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- From: Clovis Online School
- Contributed By: Rob Darrow
This is the overall online link for the world history course based on California state standards.
Navigate to This External Web Link:
Patterns of Resource Use
Humans have always made an impact on the environment through their use of resources. Early humans were primarily hunter-gatherers who used tools to survive. They fashioned wood and stone tools for hunting and food preparation, and used fire for cooking. Early humans developed methods for changing habitat to suit their needs and herding wild animals. As time passed, humans developed more tools and techniques and came to rely on that technology in their daily lives. Although the tools of early humans were primitive by today's standards, they significantly affected the environment and probably hastened the extinction of some large Ice Age mammals.
After the end of the last Ice Age, some eight to 10,000 years ago, humans began domesticating wild animals and plants. The first known instance of farming started in a region extending from southeastern Turkey to western Iran, known as the fertile crescent.
These early farmers domesticated crops such as chickpea, bitter vetch, grapes, olives, barley, emmer wheat, lentils, and flax. They hybridized wheat for making bread from wild grass and emmer wheat. They also domesticated animals such as sheep, goats, cattle and pigs. The fertile crescent's unique diversity of wild crops and animals offered humans a mix of basic agricultural commodities that allowed a revolution in the development of human society. With a reliable food supply, humans were able to stay in one place and be assured of having a constant supply of carbohydrates, protein, milk and oil. They had animals for transportation and plant and animal materials for producing clothing and rope. Agricultural economies soon displaced hunter-gatherer economies. Within 2,000 years, farming ranged from Pakistan to southern Italy.
Most early agriculture was subsistence farming in which farmers grew only enough food to feed their families. Agriculture underwent another important revolution about 5,000 years ago with the invention of the plow.
The plow allowed humans to clear and farm larger plots of land than was otherwise possible. This increased the food supply and a concomitant increase in human population growth. More efficient farming methods also resulted in urbanization because a few farmers could produce a large surplus of food to feed those in the urban areas.
Over the last 10,000 years, land clearing for agriculture has destroyed and degraded the habitats of many species of plants and animals. Today, growing populations in less developed countries are rapidly clearing tropical forests and savannas for agricultural use. These tropical rainforests and savannas provide habitat for most of the earth's species. It has become clear that modern agricultural practices are not sustainable. Once-fertile areas are becoming infertile because of overgrazing, erosion and nutrient depletion. Furthermore, modern agriculture requires large inputs of energy and fertilizers, usually produced from nonrenewable fossil fuels.
The next major cultural change, the Industrial Revolution, began in England in the mid-18th century. It involved a shift from small-scale production of goods by hand to large-scale production of goods by machines. Industrial production of goods increased the consumption of natural resources such as minerals fuel, timber and water by cities. After World War I, more efficient mass production techniques were developed, and industrialization became prevalent in the economies of the United States, Canada, Japan and western Europe.
Advanced industrialization leads to many changes in human society, and some of those changes negatively affect the supply of natural resources and result in environmental degradation. These changes include: increased production and consumption of goods by humans, dependence on non-renewable resources such as oil and coal, production of synthetic materials (which may be toxic or non-biodegradable) and consumption of large amounts of energy at home and work.
Other changes may have positive benefits. These include: creation and mass production of useful and affordable products, significant increases in the average Gross National Product per person, large increases in agricultural productivity, sharp rises in average life expectancy and a gradual decline in population growth rates.
The information age was born with the invention of miniaturized electronics such as integrated circuits and computer central processing units. This stage in human development has changed and continues to change society as we know it. Information and communication have become the most-valued resources. This shift in turn, may lessen our influence on the earth's environment through reduced natural resource consumption. For instance, in recent years energy use in the United States has not increased to the extent expected from economic growth. Online shopping, telecommuting and other Internet activities may be lessening human energy consumption.
By making good use of information technologies, less developed countries may be able to reduce potential environmental problems as their economies expand in the future. With so much information easily available, developing countries may not repeat the environmental mistakes that more developed countries made as they became industrialized.
