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Big Era Two: Landscape
Unit 2.2
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| Language: What Difference Does It Make?
200,000 - 40,000 BCE |
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Why This Unit? |
The core of this unit is the question: What makes human language different from animal communication? The question is important because that difference has made possible much that characterizes humans, from abstract thought to collective learning and rapid cultural change. Simple exercises, discussion questions, and an illustrated handout help students to construct and refine a hypothesis about the question they are investigating, both promoting and demonstrating their understanding of the lessons in this unit.
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| Unit Objectives |
Upon completing this unit, students
will be able to:
1. Explain the key differences between animal communication and human language.
2. Relate the advantages of language to its short-range and long-range survival value.
3. Construct a hypothesis based on evidence, and revise it in the light of new information.
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Time and Materials |
Time: This unit will take 45-75 minutes. Actual time will vary with circumstances. If time is limited, the unit can be shortened by omitting the Introductory Activities.
Materials:
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Table of Contents |
Why This Unit? |
2 |
Unit Objectives |
2 |
Time and Materials |
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Authors |
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The Historical Context
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2 |
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This Unit in the Big Era Timeline |
3 |
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Lesson: What Makes Language Special?
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5 |
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This Unit and the Three Essential Questions
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10 |
This Unit and the Seven Key Themes |
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This Unit and the Standards in Historical Thinking |
10 |
Resources
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11 |
Correlations to National and State Standards |
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Conceptual Link to Other Teaching Units |
12 |
Complete Teaching Unit in PDF Format |
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