The first settlers arrived in America during the last ice age when glaciers covered much of the planet. Lower sea levels exposed the Bering Strait, which early humans and animals crossed into North America. These first settlers lived nomadic lifestyles in small bands, hunting gigantic animals and gathering food. They used simple stone tools and constructed shelters from animal skins and branches. Over time, they began farming and domesticating animals, transitioning to more sedentary lifestyles in villages. The earliest settlers left behind cave paintings depicting their lives and communities.

1. First Steps Through
America
Mrs. Gladimar De Jesús
Social Studies

2. Subject 1: Welcome, First Settlers!
When first settlers arrived, American Continent
was different from what is now.
When America became populated, the Earth was
going through a glaciation.
glaciation
glaciation – is a period in which glaciers covered a
great part of the surface of the planet.
glacier – is an enormous block of ice.
Many rivers froze and, as consequence, their water
didn’t reach the oceans. Then, the levels of the
oceans decreased and many territories were
uncovered.

3. Welcome, First Settlers!
The Bering Strait, located between Asia and
North America, was one of those territories.
Some animals, such as bison and mammoth,
passed through this “bridge of earth”,
followed by America’s first settlers.
This is one of the most accepted theory.
theory – is an idea or possible explanation that
has not been proven yet.

5. Subject 2: Traces of the Past
The first settlers lived in small groups
called bands, to survive in a difficult
environment with gigantic animals.
They did not have fixed homes and move
from one place to other, following the
animals they hunted.
These groups are known as nomads, that is
people who go from place to place.

6. Traces of the Past
Because their main occupation was to obtain food,
nomads were gatherers and hunters.
Their weapons were simpler, they mostly
employed creativity and collaboration by all the
group members.
They slept in caves or built shelters from animal
skin and tree branches to protect themselves from
cold and rain.

7. Traces of the Past

8. Traces of the Past
Nomads went through great changes, they
continued to collect and hunt, they learned to
differentiate the poisonous fruits from the nonpoisonous, at the same time they understood how
to control herds o animal.
They began to make small farming fields called
orchards, when they discovered that plants grew
orchards
very well near the rivers. To take care of them,
they built houses near them. In this way they
became sedentary, which means that they had
fixed housing, and the group of houses became
villages.

10. Subject 3:
The Life of the First Settlers
The nomads employed simple tools to collect fruit
and hunt animals. They discovered that when they
hit the stones, they could shape them.
They invented
the crusher, which they used to break down bones.
the perforator, which they used to make holes in
animal skins.
They perfected arrow points and invented new
weapons:
spears

11. The Life of the First Settlers

12. The Life of the First Settlers
Our ancestors also left us mysterious
paintings on caves’ walls, known as cave
paintings.
On these paintings they represented every
day scenes.
They obtained the paint from plants and
blood from the same animals they depicted.

15. The Life of the First Settlers
First settlers used to travel from place to place when food
sources ran out. In the course of time while they stayed in
one place, they became aware that plants grew from tree
seeds they has brought from another place.
From watching them grow, they learned were the months
for planting and harvesting. Growing orchards or
horticulture, became agriculture.
First Settlers’ plantations included variety of crops that
still today are part of American diet.
corns
cassava
peanuts
cacao
potatoes

16. The Life of the First Settlers

17. The Life of the First Settlers
Together with the agriculture came the
domestication of animals.
domesticate – to accustom a wild animal to the
company of humans.
This process provided human with a sure source
of meat for food, and skins and wool for clothing.
Thanks to agriculture and stockbreeding, the
settlers had more free time to engage in other
activities.

19. The Life of the First Settlers
The first settlers cooked over stones heated with
fire, but later they discovered clay.
clay – is a pasty material that results from the mixture
of soil and water.
Because of the need to make pots or plates to cook
with, they were led to work with clay.
They discovered that if they placed the objects
they made over the fire, they would dry faster and
more resistant. Thus pottery was born.
pottery – is the art of making vessels or other objects
with clay. Also known as ceramics.

20. The Life of the First Settlers
At the same time than pottery, weaving began.
The first weavers made fishing nets and baskets
with stems and leaves.Later they made simple
fabrics with cotton or wool thread. They employed
bone and wooden hooks to do this.
They invented the loom.
loom – a tool composed of two wooden sticks, one of
which was tied with several sticks, while the other was
fastened to the waist.
They were able to make more elaborate clothing
with it.

22. Taken from:
Social Studies 5 text book, part of Yabisi
book
Project; Ediciones Santillana, Inc.
Google images