Being Human/Human Being

WINTER, 2007-2008

Although we take it for granted, the human body is a remarkably complex thing. But is it simply our form that makes us human? Our brains? Or is it the combination of form and function?

During this expedition, the students discover the unique features of their own bodies and look to the past for clues as to how we’ve come to be the way we are. Students look at how our bodies, brains, and abilities evolved over time and how scientists have pieced together the story of our species. Students learn how the fossil record has provided scientists with the means to show change and how scientific theories are crafted when evidence is not available. The movement of humans across the globe provides opportunities for students to become detectives and make sense of artifacts that show how the earliest settlers of the Americas took control of the Natural World to establish agriculture, community and culture. Students take their learning and create their own stories that explore the cause-effect relationship between environment and evolution, and how the choices early people made helped advance the story of humanity.