After the end of the last Ice Age, some eight to 10,000 years ago, humans began domesticating wild animals and plants. The first known instance of farming started in a region extending from southeastern Turkey to western Iran, known as the fertile crescent.
These early farmers domesticated crops such as chickpea, bitter vetch, grapes, olives, barley, emmer wheat, lentils, and flax. They hybridized wheat for making bread from wild grass and emmer wheat. They also domesticated animals such as sheep, goats, cattle and pigs. The fertile crescent's unique diversity of wild crops and animals offered humans a mix of basic agricultural commodities that allowed a revolution in the development of human society. With a reliable food supply, humans were able to stay in one place and be assured of having a constant supply of carbohydrates, protein, milk and oil. They had animals for transportation and plant and animal materials for producing clothing and rope. Agricultural economies soon displaced hunter-gatherer economies. Within 2,000 years, farming ranged from Pakistan to southern Italy.
Most early agriculture was subsistence farming in which farmers grew only enough food to feed their families. Agriculture underwent another important revolution about 5,000 years ago with the invention of the plow.
The plow allowed humans to clear and farm larger plots of land than was otherwise possible. This increased the food supply and a concomitant increase in human population growth. More efficient farming methods also resulted in urbanization because a few farmers could produce a large surplus of food to feed those in the urban areas.
Over the last 10,000 years, land clearing for agriculture has destroyed and degraded the habitats of many species of plants and animals. Today, growing populations in less developed countries are rapidly clearing tropical forests and savannas for agricultural use. These tropical rainforests and savannas provide habitat for most of the earth's species. It has become clear that modern agricultural practices are not sustainable. Once-fertile areas are becoming infertile because of overgrazing, erosion and nutrient depletion. Furthermore, modern agriculture requires large inputs of energy and fertilizers, usually produced from nonrenewable fossil fuels.
The next major cultural change, the Industrial Revolution, began in England in the mid-18th century. It involved a shift from small-scale production of goods by hand to large-scale production of goods by machines. Industrial production of goods increased the consumption of natural resources such as minerals fuel, timber and water by cities. After World War I, more efficient mass production techniques were developed, and industrialization became prevalent in the economies of the United States, Canada, Japan and western Europe.
Advanced industrialization leads to many changes in human society, and some of those changes negatively affect the supply of natural resources and result in environmental degradation. These changes include: increased production and consumption of goods by humans, dependence on non-renewable resources such as oil and coal, production of synthetic materials (which may be toxic or non-biodegradable) and consumption of large amounts of energy at home and work.
Other changes may have positive benefits. These include: creation and mass production of useful and affordable products, significant increases in the average Gross National Product per person, large increases in agricultural productivity, sharp rises in average life expectancy and a gradual decline in population growth rates.
The information age was born with the invention of miniaturized electronics such as integrated circuits and computer central processing units. This stage in human development has changed and continues to change society as we know it. Information and communication have become the most-valued resources. This shift in turn, may lessen our influence on the earth's environment through reduced natural resource consumption. For instance, in recent years energy use in the United States has not increased to the extent expected from economic growth. Online shopping, telecommuting and other Internet activities may be lessening human energy consumption.
By making good use of information technologies, less developed countries may be able to reduce potential environmental problems as their economies expand in the future. With so much information easily available, developing countries may not repeat the environmental mistakes that more developed countries made as they became industrialized.
Population Growth
Human populations are not stagnant. They naturally change in size, density and predominance of age groups in response to environmental factors such as resources availability and disease, as well as social and cultural factors. The increases and decreases in human population size make up what is known as human population dynamics. If resources are not limited, then populations experience exponential growth. A plot of exponential growth over time resembles a "J" curve. Absolute numbers are relatively small at first along the base of the J curve, but the population rapidly skyrockets when the critical time near the stem of the J curve is reached.
For most of the history of modern humans (Homo sapiens), people were hunter-gatherers. Food, especially meat from large mammals, was usually plentiful. However, populations were small because the nomadic life did not favor large family sizes. During those times, the human population was probably not more than a few million worldwide. It was still in the base of the J growth curve.
With the end of the last Ice Age, roughly 10,000 years ago, the climates worldwide changed and many large mammals that had been the mainstay of human diet became extinct. This forced a change in diet and lifestyle, from one of the nomadic hunter-gatherer to that of a more stationary agricultural society.
Humans began cultivating food and started eating more plants and less meat. Having larger families was possible with the more stationary lifestyle. In fact, having a large family increasingly became an asset, as extra hands were needed for maintaining crops and homes. As agriculture became the mainstay of human life, the population increased.
As the population increased, people began living in villages, then in towns and finally in cities. This led to problems associated with overcrowded conditions, such as the build up of wastes, poverty and disease. Large families were no longer advantageous. Infanticide was common during medieval times in Europe, and communicable diseases also limited the human population numbers. Easily spread in crowded, rat-infested urban areas, Black Death, the first major outbreak of the Bubonic Plague (1347-1351) drastically reduced the populations in Europe and Asia, possibly by as much as 50 percent.
Starting in the 17th Century, advances in science, medicine, agriculture and industry allowed rapid growth of human population and infanticide again became a common practice.
The next big influence on the human population occurred with the start of the Industrial Revolution in the late 18th century. With the advent of factories, children became valuable labor resources, thereby contributing to survival, and family sizes increased. The resulting population boom was further aided by improvements in agricultural technology that led to increased food production. Medical advancements increased control over disease and lengthened the average lifespan. By the early 19th century, the human population worldwide reached one billion. It was now in the stem of the J curve graph. As the world approached the 20th century, the human population was growing at an exponential rate.
During the 20th century, another important event in human population dynamics occurred. The birth rates in the highly developed countries decreased dramatically. Factors contributing to this decrease included: a rise in the standard of living, the availability of practical birth control methods and the establishment of child education and labor laws. These factors made large families economically impractical. In Japan, the birth rate has been so low in recent years that the government and corporations are worried about future labor shortages. Therefore, they are actively encouraging population growth. In contrast, the populations in less well-developed countries continue to soar. Worldwide, the human population currently exceeds six billion and continues to grow exponentially. How much more the world population will grow is a topic of intense speculation. One thing is certain: exponential growth cannot continue forever, as earth's resources are limited.
For most of the history of modern humans (Homo sapiens), people were hunter-gatherers. Food, especially meat from large mammals, was usually plentiful. However, populations were small because the nomadic life did not favor large family sizes. During those times, the human population was probably not more than a few million worldwide. It was still in the base of the J growth curve.
With the end of the last Ice Age, roughly 10,000 years ago, the climates worldwide changed and many large mammals that had been the mainstay of human diet became extinct. This forced a change in diet and lifestyle, from one of the nomadic hunter-gatherer to that of a more stationary agricultural society.
Humans began cultivating food and started eating more plants and less meat. Having larger families was possible with the more stationary lifestyle. In fact, having a large family increasingly became an asset, as extra hands were needed for maintaining crops and homes. As agriculture became the mainstay of human life, the population increased.
As the population increased, people began living in villages, then in towns and finally in cities. This led to problems associated with overcrowded conditions, such as the build up of wastes, poverty and disease. Large families were no longer advantageous. Infanticide was common during medieval times in Europe, and communicable diseases also limited the human population numbers. Easily spread in crowded, rat-infested urban areas, Black Death, the first major outbreak of the Bubonic Plague (1347-1351) drastically reduced the populations in Europe and Asia, possibly by as much as 50 percent.
Starting in the 17th Century, advances in science, medicine, agriculture and industry allowed rapid growth of human population and infanticide again became a common practice.
The next big influence on the human population occurred with the start of the Industrial Revolution in the late 18th century. With the advent of factories, children became valuable labor resources, thereby contributing to survival, and family sizes increased. The resulting population boom was further aided by improvements in agricultural technology that led to increased food production. Medical advancements increased control over disease and lengthened the average lifespan. By the early 19th century, the human population worldwide reached one billion. It was now in the stem of the J curve graph. As the world approached the 20th century, the human population was growing at an exponential rate.
During the 20th century, another important event in human population dynamics occurred. The birth rates in the highly developed countries decreased dramatically. Factors contributing to this decrease included: a rise in the standard of living, the availability of practical birth control methods and the establishment of child education and labor laws. These factors made large families economically impractical. In Japan, the birth rate has been so low in recent years that the government and corporations are worried about future labor shortages. Therefore, they are actively encouraging population growth. In contrast, the populations in less well-developed countries continue to soar. Worldwide, the human population currently exceeds six billion and continues to grow exponentially. How much more the world population will grow is a topic of intense speculation. One thing is certain: exponential growth cannot continue forever, as earth's resources are limited.
MODULE 1 OVERVIEW “Numberless are the world’s wonders, but none more wonderful than man.” This tribute, written nearly 2,500 years ago by a Greek, reflects an attitude that is one of the lasting contributions of the Greeks to Western civilization. Many ancient civilizations did not believe that each individual was unique and important and perhaps capable of attaining great heights. Except for the tribal leader, chief, or king, it was the duty of the individual to serve the tribe. Individual destiny was, they believed, in the hands of animal spirits or god-kings. The Greeks did not share this belief. They believed that man (that is, humankind) is the measure of all things. In other words, humans were not at the mercy of mysterious forces, but had the power, through their intelligence, to know the universe and thus control their lives. In this Module you will explore the contributions that profoundly influenced the culture of the Western world. Your journey will take you to ancient Greece where the ideas of democracy and western philosophy were born. Next you will travel to Ancient Rome where western ideas of politics and legal codes were developed. Finally, a trip to Ancient Mesopotamia where the foundations of western religion were developed.
Navigate to This External Web Link:
http://calonline.cusd.com/worldhistory1/module01/module01.htm#MODULE%201
Introduction:
This lesson guides students in how to get a better understanding of the past as background leading into the content of the overall course.
Group Size: Any
Learning Objectives:
To get a better understanding of the world of the past.
Guiding Question:
What was life like in ancient Greece and how does this relate to today?
Materials:
Website narrative at: http://calonline.cusd.com/worldhistory1/module01/01lessons/0102.htm
Procedures:
1. Have students read the background information and complete the assignment.
Assessment:
It was in the Greek city-state of Athens that democracy was given birth. In this adventure you will travel back in time to ancient Greece to explore life in ancient Greece. For this assignment you will use this wonderful site provided by the BBC (British Broadcasting System) Click on the link to take you to ancient Greece: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ancientgreece/index.shtml Use the tool bar on the left side of the screen to navigate through the site using various tabs For the city of Athens answer the following questions:
Answer Key or Rubric:
Graded based on the answers to the above questions
Benchmark or Standards:
10.1 Students relate the moral and ethical principles in ancient Greek and Roman philosophy, in Judaism, and in Christianity to the development of Western political thought.
This lesson guides students in how to get a better understanding of the past as background leading into the content of the overall course.
Group Size: Any
Learning Objectives:
To get a better understanding of the world of the past.
Guiding Question:
What was life like in ancient Greece and how does this relate to today?
Materials:
Website narrative at: http://calonline.cusd.com/worldhistory1/module01/01lessons/0102.htm
Procedures:
1. Have students read the background information and complete the assignment.
Assessment:
It was in the Greek city-state of Athens that democracy was given birth. In this adventure you will travel back in time to ancient Greece to explore life in ancient Greece. For this assignment you will use this wonderful site provided by the BBC (British Broadcasting System) Click on the link to take you to ancient Greece: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ancientgreece/index.shtml Use the tool bar on the left side of the screen to navigate through the site using various tabs For the city of Athens answer the following questions:
- Who built the Parthenon and in what year was it built?
Answer Key or Rubric:
Graded based on the answers to the above questions
Benchmark or Standards:
10.1 Students relate the moral and ethical principles in ancient Greek and Roman philosophy, in Judaism, and in Christianity to the development of Western political thought.
A basic powerpoint presentation that provides accurate information and pictures about ancient civilizations.
