Scope and Sequence

Stardust to Storytellers: Prehistory is designed for learners in grades 2 through 7 and functions as a full-year science survey course. It can be flexible to work for kids in grade levels outside of these. The curriculum covers approximately 32 weeks of instruction at the pace of one lesson per week. No prior science background is required for either the learner or the instructor.

What’s Included: This curriculum includes three components: the Teacher's Guide, the Student Workbook, and the Lab Book. You do not need to use all three. The Teacher's Guide is the only essential piece. The workbook and lab book are included because many families find them useful, but they are entirely optional.

Subject areas covered: astronomy, Earth science, geology, paleontology, evolutionary biology, and early human history.

Recommended grade range: 2 through 6 (adaptable for younger or older learners with guidance from the Tips for Different Learners section).

Seat time: Approximately 2 to 5 hours per week depending on which optional components are included.

Prerequisites: None.

Week-by-Week

The table below shows the science topics covered in each lesson. This is meant to help you plan ahead, identify areas where your learner already has background knowledge, and see how the curriculum builds over the year.

Week	Lesson Title	Science Topics Covered
1	The Big Bang	Cosmology, origin of the universe, space/time/matter/energy, cosmic background radiation, expansion of the universe
2	Formation of Stars	Nuclear fusion, elements, atoms, hydrogen and helium, supernovas, how heavier elements form
3	Galaxies & the Solar System	Galaxies, solar system formation, planets, scale of the universe
4	Gravity	Gravity, orbits, mass vs. weight
5	Formation of Earth	Planetary accretion, Earth's layers (core, mantle, crust), density, heat and cooling
6	The Story of Rocks	Geology, rock types (igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic), the rock cycle, fossils in rock
7	Plates & Pangea	Plate tectonics, continental drift, earthquakes, volcanoes
8	Liquid Water & Atmosphere	The water cycle, Earth's atmosphere, evaporation/condensation/precipitation, greenhouse gases
9	Definition of Life	Characteristics of living things, cells as the basic unit of life, viruses and the edge of life
10	The First Life (Bacteria & Archaea)	Prokaryotes, bacteria, archaea, stromatolites, fossil evidence of ancient life
11	Oxygen Changes Everything	Photosynthesis, cyanobacteria, the Great Oxidation Event, oxygen and the atmosphere
12	Eukaryotes	Eukaryotic cells, nucleus, organelles, endosymbiosis, mitochondria, cell complexity
13	Multicellular Life Begins	Multicellular organisms, cell specialization, symmetry (bilateral vs. radial), the Ediacaran period
14	The Cambrian Explosion	Rapid diversification of animal life, hard body parts, fossil preservation, eyes, predator-prey relationships, exoskeleton vs endoskeleton
15	Life in the Ordovician & Silurian Seas	Marine ecosystems, invertebrate life, early fish, coral reefs, first life moving toward land
16	The Devonian Period	First land plants, first forests, first amphibians, fish diversity, adaptations for land
17	Carboniferous Life on Land	Oxygen levels and body size, insects, amphibians, first reptiles, coal formation
18	Permian Reptiles & Mammal-like Creatures	Vertebrates, bones and skeletal structure, reptile adaptations, synpsids, mammal-like traits, warm vs. cold blooded
19	The Great Dying	Mass extinction, volcanic activity, carbon dioxide and climate change, greenhouse effect
20	The Triassic Period	Recovery after extinction, evolution of dinosaurs, reptile body plans, upright posture, early mammals
21	The Jurassic Giants	Dinosaur biology, gigantism, food webs, sauropod anatomy
22	Cretaceous Life & Flowering Plants	Angiosperms, pollination, coevolution of plants and insects, seeds and fruit
23	The End of the Dinosaurs	Mass extinction, asteroid impact, climate disruption, volcanic activity, which species survived and why
24	Mammals Take the Stage	Mammal characteristics, warm-bloodedness, reproduction, nursing young, monotreme, marsupial, placenta
25	Crocodiles & Dinosaur Descendants	Birds as dinosaurs, evolution of flight, crocodilians, natural selection
26	Mega Mammals & Ice Age Giants	Megafauna, food chains, predator-prey dynamics, extinction of large mammals
27	Ice Ages & the Power of Glaciers	Glaciation, climate cycles, erosion, glacial landforms
28	Primate Development	Primates, DNA and shared ancestry, opposable thumbs, brain size, evolutionary adaptations
29	What Makes a Human?	Bipedalism, brain development, Homo sapiens, what separates humans from other animals
30	Tools, Fire & Survival	Technology as adaptation, stone tools, fire and cooking
31	Human Migration	Human dispersal, climate and habitat, adaptation to environments, cultural adaptation
32	Before History	Symbolic thinking, cave art, early culture, the beginning of recorded thought, oral tradition