Lucy Reading Passages | Australopithecus afarensis Early Humans Resource (early humans) (cosmic)

Introduce children to Lucy, one of the most famous early human fossil discoveries.
Perfect for Third Great Story follow-up, early humans, hominid studies, Cosmic Education, and research projects.
Includes simplified reading passages, cloze work, question-heading reading, answers, and a child-friendly research rubric.

Help children learn about Lucy in a clear, accessible way with this printable early humans reading resource for Montessori Cosmic Education.

Lucy is the nickname given to the fossilised remains of Australopithecus afarensis, discovered in 1974 in the Afar region of Ethiopia. She is estimated to have lived around 3.2 million years ago, making her an important part of early human history and hominid studies.

This resource is ideal when you want meaningful follow-up work after the Third Great Story, but need reading material that is approachable for children who may find dense early humans texts overwhelming.

It was originally designed for a class of neurodivergent students, so the structure is clear, supportive, and practical.

What’s Included

This 11-page printable resource includes:

• 1 simplified story introducing who Lucy is
• Large-print and smaller-print reading versions
• 1 cloze exercise
• Answers for the cloze activity
• 1 Lucy reading divided into question headings
• 1 marking rubric children can use to guide a research project

Why This Resource Works

Early humans can be fascinating for children, but many resources are either too simple or too text-heavy. This resource gives students a supported way to read about Lucy, understand why she matters, and begin organising information for research.

It supports:

• Third Great Story follow-up
• Montessori Cosmic Education
• Early humans studies
• Hominid and hominin vocabulary
• Reading comprehension
• Cloze reading practice
• Research preparation
• Independent work
• Neurodivergent learners who benefit from clear structure
• Lower and upper elementary history work

The question-heading reading format helps children find information more easily, while the rubric gives them a concrete guide for turning their learning into a research project.

Best For

This resource is ideal for:

• Montessori 6–12 classrooms
• Homeschool early humans lessons
• Third Great Story extension work
• Cosmic Education shelves
• Hominid and human evolution studies
• Reading comprehension practice
• Children beginning research projects
• Students who benefit from simplified, structured reading

Suggested Use

Use this resource after telling the Third Great Story or during a wider study of early humans, hominids, fossils, human evolution, or the Timeline of People.

Children can begin with the simplified Lucy story, complete the cloze activity, then move into the question-heading reading. Older students can use the rubric to guide a short research project, poster, booklet, or oral presentation.

This resource also pairs well with early humans timelines, Fundamental Needs resources, Humans or Primates sorting, Hominin or Hominid work, and Timeline of People activities.

Created by Montessori Kiwi

Created by a Montessori-trained teacher and school leader, this resource is designed for real classrooms where children need big Cosmic Education ideas made accessible.

It saves preparation time while giving children a clear, thoughtful way to learn about Lucy and her importance in the story of early humans.

11 pages