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America's Stone Age Explorers
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Viewing Ideas
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Before Watching
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Have students research the Clovis-first theory. Ask students to
share their knowledge about the questions central to the
program—Who were the first Americans? Where did they come
from? How did they get to America? Use a map to locate some of
the places mentioned: the Bering Strait; Clovis, New Mexico; and
Monte Verde, Chile.
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Organize students into six groups. Have each group take notes on
evidence presented in the program related to one of the
following areas: the Clovis people; a pre-Clovis population; the
Solutrean culture; possible migration routes to the Americas;
archeological evidence; and genetic evidence.
After Watching
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Have students refer to their notes for a discussion about the
evidence presented in the program. Survey the class. How many
students feel the evidence for the existence of a pre-Clovis
people is strong? Moderately strong? Weak? How many feel the
evidence that the Solutreans may have come to the Americas from
Europe is strong? Moderately strong? Weak? Have students defend
their reasoning. What evidence supports or refutes various
migration routes? After watching the program, whom do students
think the first Americans were?
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Ask students why it is important to find out who the first
Americans were. What implications might it have for Native
Americans? For Europeans? Have students explore some
contemporary Native American views and expressions of their
beliefs about their ancestry. Why might Native Americans be
sensitive to a claim that prehistoric Europeans were among the
earliest colonizers of the continent?
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