the land in the north. The Islamic civilization in the south of the Iberian Peninsula. The Muslims came from North Africa.
UNIT 19: LEARNING FROM THE HISTORY: LIFE THOUSANDS YEARS AGO ACTIVITIES 1.- Write T (true) or F (false). Correct the false sentences. Prehistory is the shortest period of our past. Towards the end of prehistory, human beings started to build the first cities. In the beginning of Prehistory, when human beings were nomads, they lived in small villages. When prehistoric people became sedentary, they lived in huts made of stones and clay. Prehistory began about two million years ago. 2.- Complete the text about the Romans. Roads Insulae cities amphitheatres Latin aqueducts theatres circuses temples domus Romans spoke. They built many. They also built to carry water into the cities and to connect their cities. Their cities had, and for different kinds of entertainment. Romans worshipped their gods in. Rich people lived in, and poor people lived in.
3.- Write a sentence about the Middle Ages with each group of words. a.- Middle Ages Christian Kingdoms north b.- Christian Kings noblemen land c.- Peasants land taxes 4.- What do you think these prehistoric tools were used for? Match the picture, the name and the use of the tool. Then write sentences. Tools Pictures of the tools were used for 1.- Clay pots 2.- Harpoons 3.- Arrowheads 4.- Hammers 1.- Clay pots were used for storing water. a.-for hunting b.- For breaking stones c.- For storing water d.- For catching fish 2.- 3.- 4.-
5.- What period in history do these pictures belong to? Then, complete the sentences about these periods in history. 1.- The first human beings were and they lived in. 2.- Much later, prehistoric people cultivated and animals. 3.- Poor Romans lived in, and rich people lived in. 4.- In the Ages, to keep safe from attack, they were built on and protected by thick stone surrounded by a deep full of water. 6.- Complete your bilingual dictionary. LEARNING FROM THE HISTORY: LIFE THOUSANDS YEARS AGO -Tribe: - Nomads: - Sedentary: - Tools made out of metal: - Crop: - Cloth: - Develop: - Clay pot: - Arrowhead: - Hammer: - Hunt: - Catch fish: - Break: - Store (water): - Look for: - Ancient history: - Roman Empire: - Ancient Greek: - Aqueduct: - Amphitheatre: - Temple: - Gods: - Worship: - Rich people: - Poor people: - Middle Ages: - Own: - Lord s family: - Noblemen: - Moat: - drawbridge: - Battlements: - Blacksmith s: - Warehouse: - Tax (taxes): - Muslim: - Romanesque style: - Gothic style church: