For this closing activity, students will construct an essay in which they discuss what they think are the three biggest impacts of human population growth in the modern era. By looking more closely at population growth, they will deepen their understanding of the impact of acceleration and will think about themselves in relation to population growth and the effect it might have on their own futures. Register to explore the whole course here: https://school.bighistoryproject.com/bhplive?WT.mc_id=Slideshare12202017

1. TEACHER MATERIALSBIG HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 9.2 ACTIVITY
THE IMPACT OF POPULATION GROWTH ESSAY
Purpose
For this closing activity, students will construct an essay in which they discuss what they think are the three biggest impacts of human population growth in the
modern era. By looking more closely at population growth, they will deepen their understanding of the impact of acceleration and will think about themselves in
relation to population growth and the effect it might have on their own futures.
Process
This essay is one that you might consider using as a homework assignment.
Ask your class to quickly brainstorm what they think some of the benefits and drawbacks of population growth are. You might make a pro/con list on the board for
this. After the class has brainstormed and had a quick discussion, tell them that they are going to write an essay about the impacts of population growth both on the
Earth and on themselves. Let them know that this essay will include the following criteria:
• The three biggest impacts of population growth on the planet. These can be positive or negative. These can be ideas generated by the class or ones they come
up with on their own.
• Research and support (using claim testers) to support their assertions about population growth.
• Predictions about how these impacts will affect them in the future.
Remind them that they will be graded using the Big History Writing Rubric, and they should review this carefully before they write their essays, and then again after
they are done to make sure they’ve met all the criteria.
It’s up to you to decide how long you want this paper to be. Students should now be working on their Little Big History projects, and their workload may influence
your decision about the length of this essay and depth of research. It’s probably a good idea to give them a page range to target, as well as guidance about how
many sources they should provide as part of their supporting evidence, and how many of these sources should be in addition to resources provided in the course.

2. STUDENT MATERIALS
THE IMPACT OF POPULATION GROWTH ESSAY
Purpose
For this closing activity, you’ll construct an essay in which you discuss what you think are the three biggest impacts of human population growth in the modern era.
In looking more closely at population growth, you will deepen your understanding of the impact of acceleration. As part of this, you will think about yourselves in
relation to population growth and how it may affect your future.
Process
With your class, quickly brainstorm what you think some of the benefits and drawbacks of population growth are. The reason for doing this is that you are going to
write an essay about the impacts of population growth both on the Earth and on yourself. Your essay needs to include the following:
• The three biggest impacts of population grown on the planet. These can be positive or negative. These can be ideas that were generated by the class or ones
that you come up yourself.
• Research and support (using claim testers) to support your assertions about population growth.
• Predictions about how these impacts will affect you in the future.
As usual, you’ll be graded using the Big History Writing Rubric. Review the rubric carefully before you write your essays, and then again after you’re done to make
sure you’ve met all the criteria.
Your teacher will let you know how long your paper should be as well as how many sources you need to provide (your teacher may specify that some sources must
come from places other than the Big History website ). Be sure to take notes on these requirements and on what the class brainstormed!
BIG HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 9.1 ACTIVITY

3. Name: Date:
STUDENT MATERIALS
RESEARCH WORKSHEET
Research Worksheet
Throughout the Big History course, you will need to do research to find information about a topic or an idea. This research worksheet will help you keep track of
the sources you find on the Internet, in your school, or public library. Be careful as you wade through information on the Internet and make sure to assess that
information using claim testers. Read the tips for searching and then fill out the worksheet for each source you find.
Tips for Searching
1. Start with a trustworthy source. For example, online you can start with Newsela (www.newsela.com), NASA (www.nasa.gov), or the New York Times (www.
nytimes.com). If you need more academic or scholarly resources, use a search engine such as Google scholar (scholar.google.com), Google books (books.
google.com), or Microsoft Academic Search (http://academic.research.microsoft.com/).
2. In a search, every word matters and the order of the words matter. Be thoughtful when choosing your search terms. Do multiple searches and refine your
terms over time.
3. Check the website domain to help determine validity. Universities (.edu), government agencies (.gov), and museums (.org) usually have valid information. But
just because something is called an organization or an institute does not mean it has unbiased information. Ask yourself: Who wrote this? What is the purpose
of this source? What is the audience? What is the perspective of the author?
4. Use claim testers (authority, evidence, intuition, logic) to decide if the source and the claims presented by that source are trustworthy. Below are some
questions you can ask yourself for each claim tester. Summarize your answers to these questions for each resource. You can also use the claim testers
worksheet to test specific claims from your sources.
BIG HISTORY PROJECT
a. Authority
Do the authors have experience in the field?
Has this source or the authors made trustworthy claims in the
past?
b. Evidence
Are there facts that you can “see” that support the claims in
the source?
Can you verify that those claims are supported by evidence?
c. Intuition
Does the source agree with your everyday knowledge?
Does your gut reaction tell you the claim is reliable?
Do you feel that the source is trustworthy and presenting true
claims?
d. Logic
Does the collection of information in the source make sense?
Do the claims in the source make sense?

