Super Achievers for August 2007

 

Every month the school presents awards to “Super Achievers” in each core subject.  This month, Tan won the award for Social Studies and Kanny won the award for Language Arts.  They won these awards based on their marks, attitude and the fact that they completed their work on time.  Jorge, another Grade 6 student in my homeroom class, won an award for Life Science.  However, please look at the last two pictures and see all the super achievers there!  Can you see yourself?  You may win an award next month!

Dates of Hominid Migrations

Remember how I told you to use a pencil to write in the arrows that show migration?  Click on the maps below to see some approximate times of the major hominid migrations.  Add this information to your map using the new information below that was taken from http://www.roperld.com/HomoSapienEvents.htm#migrations.  However, only add in the information that follows closely along the arrows that we have already written.  Do not add in arrows or lines that we have not done together in class.  In other words, we will still follow the basic arrows of migration that we found on page 95 of A Message of Ancient Days.  HOWEVER, I do want you to add one new line of migration that we did not do in class–the red line of migration that occurred around 50,000 ybp (years before present).  You may add the new information–the information about when the hominids migrated–by using colors and adding the dates of migration to your map key on the bottom of your map.  The maps below give you an idea of how to do this.  Lines of migration that you have not found dates for should still be left in pencil.  In other words, only some of your pencil lines will be changed to a color/date.  (This is the third exercise that is testing how well you can follow instructions on your own.)  This homework is due tomorrow, Wednesday, September 12th.

Say HELLO to “Lucy” (Australopithecus afarensis) and four other hominids!

This is what “Lucy” may have looked like. Australopithecus afarensis means “southern ape of Africa.” Her brain was about the same size as a softball or 1/3 the size of our brain size. She was given the nickname “Lucy” after the Beatles’ song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” because Australopithecus afarensis is not so easy to say! We did an open book quiz about her last week.

Here is what Homo habilis and Homo erectus probably looked like:

And here we have a Cro-Magnon skull that looks quite similar to a modern human skull.

And, finally, what a modern human looks like: