Homo erectus

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/homo-erectus

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Homo erectus
2. What is the cranial capacity range?Approximately 900 to 1100 cubic centimeters
3. What did Homo erectus look like?Homo erectus had longer legs and shorter arms, which helped them walk well. Their brains were bigger, about 900-1100 cubic centimeters, and their bodies were similar to modern humans.
4. Where did Homo erectus live?They started in Africa and then spread across Eurasia, from Georgia in Europe to China and Indonesia in Asia. They could live in many different climates, from savannas to forests.

Bipedalism: The ability to walk upright on two legs, a defining characteristic of hominins.
Lithic Technology: The study and creation of tools made from stone.
Middle Pleistocene: A geological epoch spanning from about 774,000 to 129,000 years ago, a key period for Homo erectus.