Project Directions: Story of Life

Objective: Explain the Theory of Evolution, the mechanism by which it is believed to

have worked, the evidence that supports it, and how it is consistent with Church
teaching.

Situation: A group of Catholic science teachers have asked you to write an illustrated
storybook explaining the theory of evolution to children aged 9-12. They are requesting
that specific concepts (outlined below) be emphasized and explained, so you will need
to become very familiar with those concepts! You are allowed to write it as an
adventure, a drama, a comedy, a comic book, a straightforward non-fiction book, or
any other genre you can think of. You can check in with your "editor" (Ms. OBrien )
from time to time to see if you're on the right track.

Requirements:

Writing (36 points total)

1. Title page (2 points total)

a. Title is clear and obvious (1 point)
b. Author is clear and obvious (1 point)
2. Introduction (4 points total)
a. Emphasizes God as the creator (2 points)
b. Explains that he has given us evidence that suggests evolution as the way
God decided to populate the earth (2 points)
3. One common ancestor (5 points total)
a. Brief history of the earth that explains
i. The earth has been around for a long time (1 point)
ii. The first living thing was only one cell (1 point)
iii. All living things evolved from a common ancestor (2 points)
1. Define common ancestor for your readers (1 point)
4. Darwins ideas (16 points total)
a. Communicate the question (in your own words): How did our world
become as diverse and complex as it is if we started with one very simple
organism? (1 point)
i. Explain who Charles Darwin was, and that he asked this question
and developed a theory from his observations (1 point)
ii. Thoroughly explain and define Darwins Theory of Evolution (6
points)
iii. Explain and define Natural Selection (2 points), Variation (1 point),
and Adaptation (2 points)
 iv. Emphasize that the goal of an organism is to survive and
reproduce and they want to develop traits that allow them to do
that (3 points)
5. Evidence (6 points total)
a. Give 2 pieces of evidence for evolution (3 points each)
6. Conclusion (3 points total)
a. Briefly recap the ideas discussed in the book: include a reference to
Gods design (2 points) and wrap up your story in a way that you think
best fits your book (1 point)

Illustrations (16 points total)

Include at least 8 illustrations (including title page) (2 points each)

o All illustrations should demonstrate substantial effort.
o All illustrations must be colored

Mechanics (15 points)

Proofread and peer edit! No grammatical or spelling errors. (5 points)

Use page space effectively (3 point)
o No excessive blank space or excessively crowded pages
Bind your book (2 points)
o You may use staples, page protectors, a folder, or any other method you
know of to bind your book
Write and organize information effectively so that your book is easy to read and
understand (5 points)

List of resources (3 points total)

Last page is a list of the resources you used (3 points)

Total: 70 points possible