This class will introduce the field of paleoanthropology, what people in the field do, who they are, the study of human evolution, biological and physical anthropology, and the archaeological work done to understand our origins as a species and before. This class will use nearpod slides for students to follow along and for quizzes and in-class activities. This class is great for homeschooling styles unschooling, unit learning, and eclectic education.

Week 1 will introduce the field and its place in the broader study of both anthropology and biology. This week will look at how work in the field is done and why. Students will learn about the use of experimental archaeology to study our ancient human ancestors.

Week 2 will introduce students to Darwinian Evolution and our evolutionary tree. Students will looks at myths versus facts about evolution in general and specifically human evolution.

Week 3 will introduce human evolution broadly and some of the changes in how we study and understand our origins. This week will also cover important terms and the evolution of primates up to 7 million years ago.

Week 4 will continue delving into the evolution of other primates and teach students to think critically about what it means to be human and our connection to other primates.

Week 5 will introduce students to our earliest known ancestors, the early hominins.

Week 6 will continue studying our evolutionary tree leading to modern humans, the Australopithecines, and Paranthropus.

Week 7 will introduce the Genus homo and look at our evolution through Erectus, Ergaster, and Heidelbergensis.

Week 8 will finish the study of human evolution with recent developments in the field and genetics. This week will focus on Homo Neanderthalensis, Archaic Homo Sapiens versus Modern Homo Sapiens, and also look at Denisovans.