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 3rd or 4th grader.
3. Use the checklist provided to make sure you have completed every aspect of the project.
List of Topics and Key Concepts
1
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 (3rd or 4th 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
2
Children’s Book Review Project Rubric
Additional Comments:
Total Points Earned: __________________/100
3
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