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Overview:
The earth is home to a diverse population of more than 6.5 billion people, and yet at one time probably no more than 10,000 of us were on the entire planet. Scientists have found the fossilized remains of our ancient ancestors scattered across the world, and although bones can reveal much about where and how our progenitors lived, they cannot tell us how they got there. The Genographic Project—a research partnership of National Geographic and IBM, with funding from the Waitt Family Foundation—is a five-year study led by Dr. Spencer Wells that seeks to understand not only where we came from but also how we managed, in less than 2,000 generations, to populate the planet. Employing cutting-edge technology and the science of genetics, Dr. Wells has begun to unravel this mystery and map our epic ancestral journey out of Africa. Using DNA of contemporaries, as opposed to the bones of our ancestors, the Genographic Project has demonstrated that we are all directly related to a single man and a single woman who lived in Africa thousands of years ago.
This is the fifth in a set of lessons exploring migration, genetic markers, markers in context, and the Genographic Project's legacy. In this lesson, students will work with genographic data to research the characteristics and journeys of specific haplogroups and then create family crests to symbolize those groups. Students will also be asked to consider the more philosophical aspects of the Genographic Project and how the empirical evidence, which shows that all humans are related, may change their perceptions and interactions with others. This lesson can be done with or without a Genographic Project Public Participation Kit.
Connections to the Curriculum:
Geography, science, language arts, art
Connections to the National Geography Standards:
Standard 9: "The characteristics, distribution, and migration of human populations on Earth's surface."
Standard 17: "How to apply geography to interpret the past."
Standard 18: "To apply geography to interpret the present and plan for the future."
Time:
Four hours
Materials Required:
Objectives:
Students will
- answer general questions about elements of human migrations out of Africa;
- explore a set of haplogroup results using a guided inquiry;
- create a family crest; and
- write a personal narrative.
Geographic Skills:
Acquiring Geographic Information
Answering Geographic Questions
Analyzing Geographic Information
S u g g e s t e d P r o c e d u r e
Opening:
Guiding Questions: How does working with real data from the Genographic Project affect the ways that people regard one another personally, politically, and racially?
Although this lesson is about how to work with Genographic Project data, it can be used whether or not students and/or teachers have chosen to explore their personal migratory paths through the use of a Genographic Project Public Participation Kit. As with most Genographic Project educational materials, this lesson plan has been designed in a modular way to support a deeper understanding of the genographic data, whether those data are one's own or from someone known to the student or a sample set to simulate the results. Activities that depend on the kit are optional. For more guidance on using the Genographic Project data in the classroom, see the Genographic Project Educator Guide (PDF)
- Explain to students that the Genographic Project is involved in collecting samples of DNA not only from specific groups of people who have lived in relative isolation but also from the general public. All human beings carry within them genetic information that can be used to help complete the picture not only of how Homo sapiens came to populate the world but also of why there is so much variation in our physical appearance.
- Optional: If you have the Genographic Project Public Participation Kit, watch both the Introduction and DNA Collection Method chapters of the multimedia DVD as a class.
- Direct students to The Genographic Project's Web site, the Your Genetic Journey link, and the Frequently Asked Questions for information about the collection method and what specifically can be learned from the results.
- Have students read Footsteps of My Ancestors, a photo gallery by photographer Steve McCurry that captures the journey of Donovan Webster to meet the descendants of his ancestors.
- Optional: If you are using the kit with students, carefully follow Dr. Wells's instructions to collect the first DNA sample. Note that the second sample must be collected 8 hours after the first. Each person who participates MUST keep a record of his or her ID number so results can be tracked on the Genographic Project's Web site. You should keep a record as well. The Genographic Project has no way to track a kit GPID number back to a participant. If the GPID number is lost, a new kit will need to be purchased. Send the samples back to the Genographic Project as instructed in the kit. Parental or guardian consent is required for minors who send in DNA samples. A form is included in the kit. In addition, the Genographic Project Web site provides a downloadable consent form that teachers should keep as part of their classroom records.
- Optional: As a class, watch The Journey of Man, a program authored by Dr. Wells. This program is available separately on DVD, but it is also included in the Genographic Project Public Participation Kit.
Whether students have viewed The Journey of Man or not, write Dr. Wells's closing comment on the board:
"You and I, in fact everyone all over the world, we're literally African under the skin; brothers and sisters separated by a mere two thousand generations. Old-fashioned concepts of race are not only socially divisive, but scientifically wrong."
Lead students in a discussion of this statement by posing the following questions:
- What does the phrase "African under the skin" mean to you?
- How might the idea that we are all literally related to one another change our relationships, not only politically but also personally?
