Students should understand the meaning of the word "prehistoric." The term is popularly conflated with images of cavemen or dinosaurs. While some ancient humans lived in caves and there was a time when dinosaurs walked the Earth, these ideas are not useful parameters for understanding the topic. There were also times in prehistory when people lived in urban environments. Show students images of all these things when defining the term as a period before people put things in writing.
Prehistory is most of the past, since the universe has existed for billions of years, but people only began to make written records of events about 5,500 years ago. Spend at least one lesson teaching students about the beginning of the universe, the creation of the Earth and the way life existed on the planet previous to the existence of humans.
One thing that distinguishes humans from other creatures is the use of complex tools. Simple tool use is apparent among a few other species, such as the chimpanzee, but only humans manufacture tools. Historians are curious about how and when our ancestors began to use tools in this more-complex fashion. Show students various theories about how long ago humans began to use tools. Use pictures of ancient stone tools scientists have unearthed at various points around the globe.
Without fire, humans may have just remained as slightly more intelligent animals that never developed the ability to write about the world around them. The controlled use of fire and the ability to create fire, long ago gave humans the ability to dominate all other life on land. Ask students to brainstorm about ways fire may have helped ancient humans.
The next human advancement to occur before history officially began with the invention of writing was animal domestication. Lay out a time line displaying when different animals were domesticated, such as dogs, sheep, cattle, pigs and horses. Instruct students to prepare and present ideas about why these animals were domesticated in the order shown on the time line and how the domestication may have occurred.
Finally, dispel students' notions of prehistoric primitiveness by showing them artists' renditions of human settlements at places such as Catal Huyuk in modern day Turkey. Ask students to synthesize what they have learned about prehistory and create a model of a prehistoric village.