The Human Impact Project

Project: Create a ​Human Impact​ ​Children’s Book​ Biology 2020 Background: If your family has guests for the weekend, you may find that you run out of hot water for showers or do not have enough milk for everyone’s breakfast. You previously learned that resources such as food, water and living space can be limiting factors for biological populations. These same resources limit Earth’s population. As the human population grows, it uses more resources – just as your weekend visitors used more of your home’s resources. The activities of the growing human population are putting pressure on Earth’s ecosystems. Whether we like it or not, humans have a significant impact, both positive and negative, on the world in which we all live. Objective​: Your assignment is to research five topics about how humans are currently having an impact on the Earth. In order to improve your own mastery of the topics and help elementary students start learning these concepts early on, you will create a children’s book about the five key topics listed below. You must summarize the information for your topic while still including key details. However, you also must simplify the material in a voice that an 8-10-year-old could understand. What to do​:

1. Create a children’s book covering the following topics: Chemical Use, Natural Resources Consumption, Introduction of non-native species, Greenhouse gasses production, Reduction of biodiversity and population. See the table below for details on each topic.

2. The book must have

a. A cover page with a ​title​ and b. 10 pages(2 pages per topic), each page including an illustration and words c. The setting or location of the story or stories is clearly indicated by words or pictures.

d. Scientific explanations of key concepts (see table below) in an appropriate ​voice​ for an ​8-10-year-old​ child e. Use ​fonts​ & ​color​ to ​highlight​ ​key​ ​words​ or ​topics​ and check for appropriate spelling and grammar f. Neat, colorful, and appropriate illustrations to accompany your story; illustrations may be from the internet or drawn

by you. g. All information must be accurate, informative, clear and appropriate for a​ 3​rd​ or 4​th​ grader.

3. Use the checklist provided to make sure you have completed every aspect of the project.

List of Topics and Key Concepts

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Chemical Use Choose one of the following Human impact issues… ● Eutrophication,​ ​Agricultural, Household,

or Industrial pollutants Must include… ● Include At least ​3​ ​facts and/or key

impacts of this issue ● How are organisms affected? ● What are the pros/Cons of humans using

chemicals? ● What are some possible solutions for

these problems?

Natural Resources Consumption Must include… ● Examples of two renewable and

two non-renewable resources ● How does reductions of

resources affect food chains and populations?

● What are the pros/Cons of human use of non-renewable resources?

● What are some possible solutions for this problem?

Introduction of Non-native(invasive) species Must include… ● An example of each of a non-native

plant and a non-native animal species that has been introduced into your setting.

● How does introduction of invasive(non-native) species affect habitats?

● What are the pros/Cons of humans introducing non-native species?

● What are some possible solutions for this problem?

Greenhouse gas production Must include… ● Three (3) human activities causing release of Greenhouse

gasses ● 3-5 Examples of Greenhouse gasses ● How are organisms affected? ● What are some possible solutions for these problems?

Biodiversity and Population size Choose one of the previous Human impact topics(​Chemical use, Natural Resource consumption, Invasive species, or Greenhouse gas​) and explain how it is related to an Endangered species Must include… ● Why is it important to have genetic diversity within a

species? ● Why is it important to conserve species? ● What are some possible solutions for this problem?

Children’s Book Review Project​ ​Checklist

Use this list to make sure you have completed every aspect of the project.

Project start date: Dec. 2, 2020 Bonus for Dec. 11 turnin Project due date Dec. 15, 2020

Overall Project​ (40 points) ☐ (5) Cover page has a title, illustration, and author’s name, all of which are relevant to the topic selected

☐ (5) 10 pages, that are neat and organized ☐ (5) Topic is explained in a storybook format ☐ (5) Setting or location of the story or stories is clearly indicated by words or pictures.

☐ (10) Written in a voice that an 8-10-year-old (3​rd​ or 4​th​ grader) could understand ☐ (5) There are no spelling or grammatical errors

☐ (5) Effort and time put into the completion of the project should be evident Content​ (30 points)

☐ (10) Project includes a scientific explanation of selected topic ☐ (10) A complete understanding of the selected topic is evident.

☐ (5) Explanations are related to the setting(s) of the story or stories ☐ (5) Book covers everything on the required list of concepts

Illustrations​ (30 points) ☐ (10) Neat and colorful

☐ (10) Included on each page of children’s book, including the cover ☐ (5) Appropriately support the content ☐ (5) Either hand-drawn ​by the student​ or copied from the Internet

How you will be evaluated​:

- This is a 100-point grade - Teacher will use the rubric on the following page to evaluate your work

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Children’s Book Review Project​ ​Rubric

Additional Comments: Total Points Earned: __________________/100

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Excellent (40-30 points)

Satisfactory (29-20 points)

Needs Improvement (19-10 points)

Unacceptable (9-0 points)

Overall Project

● Cover page has all required components

● Book has 10 pages ● Pages are exceptionally

neat and organized ● Voice for an

8-10-year-old ● Effort and time put in are

clearly evident ● There are no spelling or

grammatical errors

● Cover page has all required components

● Book has 10 pages ● Pages are neat and

organized ● Voice for an

8-10-year-old ● Effort and time put in

are evident ● There are minimal

spelling or grammatical errors

● Cover page has most required components

● Book may or may not have 10 pages

● Pages are somewhat neat and organized

● Voice is not for a child ● Effort and time put in are

somewhat evident ● There are several spelling

and/or grammatical errors

● Cover page has some or no required components

● Book does not have 10 pages ● Pages are not neat and

organized ● Voice is not for a child ● Effort and time put in are not

evident ● There are obvious spelling

and/or grammatical errors

Content (30 point max)

● Writing includes a scientific explanation of selected topic

● Complete understanding of the selected topic is evident

● Covers everything on required list of concepts

● All explanations are related to a clear setting(s) of the story or stories

● Writing includes a scientific explanation of selected topic

● Complete understanding of the selected topic is mostly evident

● Covers mostly everything on required list of concepts

● Explanations are mostly related to the clear setting(s) of the story or stories

● Writing somewhat includes a scientific explanation of selected topic

● Complete understanding of the selected topic is somewhat evident

● Covers some topics on the required list of concepts

● Some explanations are related to a setting but the setting is not made clear through words or pictures

● Writing does not include a scientific explanation of selected topic

● Complete understanding of the selected topic is not evident

● Missing several topics on the required list of concepts

● Setting of the story or stories is not evident in words, pictures or relationship to explanation

Illustrations (30 point max)

● All illustrations are neat ● All illustrations are

colorful ● All illustrations support

the content ● Every page of the book

has an illustration ● All illustrations are either

hand drawn by the student or printed

● Most illustrations are neat

● Most illustrations are colorful

● Most illustrations support the content

● Most pages of the book have an illustration

● All illustrations are either hand drawn by the student or printed

● Some illustrations are neat

● Some illustrations are colorful

● Some illustrations support the content

● Some pages of the book have illustrations

● Most illustrations are either hand drawn by the student or printed

● Illustrations are not neat. ● Illustrations are not colorful ● Illustrations do not support

the content ● The majority of pages do not

have illustrations ● Illustrations are not hand

drawn by the student or printed