- What are the old-fashioned concepts of race? How is the Genographic Project proving these concepts to be scientifically incorrect?
Development:
1. Gathering Background Information
For a thorough understanding of the Genographic Project, use the full series of lessons with your class:
If time is limited, use the following activity to orient students to the Genographic Project:
- Divide the class into small cooperative groups. Tell students they are going to spend time on the Genographic Project Web site exploring its various features. Direct students to the following links on the site to assist them in getting better acquainted with what information is available:
2. Guided Haplogroup Inquiry
Now that students have a background on the project, (and may even have their own results or class results to work with), they can explore actual results. They may examine either their own results, the results of a representative of the class, those from Haplogroup A (PDF), or those from Haplogroup O (PDF). They may also consult the Time Line Era, Journey Highlights, and Genetic Markers sections of the Atlas of the Human Journey. Have them explore the results on their own, reading about the migration routes and the ancestors of the Haplogroup. Then have them work individually, or paired with others using the same results, to complete the Haplogroup Guided Inquiry (PDF). After students have completed the Haplogroup Guided Inquiry, regroup to discuss what they discovered. What surprised them the most? What would they like to research further?
3. Creating a Family Crest or Coat of Arms:
Note: Although in heraldic terms a crest, which sits on top of the helmet, is one component of a full set of arms, the term family crest is commonly used interchangeably with a coat of arms.
Explain to students that in the medieval and Renaissance periods, heraldry was the practice of designing and recording coats of arms and badges for jousting participants so that people could identify them even when they could not see their faces. At the time, some common meanings were ascribed to different colors and symbols in the coats and crests. For instance, red symbolized military strength and gold symbolized generosity; an acorn symbolized strength and an ox symbolized valor. Even the types of materials the coats or crests were made of referenced something. Fur, for example, suggested a mark of dignity.
Introduce students to the British monarchy's royal coat of arms as an example. Have them take note of the design and accompanying description of the many symbols within the arms.
Today families create their own crests or coats of arms, incorporating colors, images, and symbols that reflect the history and values of the family. Ask students if any of their families have coats of arms. If so, have students describe them and provide explanations of the colors and images.
Next, tell students that each of them will make a family crest for the haplogroup they researched in their guided inquiry (either their own, that of a class representative, Haplogroup A or Haplogroup O, or another selected from the Atlas of the Human Journey). The crest that each student creates should use symbolism and color to illustrate what the student discovered in the guided inquiry and to tell the story of the haplogroup. Although students will have somewhat different types of data depending on what is currently known about their groups, their crests might symbolically convey some or all of the following:
- The place of origin of the group
- The age of the group
- Where descendants of this group currently live
- The migratory journey of this group, including highlights of the physical landscape
- Possible causes of migration
- How the group lived (e.g., hunter/gatherers, fishermen, farmers)
- Other notable aspects of the group's culture
- Hardships encountered
- Achievements, skills, contributions to humanity
- Personal connection to the group
Students can create their crests by using either digital photo software or conventional art materials. Each student should be sure to include a key to accompany the crest.
Closing:
After students have completed their crests, invite them to present them to the rest of the class. Each student should provide a detailed explanation of the crest itself and how he or she arrived at the particular design, color, and symbols. After all presentations are complete, encourage students to join in pairs to compare and contrast their crests and thus their haplogroups. Students should see both the many interconnections and similarities between their groups as well as those aspects that make their groups unique. Close with a discussion of the activity and the Genographic Project:
- What, if any, symbols are similar, even among crests of different haplogroups? Why?
- Do the differences among the crests reflect differences in the haplogroups or differences in individual perceptions?
- How did the process of creating and sharing the crest affect your understanding of the Genographic Project? Has your perception of others been affected by this experience? Explain.
Suggested Student Assessment:
Ask students to write short personal narratives explaining how learning about the interconnectedness of the human race has affected them or changed their ideas about humanity. Students should speak specifically to how both their interactions and preconceived ideas about people might be different knowing that everyone who left Africa is descended from the same man and woman.
Extending the Lesson:
Inquiry Extension:
Have students investigate a more recent human migration. Students can compare and contrast the factors that motivate both modern and ancient peoples.
Cross-Curricular Extension for Further Explanation:
Have students imagine that they have an opportunity to interview Dr. Spencer Wells. Have them prepare 10 interview questions that they would like to discuss with him.
Try This at Home:
Have students interview immediate and/or extended family members to discover any migrations that occurred within their own families.
Adaptations
The multimedia DVD accompanying the Genographic Project Participation Kit can be viewed in various languages.
Provide students with the vocabulary a few days in advance.
Write vocabulary words on large index cards and post them in the classroom.
Allow students to deliver the personal narrative orally.
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