Title: Making Early Tools
Course: BC - Social Studies 7 - 1.0.0.0 > Section: Unit 1: Before Civilization

How difficult was it to make the tools that early humans used to help them to survive? This activity is an opportunity for you to begin to find out.

- First, this is an adult-supervised activity. You must have the guidance of a parent, guardian, teacher, or other trusted adult while you complete the assigned tasks.

- Second, this is a small assignment. It is unlikely that you will be able to complete any of the tasks described. You will likely find them difficult or impossible. This is intentional, so do not get discouraged. Instead, do your best and see how far you can get. See it as an opportunity to learn and to grow in your appreciation for prehistoric humans.

With the support of an adult supervisor, spend 30-60 minutes attempting one of the following tasks:

- Try to start a fire using only things that you can find in the natural world. Do not use any modern tools. Remember to practice fire safety, ensuring that nothing flammable is nearby, that you are working in a controlled, outdoor space, and that you have sufficient water or a fire extinguisher on hand.

- Try to create a knife out of stone or bone that is capable of cutting a piece of meat or slicing a raw vegetable. While you should not use any modern tools to make your knife, you must wear safety goggles and gloves. If possible, test your final product in a safe way.

- Try to create a simple wooden spear that is capable of being thrown and of piercing a piece of meat. While you should not use any modern tools to make your spear, you must wear safety goggles and gloves. If possible, test your final product in a safe way.

- Try to figure out a way to attach a stone to the end of a piece of wood so that it could be used as a hammer or axe. While you should not use any modern tools to make your hammer, you must wear safety goggles and gloves. If possible, test your final product in a safe way.

After you have attempted to create your prehistoric tool, take a picture of what you made. Then, write a brief reflection below in a few sentences. The questions below can be used as prompts for what to write.

- What happened? How successful or unsuccessful were you?
- What challenges did you face while attempting your task?
- If you were not successful, do you think you would eventually be successful if you had the time? How long do you think it would take?
- How did this experience affect the way you think about prehistoric humans?
- Why do you think this tool would have been helpful for prehistoric humans’ survival?

Rubric

 | Insufficient Evidence | Emerging | Developing | Proficient | Extending
 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
Human responses to geographic challenges | There is too little content to adequately assess my proficiency. I need to resubmit this assignment. | The tool I tried to build and my reflection on my experience show an initial understanding of the challenges that early humans faced while trying to survive in their environment. | The tool I tried to build and my reflection on my experience show a limited understanding of the challenges that early humans faced while trying to survive in their environment. | The tool I tried to build and my reflection on my experience show a meaningful understanding of the challenges that early humans faced while trying to survive in their environment. | The tool I tried to build and my reflection on my experience show a deep and mature understanding of the challenges that early humans faced while trying to survive in their environment.