Homo

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

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 family?Hominidae (great apes)
2. What is the closest living relatives?Genus Pan (chimpanzees and bonobos), with divergence estimated 5.7–11 million years ago
3. What is the genus Homo and why is it important?The genus Homo is the group that includes modern humans and our ancient relatives. It helps scientists learn how we evolved and how we fit into the natural world.
4. Who was Homo habilis and what did they do?Homo habilis was the earliest known Homo species, living about 2 million years ago. They had a larger brain than earlier ancestors and made simple stone tools called the Oldowan industry.

Genus Homo: A taxonomic rank that includes modern humans and extinct related species, characterized by larger brains and tool use.
Hominin Lineage: The evolutionary path leading to modern humans after the split from the chimpanzee lineage.
Behavioral Modernity: The full range of behaviors and cognitive abilities seen in contemporary humans, including complex language and symbolic thought.
Speciation: The evolutionary process by which new biological species arise.