Homo sapiens originated in Africa around 200,000 years ago. Around 70,000 years ago, climate change caused food and water scarcity in Africa, reducing the human population to only 2,000 individuals. However, humans survived due to being skilled hunters and toolmakers with advanced language abilities. Around 65,000 years ago, one tribe left Africa, migrating to other parts of the world like Arabia, India, and Europe. Another period of climate change during the last Ice Age 20,000 years ago covered northern regions in ice but humans again adapted and survived.

1. Texts adapted from Solutions, OUP Gina Paschalidou
The human story
A What do you think…? Circle the correct answer. Then read the text to find
out.
1 Our earliesthumanancestorswere from Africa/Asia.
2 There were/weren’thumansinthe lastIce Age.
3 Homo Sapiens isan animal/human.
B Imagine how humans lived 70,000 year ago. Think about their…
shelter/home:
food:
tools:
C Read the story and try to answer the question at the end.
Danger in Africa
Today humans are the most powerful species on Earth but 70,000 years ago Homo Sapiens was in
trouble.There wasn’t much rain in Africa and it was difficult to find food. A lot of people died and at
one pointthere were only2,000 humansleftonthe planet. They lived in small groups called tribes in
different parts of Africa. After 130,000 years in this continent, we almost disappeared, like the
dinosaurs did.
But Homo Sapiens survived.We were great hunters, made useful tools and had good language skills.
We were the toughest and the most intelligent of the species. About 65,000 years ago, one tribe left
Africa. Little bylittle,humansgrewinnumberandtravelledtoArabia,IndiaandAustralia.They arrived
in Europe about 45,000 years ago.
Another climate change tested humans again: the Ice Age. 20,000 years ago, ice covered northern
Europe and Asia and it seemed impossible to live there. But again, we survived. How?

2. Texts adapted from Solutions, OUP Gina Paschalidou
D What happened …… years ago?
---200,000 ---------------------- 65,000 --------------------- 45,000 -------------------- 20,000---
________________ ________________ _______________ _______________
_______________ _______________ ______________ ______________
Now tell the class what happened in each period of time.
E Some of the underlined words from the text are shown here. Write the correct
words under the pictures.
……………….. …………………. ………………. ………………………..
……………………….. ..……………………….. …………………………...
F Read about another invention and complete with the Past Simple of the verbs
in brackets.
A great invention
The first humans (1)__________________ (hunt) animals and (2)_________________ (collect) for
fruit, seeds and nuts for food. They (3) __________________ (move) from place to place and
(4)___________________ (take) their young children with them. But 10,000 years ago, humans
(5)___________________ (invent) farming, probably in the Middle East and human life
(6)_____________ (change) completely. The first farmer (7)__________________ (put) some seeds
under the earth.
“You are wasting your food!”, his tribe (8)_______________ (say) to him. But the farmer
(9)________________ (be) smart. Soon he (10)______________ (see) little green plants and then,
these (11)______________ (produce) more food. Other tribes (12) ______________ (copy) his idea
and so humans (13)____________________ (stop) travelling. They (14) __________________ (live) in
villages, they (15) _________________ (have) more children and the human population 16)
________________ (grow).

3. Texts adapted from Solutions, OUP Gina Paschalidou
G Think of another title to the story above.
H What is the name of this invention (in activity F)? How did it help humanity
progress? Discuss.
I Name another THREE great inventions. If you don’t know their names, you
can give examples of them.
J The homo sapiens story
Form groups of 2-3 and imagine a morning/afternoon in the life of a Homo
Sapiens family 40.000 years ago. Write your story in no more than 150 words.
K Extra material
a) Go to: http://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/human-evolution-timeline-interactive
and look at the map. BEWARE the timeline begins form the right (the present on the
left).
Find the major milestones in human evolution and write about them in in one
paragraph.
b) Go to http://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/human-
fossils/species?sort_by=field_age_timeline_maximum_value and look at the human
species.
Which ones do you know? Choose one or two to learn more about by clicking on the
image and then summarise what you have learnt.