Agricultural Revolution

Social Studies Middle School Agricultural Revolution
Students study the Neolithic Era, when agriculture, animal domestication, and permanent settlements began. They learn about advances in tool technology and about the spread of specific crops and livestock throughout the world. They connect changes in climate and population to the Neolithic advances. Finally, they make the acquaintance of a late Neolithic man whose well-preserved remains, clothes, and equipment have taught archaeologists much about the era.

This learning experience is designed for device-enabled classrooms. The teacher guides the lesson, and students use embedded resources, social media skills, and critical thinking skills to actively participate. To get access to a free version of the complete lesson, sign up for an exploros account.

1:1 Devices
Teacher Pack

The Pack contains associated resources for the learning experience, typically in the form of articles and videos. There is a teacher Pack (with only teacher information) and a student Pack (which contains only student information). As a teacher, you can toggle between both to see everything.

Here are the teacher pack items for Agricultural Revolution:

Preview - Scene 1
Exploros Learnign Experience Scene Navigation


Engage


Overview

In this experience, students study the Neolithic Era, when agriculture, animal domestication, and permanent settlements began. They learn about advances in tool technology and about the spread of specific crops and livestock throughout the world. They connect changes in climate and population to the Neolithic advances. Finally, they make the acquaintance of a late Neolithic man whose well-preserved remains, clothes, and equipment have taught archaeologists much about the era.

In scene 2, students compare tools of the Neolithic era with tools of the Paleolithic era. To make the most of this comparison, this experience is best used in conjunction with the experience Emergence and Migrations of Early Humans.

Students will work in small groups in scene 3.

Objectives

  • Explain how geography affected the development of agriculture in the ancient world.
  • Describe how agriculture and metallurgy affected the emergence of civilization.
  • Describe technological and social advances that gave rise to stable communities.
  • Compare the lifestyles of early hunter-gatherers with those of agricultural communities.


The invention of farming and animal domestication was the biggest revolution of the past 10,000 years. It changed where people lived, the kinds of dwellings they lived in, the kinds of jobs they performed, the foods they ate, and their governments and social classes. It enabled many times more people to live on Earth. It even changed the physical environment. In this experience, you will learn the What, Where, When, Why, and How of the Agricultural Revolution. And you’ll find connections among those huge changes.

Objectives

  • Explain how geography affected the development of agriculture in the ancient world.
  • Describe how agriculture and metallurgy affected the emergence of civilization.
  • Describe technological and social advances that gave rise to stable communities.
  • Compare the lifestyles of early hunter-gatherers with those of agricultural communities.


large stones forming walls, set into a grassy hill

Remains of a Neolithic Dwelling, Orkney Islands, Scotland


Archaeologists have dug up part of a Neolithic dwelling on a remote island off Scotland. Look at the picture above and notice the details you can. Then click through an image gallery for archaeological finds at another Neolithic site.


Based on the images, what can you guess about how Neolithic people lived?

Post your answer

Discuss student responses. As a class, come up with several questions about the life of Neolithic people. 


When everyone is ready to continue, unlock the next scene.

End of Preview
The Complete List of Learning Experiences in The Beginnings of Human Society Unit.
Social Studies Middle School Agricultural Revolution
Agricultural Revolution
Social Studies Middle School Emergence of Civilizations in River Valleys
Emergence of Civilization in River Valleys
Social Studies Middle School Emergence and Migrations of Early Humans
Emergence and Migrations of Early Humans
Would you like to preview the rest of this learning experience, and get access to the entire functioning Ancient World History MS course for your classroom? Sign up using your school email address below.
Back to top