4. Name: Date:
STUDENT MATERIALS
RESEARCH WORKSHEET - SOURCES
BIG HISTORY PROJECT
Name of Source:
Website:
Date published:
Author(s):
Publisher:
How do you know this source is trustworthy? Which claim testers (authority,
evidence, intuition, logic) did you use?
Name of Source:
Website:
Date published:
Author(s):
Publisher:
How do you know this source is trustworthy? Which claim testers (authority,
evidence, intuition, logic) did you use?
Name of Source:
Website:
Date published:
Author(s):
Publisher:
How do you know this source is trustworthy? Which claim testers (authority,
evidence, intuition, logic) did you use?
Name of Source:
Website:
Date published:
Author(s):
Publisher:
How do you know this source is trustworthy? Which claim testers (authority,
evidence, intuition, logic) did you use?

5. COMPLETE RUBRIC
1
BIG HISTORY PROJECT
CriteriaA-Constructinganargument
Exceptional Skilled Proficient Developing Inadequate
• Claim/thesis: Makes a clear, well-
articulated, and compelling claim/
thesis.
-- Stakes out a position and directly
addresses the essay question.
-- Introduced early on in essay to
structure argument.
-- Claim reflects appropriate
nuance; cautious about dualistic
or binary thinking.
• Structure: Structured carefully
to support the claim with a clear
and coherent line of reasoning to
conclusion.
-- Well-executed progression of
ideas as each paragraph or point
builds upon the last.
-- Logical and clear organization
with a strong beginning, middle,
and end, with a clear conclusion.
-- Conclusion supports essay’s
ideas and includes statement of
significance or implications.
-- Sophisticated arrangement of
content with evident transitions,
connecting parts to construct a
coherent essay.
• Counterclaim: Fairly and
effectively recognizes and refutes
opposing claims.
• Claim/thesis: Makes an
appropriate claim/thesis.
-- Stakes out a position related to
the essay question.
-- Introduced early on in essay to
structure argument.
-- Claim establishes an identifiable
position, though it might reflect
dualistic or binary thinking.
• Structure: Structured to support
the claim with a coherent line of
reasoning to conclusion.
-- Logical and clear organization
with a strong beginning, middle,
and end, with a clear conclusion.
-- Conclusion supports essay’s
ideas, though lacks reference to
significance or implications.
-- Essay uses some transitions to
connect its parts.
• Counterclaim: Recognizes and
attempts to refute an opposing
claim.
• Claim/thesis: Makes an
appropriate claim/thesis.
-- Stakes out a position related to
the essay question.
-- May not be introduced until the
end of the essay, or is broken out
over two or more paragraphs.
-- Claim establishes a position,
though it might reflect dualistic
or binary thinking.
• Structure: Essay has a structure,
but its sections do not always
support the claim or connect to the
conclusion.
-- Has a beginning, middle, and
end, with a conclusion.
-- Conclusion makes brief or
incomplete reference to the
claim/thesis.
-- Essay lacks clear transitions.
• Counterclaim: Might mention
a counterclaim or ignore it
completely.
• Claim/thesis: References the topic,
but make no clear claim or thesis.
• Structure: Essay attempts a
structure but fails to link the
sections to the claim, each other, or
the conclusion.
-- Has a weak beginning, middle,
and end.
-- Essay lacks transitions.
• Counterclaim: Does not mention a
counterclaim at all.
• Claim/thesis: Off topic.
• Structure: Absence of structure
or very limited attempt to organize
essay.
-- Essay brief and does not fully
address question.
• Counterclaim: Does not mention a
counterclaim at all.
WRITING RUBRIC - CRITERIA A

