This week, learners imagine a day with no grocery store, no fridge, and no house waiting for them. They discover how early hunter-gatherers found food by hunting wild animals and gathering wild plants, moving from place to place as the seasons changed. Students explore the simple stone, wood, and bone tools these groups used, and how fire, teamwork, and cooperation helped small groups survive in very different environments around the world.

KEY IDEAS

• Hunter-gatherers found food by hunting and gathering instead of growing their own.
• Groups moved from place to place to follow food through the seasons.
• Early tools and fire helped people survive and do things their bodies alone couldn't.
• Different hunter-gatherer groups adapted differently depending on where they lived.
• Cooperation and teamwork were essential to survival.

SUGGESTED PICTURE BOOK
From Wolf to Woof: The Story of Dogs by Hudson Talbott 

PROJECT
​Students will sort "wild animals" versus "domesticated animals"

VOCABULARY

• Hunter-gatherer – a person who finds food by hunting animals and gathering wild plants
• Nomadic – moving from place to place instead of staying in one location
• Shelter – a place that protects people from weather and danger
• Tools – objects people make to help them do work, like cutting or digging
• Survival – staying alive by meeting basic needs like food, water, and safety
• Migration – moving from one place to another, often following seasons or food

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

• What's one challenge hunter-gatherers faced?
• Why do you think fire was so important?
• What tool do you think would have been most useful to have, and why?

Digging Deeper

• If you could only eat food you found outside today, what would you look for?
• What would be the hardest part about moving to a new place every few weeks?