A Species Story 2023 Edition

This assignment involves writing a children’s story book that explains evolution of a species or a trait
within that species. Your story can be fictional, based on fact, or a combination of both (mostly factual
with embellishments).

1. Choose a topic.

If you are basing it on evolution of an actual species, consider one picking one of the following
environmental changes:
 Reduced forest fires and effects on jack pine
 Reduction in milkweed habitat due to urbanization and its effects on the monarch butterfly
 Reduction of bamboo and effects on the giant panda
 Global warming, reduced ice flows and the effects on seals or polar bears
 Acid rain, acidification of lakes the effects on bass
 Disappearance of bees and flowers due to pesticides

If you are making a completely fictional story, make sure that it still clearly shows the ideas of
evolution that we have discussed in class.

2. Carefully think about the organism’s environment, and the traits necessary to survive and
thrive in that environment. Write a story about your organism’s species that shows how
evolution happened or is happening.

Things to think about… What variation exists in the population? How are some members of the
species uniquely adapted to compete in the new environment? What will happen to the
species in the future? What mechanisms may drive evolution? Will there be phyletic
evolution or a divergent evolution event?  

Note (these have been common problems in the past):

1. Organisms do not evolve, populations do. You can’t show an organism change characteristics
over the course of your story.
2. Organisms do not “mutate” in response to an environmental change. A trait that they are born
with may become advantage in a changing environment.
3. It takes a long time to see the effects of evolution. Many years/generations!
4. Organisms do not make conscious decisions about their own evolution.

You must include any five of the following concepts in your story (actual words don’t need to be
used):
natural selection phyletic evolution reproductive isolation founder effect
adaptation non-random mating bottleneck effect allopatric
convergent evolution speciation mutation sympatric
divergent evolution variation gene flow
Marking Rubric:

To ensure enough detail, your children’s storybook must be a minimum of 8 pages. It must include
illustrations of some sort, but they may be hand drawn or computer generated.

Category Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4

(50-59%) (60-69%) (70-79%) (80-100%)
Variation (5) Limited understanding of how Some understanding of Considerable understanding Thorough understanding of how
variation occurs and the role it how variation occurs and of how variation occurs and variation occurs and the role it
plays in evolution the role it plays in evolution the role it plays in evolution plays in evolution
Adaptations (5) Demonstrates limited Demonstrates some Demonstrates considerable Demonstrates thorough
understanding of how understanding of how understanding of how understanding of how adaptations
adaptations are selected for adaptations are selected adaptations are selected for. are selected for.
for

Evolutionary mechanisms Demonstrates limited Demonstrates some Demonstrates considerable Demonstrates thorough
(15) understanding of the understanding of the understanding of the understanding of the evolutionary
evolutionary mechanisms evolutionary mechanisms evolutionary mechanisms mechanisms involved in evolution.
involved in evolution. involved in evolution. involved in evolution.
Environmental change/ Analyses the environmental Analyses the environmental Analyses the environmental Analyses the environmental
evolutionary events change or identifies change or identifies change or identifies change or identifies evolutionary
(5) evolutionary event for the evolutionary event for the evolutionary event for the event for the species with a high
species with limited depth. species with some depth. species with considerable degree of depth.
depth.
Communication Expresses and organizes Expresses and organizes Expresses and organizes Expresses and organizes ideas
expression and ideas and information with ideas and information with ideas and information with and information very clearly.
organization of ideas and limited clarity. Illustrations are some clarity. Illustrations considerable clarity. Illustrations are included and
information (e.g., story not included or are sloppy. are included and show Illustrations are included and enhance the story.
format, clarity of ideas, some effort. clearly follow the story.
illustrations)
(10 marks)

Originality and Uses examples discussed in Attempt has been made to Original ideas and attempt to Very thoughtful and unique ideas
Connections class. Does not really bring in use original ideas, but there connect with what has been that tie together what has been
(10) ideas discussed in class are some difficulties in discussed in class. discussed in class.
execution.

Total /50