Neolithic Shift Worksheet
Paleolithic vs. Neolithic: How Did Life Change?
Read the Paleolithic fact on the left. On the right, use the clues and sentence starters to explain the change.
Name:
Date: Period:
Word Bank: Agriculture • Domestication • Permanent Shelters • Food Surplus • Specialization • Barter Trade • Polished Tools
Paleolithic Age Hunter-Gatherers
Neolithic Revolution Agricultural Life
Statement #1 Food & Migration
In Paleolithic times, people needed to hunt and gather food. People moved around frequently, otherwise resources in an area would run out.
Prompt: How did farming crops and taming animals stop nomadic wandering?
Neolithic Change Clues: agriculture, crops, animals
Sentence Starter: Instead of moving to find food, Neolithic people began to...
Statement #2 Shelter & Size
Since they needed to move around all the time, groups of hunter-gatherers were small, and the shelters they built were temporary.
Prompt: What kind of permanent homes and villages did farmers build?
Neolithic Change Clues: permanent shelters, mud-brick, villages
Sentence Starter: Because they settled near their crops, communities built...
Statement #3 Jobs & Roles
With the focus on getting food daily, few jobs existed. Men mainly hunted while women gathered essential plants and other resources.
Prompt: When extra food (surplus) existed, what new specialized jobs arose?
Neolithic Change Clues: food surplus, specialization, weavers, potters
Sentence Starter: Having extra food meant not everyone had to farm, allowing people to...
Statement #4 Trade & Contact
Resources available were limited to what was in an area, and different hunter-gatherer groups rarely interacted with each other out of caution.
Prompt: Why did settled villages begin trading goods with neighbors?
Neolithic Change Clues: trade routes, barter, resources, ideas
Sentence Starter: Settled communities began establishing trade networks in order to...
Statement #5 Tools & Tech
Technology improved at a slow pace. Basic tools made out of grasses, wood, and stone were used.
Prompt: What advanced farming tools, pottery, or plows were invented?
Neolithic Change Clues: polished stone, plow, pottery, metals
Sentence Starter: Tool technology advanced rapidly as farmers invented tools like...
Check your work: Did you complete each sentence starter with key vocabulary?
World History • Era Comparison