UNIQUENESS OF HUMAN BEINGS Lesson note

PROPOSED LESSON NOTE FOR THE FIRST WEEK ENDING 23th SEPTEMBER, 2022/2023 ACADEMIC SESSION

SUBJECT: BASIC SCIENCE

CLASS: GRADE 8

NUMBER OF STUDENTS: 22

AVERAGE AGE: 12+ YEARS

PERIOD(S): 2nd AND 5th PERIOD ON MONDAY AND FRIDAY RESPECTIVELY

GENDER: MIXED


DURATION: 40 MINUTES

DATE: 19/09/2022

TOPIC: UNIQUENESS OF HUMAN BEINGS

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES: By the end of the lesson students should be able to;

1. explain how unique human beings are;

2. highlight the characteristics of humans that make them unique;

3. discuss the uses of human intelligence;

4. state the application of human intelligence and skills.

ENTRY BEHAVIOUR: Students are familiar with infants, teenager and adult.

INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS/TECHNIC: Questions, simulation, visual.

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS: Textbook, lesson note, laptop, projector, marker, whiteboard, Pictures showing man, elephant, gorilla, chimpanzee.

INTRODUCTION: Questions posed to the students include

Question 1: How does human being differ from animals?

Expected Answer: Human can walk upright, think, takes good care of himself.

STEP I: UNIQUENESS OF HUMAN BEINGS

Modern man is called Homo sapiens and belongs to class Mammalia. The class Mammalia comprises cat, elephant, bat, lion, gorilla, chimpanzee, monkey, baboon and human beings.

All these mammals possess some similar characteristics in their life.

i. Mammals are warm-blooded animals.

ii. Mammals typically have sweat glands whose secretion cools the skin and an insulating body covering of hair.

iii. All mammals have mammary glands, which secrete milk to nourish the young. iv. Mammals give birth to young ones and show parental care for their young ones. v. Mammals, including human beings, have well developed nervous system or brain. This brain makes human beings more intelligent than any other organism.

Question 2: Mention other animals apart from man that shared similar characteristics.

In class Mammalia, there are some animals which are different from other animals. They possess the following characteristics which make them different from other mammals.

1. They have nails on their fingers and toes.

2. They have opposable thumb.

3. They can grasp things with their hands.

4. They have eyes in front of their heads.

The animals which bear all these characteristics are called primates. Examples of

primates are human beings, monkeys, gorillas, baboons, chimpanzees, etc.

STEP II: CHARACTERISTICS OF HUMANS THAT MAKE THEM UNIQUE

Human beings are very intelligent mammals as a result of the following characteristics

(i) Human brain is the largest and the most convoluted.

(ii) The body of a 60 kg healthy human being has about 60 quadrillion (60x 1015) cells.

(iii) The cortex of the human brain contains about nine billion cells.

(iv) The total length of the blood vessels in the human body is about 96,000 km.

(v) Human body has 10,000 million nerve cells.

(vi) In the human body, the nerve impulse can travel at a speed of 532 km/hr.

 (vii) Human beings also show the longest parental care so that children are properly trained and provided with knowledge gained by previous generation. So, the well-developed nervous system and parental care make human beings more intelligent than any other organisms.

Question 3: Why do human beings stand erect?

Vertebral column: In human beings, S-shaped vertebral column is present. It helps us to stand upright and balance ourselves. The vertebral column protects the spinal cord. It is made up of a series of small bones called vertebrae. These provide flexibility to the column. It helps us to bend forward, backward and also from side to side.

Human intelligence:

Human's intelligence is due to the well-developed brain and its structural components. Human beings solve problems by their intelligent and brilliant mind (brain). They are able to think, learn, reason and solve problems. Hence, human beings themselves defined intelligence as the ability to think rationally and use resources effectively during unfavorable and favorable circumstances.

STEPIII: USES OF HUMAN INTELLIGENCE

Human beings use their intelligence in different ways to make their life suitable and comfortable to themselves. With the help of their intelligence, human beings

(i) Constitute social organization.

(ii) Modify their surroundings to their own advantages which include food production, they take cooked- food whereas other animals take raw food materials.

(iii) Can make different scientific tools and equipment for further scientific study.

(iv) Are able to develop speech and language.

(v) May pass accumulated knowledge to their children.

(Vi) May recognize the causal organisms of different diseases, and the ways of remedies for the diseases.

(Vii) Can express their thoughts and desires, and share their ideas.

 Application of human intelligence and skills:

The intelligence and skills of human beings created history since the beginning of prehistoric species of man. The freedom of hands from locomotion and their use in handling "tools for hunting and defense by Australopithecus (prehistoric species of man) required intelligence to regulate and augment the work of forelimbs (hands). This requirement led to a rapid growth of brain, culminating into a modern man Intelligence and skills of human beings have been applied in all fields of developmental science and technology.

The following are the applications of human intelligence and skills

1. Inquisitiveness: Human beings are curious to learn new things. They are able to ask questions and search their answers. They have the ability to think and reason. For example, inquisitiveness is encouraging you to study various subjects and gain knowledge.

 

2. Observation: Human beings are able to closely notice significant details and remember them. Through the observation skill, they are able to recognize things around them and their uses. For example, observation skill helps you to distinguish

man from other animals. Human beings are able to observe things with the help of their sense organs. Observation is necessary to gain knowledge.

 

3. Measurement: It is the action of measuring the size, amount or degree of something by comparing with a standard unit. In our day to day life, we measure length, mass, weight, time, temperature, volume and many more quantities. For measuring these quantities, we require different instruments.

Quantity

Instrument

Length

Metre rule, measuring tape

Time

Clock, stopwatch

Mass

Physical balance, digital balance

Weight

Spring balance

Volume

Measuring cylinder, pipette, burette

 

Thus, measurement is necessary for comparison and to get accurate information about anything.

Question 4: What is required to measure the time needed to do a particular activity?

Expected Answer: Clock, wrist-watch, stop-clock or stopwatch can be used to measure time interval

 

Stop watch and stop clock are used to measure time in sport. For measuring mass and weight, weighing balance like physical balance and digital balance and spring balance are used respectively.

For measuring the volume of liquids, different kinds of measuring vessels are used.

Some of these vessels are measuring cylinder, pipette, burette, etc.

By measuring the volumes of fluids you get accurate data about their quantity.

Therefore, for measuring various quantities we use appropriate instruments and our intelligence.

4. Inference: Human beings are able to reach a conclusion on the basis of their observation, measurement, reasoning and thinking ability. For example, in the activities of measurement the results you got are the inferences.

EVALUATION:

i. explain how unique human beings are;

ii. highlight the characteristics of humans that make them unique;

iii. discuss the uses of human intelligence;

iv. state the application of human intelligence and skills.

SUMMARY/CONCLUSSION:

i. Human beings are unique in two respects: they possess reasoning ability and they have the capacity to use language to communicate with each other, unlike other species.

ii. Unlike other species, human beings can express their inner thoughts and desires; they even share their ideas and discuss what they consider to be good and desirable.

iii. Human beings have ability to reason and think logically and that sets us apart from the animal world.

ASSIGNMENT:

1. Explain why man is unique among living things.

2. What are the characteristics of primates?

3. List two reasons why human beings are considered more intelligent in this universe.

4. Mention four ways in which human beings use their intelligence.

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