Students can learn a lot about how we uncover the mysteries of the past as well as the different careers available by studying social scientists and those that have made contributions to our understanding of history. There are many different archeologists, paleoanthropologists, and scientists to research. In this activity, students will create a biography poster highlighting the accomplishments of someone in the study of Early Humans.
These posters can be printed out, laminated and hung around the room as a visual reminder of these notable people and their accomplishments.
Students can also present their posters to their classmates, sharing their knowledge about their person. Thus combining research, writing and public speaking skills into one powerful assignment.Find more biography poster templates to add to this assignment if desired!
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Due Date:
Objective: Research a famous scientist that has helped us understand more about the past. Create a poster that includes their important accomplishments.
Student Instructions:
Requirements: Person’s image, name, dates of birth/death, 1-3 major accomplishments, 1-6 illustrations.
Set up a gallery walk by displaying student posters around the room and organizing a rotation schedule so each student can view and reflect on their peers' work. This encourages active engagement and deeper learning from classmates' research.
Give each student a simple reflection sheet with prompts like 'One new thing I learned,' 'A scientist I want to know more about,' and 'What surprised me.' This guides students to focus on key takeaways and thoughtful observations.
Divide the class into small groups to discuss their favorite discoveries from the posters and compare the impacts of different scientists. Small group discussions help students process information collaboratively and build communication skills.
Invite groups to share highlights from their discussions with the whole class, spotlighting different scientists and unique findings. This celebrates student effort and broadens everyone’s understanding.
Ask students to complete a brief exit ticket summarizing what they enjoyed most and one question they still have about early human scientists. Exit tickets provide you with instant feedback and help identify interests for future lessons.
An early human biography poster activity is a classroom assignment where students research a notable scientist or figure who contributed to our understanding of early humans, then create a poster highlighting their life, achievements, and impact. This project combines research, writing, and presentation skills.
Choose a scientist by looking for individuals who made significant discoveries about early humans, like Mary Leakey or Charles Darwin. Review class lists or teacher suggestions, then pick someone whose contributions interest you and have enough available research material.
Include the person's name, image, dates of birth and death, and 1–3 major accomplishments. Add illustrations and scenes related to their discoveries, and organize information clearly to make the poster engaging and informative.
Examples include Mary Leakey, Louis Leakey, Charles Darwin, Donald Johnson, Howard Carter, Hiram Bingham, Diann Fossey, John Wesley Gilbert, and Dr. Alexandra Jones.
Students build research, writing, and public speaking skills, as well as creativity and critical thinking, by gathering information, designing posters, and sharing their findings with classmates.