6. COMPLETE RUBRIC
2
BIG HISTORY PROJECT
WRITING RUBRIC - CRITERIA BCriteriaB-Usingtextsasevidence
Exceptional Skilled Proficient Developing Inadequate
• Source:
-- Explicitly uses all but one of the
available texts.
-- Clearly cites author or producer
of the text by name.
• Analysis: Consistently shows
analytical reading of texts by:
-- Demonstrating careful
understanding of each text.
-- Recognizing and explaining
relevant discrepancies among
sources.
-- Recognizing and explaining
similarities among sources.
-- Recognizing the historical
context of the documents.
-- Explaining corroboration among
the texts.
• Connection to claim:
-- Use of documents persuasively
as evidence.
-- Strong use of facts, examples,
and details to support claims.
-- Strong use of factual information,
quotations, analogies,
illustrations, or anecdotes to
support claim.
-- Clearly and fully explains the
relationship between the claims
and the support (clear warrants).
• Accuracy: Makes no errors of
fact.
• Source:
-- Explicitly uses most of the
available texts (six or more).
-- Cites all texts in some manner
(“Text #1,” for example).
• Analysis: Shows analytical reading
by:
-- Demonstrating understanding of
each text.
-- Recognizing similarities among
sources.
-- Occasionally recognizing the
discrepancies among sources.
-- Corroborating or connecting two
or more of the texts.
• Connection to claim:
-- Use of documents as evidence
-- Use of some facts, examples,
and details to support claims.
-- Explains the relationship
between the claims and most of
the texts.
• Accuracy: Makes no errors of
fact.
• Source:
-- Uses some of the available texts
(three or more).
-- May not cite all of the texts in
some manner (“Text #1,” for
example), but essay is clearly
using three or more of the texts.
• Analysis: Occasionally shows
analytical reading of the texts by:
-- Demonstrating understanding of
each text.
-- Recognizing similarities or
discrepancies between two
sources.
• Connection to claim:
-- Does not use the documents as
evidence; does not use texts to
illustrate claims.
-- Use of some facts, examples and
details—not texts—to support
claims.
-- Mentions or hints at the
relationship between the
claim and the facts, but does
no attempt to explain the
relationship.
• Accuracy: Makes one or two
minor errors of fact
• Source: Mentions at least one or
two texts.
• Analysis: No analysis of
sources, although there is some
understanding of the texts used.
• Connection to claim:
-- Does not use the texts to support
or illustrate claims.
-- Minimal use of facts, examples
or details—not texts—to support
claims.
• Accuracy: Makes many minor
errors of fact (three or more) or a
major, substantive error.
• Source: Makes no mention of
provided texts to support or
illustrate claims.
• Analysis:
-- Essay is “support-free.”
-- No use of evidence, examples,
relevant details, analogies, or
illustrations.
• Accuracy: Makes major errors of
fact.

7. COMPLETE RUBRIC
3
BIG HISTORY PROJECT
WRITING RUBRIC - CRITERIA CCriteriaC-ApplyingBHPconcepts
Exceptional Skilled Proficient Developing Inadequate
• Concepts: Effectively applies
two or more BHP course-level
concepts and/or unit-level concepts
or ideas.
-- Demonstrates an understanding
of the concepts.
-- Connects the concepts to the
argument and/or evidence.
-- Avoids misconceptions of the
concepts.
• Content: Avoids errors in applying
additional BHP facts or content to
illustrate or support concepts and
claims, or to inform the essay.
• Concepts: Applies one BHP
course-level concept and/or unit-
level concept or idea.
-- Demonstrates an understanding
of the concept.
-- Connects the concept to the
argument and/or evidence.
-- Avoids misconceptions of the
concept.
• Content: Avoids errors in applying
additional BHP facts or content to
illustrate or support concepts and
claims, or to inform the essay.
• Concepts: Attempts to apply one
BHP course-level concept and/or
unit-level concept or idea.
-- Mentions a concept
appropriately, but without fully
articulating its meaning or
connection to the argument.
-- Avoids explicit misconceptions of
the concept.
• Content: May make an occasional
minor error in applying additional
BHP facts or content in support of
the claims, or to inform the essay.
• Concepts: Mentions at least one
BHP course-level concept and/
or unit-level concept or idea either
incorrectly or inappropriately.
-- Mentions a concept.
-- Includes misconceptions of the
concept.
• Content: May make many minor
errors or a major error in applying
additional BHP facts or content.
• Concepts: No mention of BHP
course-level concepts and/or unit-
level concepts or ideas.

8. COMPLETE RUBRIC
4
BIG HISTORY PROJECT
WRITING RUBRIC - CRITERIA DCriteriaD-Writingwithappropriatemechanics
Exceptional Skilled Proficient Developing Inadequate
• Language: Uses a variety of vivid,
concise, and disciplinary-specific
words.
• Mechanics:
-- Writing is free of spelling and
grammatical errors.
-- Needs little or no editing.
• Tone/Voice:
-- Sophisticated and well-controlled
sentences; uses variation.
-- Uses consistent voice and an
objective tone appropriate for
academic writing.
-- Uses style consistent with
academic writing.
• Language: Uses concise and
disciplinary-specific words.
• Mechanics:
-- Writing has an occasional
spelling or minor grammatical
error.
-- Needs modest editing.
• Tone/Voice:
-- Complete sentences with some
variation.
-- Uses objective tone appropriate
for academic writing.
• Language: Uses appropriate
and specific words, although not
necessarily reflecting the disciplines
of history or the sciences.
• Mechanics:
-- Writing has spelling, grammatical,
and punctuation errors, but they
do not impede readability or
comprehension.
-- Needs editing.
• Tone/Voice: Tone does not reflect
academic writing (uses slang, for
example).
• Language: Words used are
occasionally vague, redundant, or
misused.
• Mechanics:
-- Writing has spelling,
grammatical, and punctuation
errors that hinder readability or
comprehension.
-- Frequent errors in sentence or
paragraph structure (incomplete
or run-on sentences or
paragraphs, for example).
-- Needs substantive editing.
• Tone/Voice: Tone does not reflect
academic writing (uses slang, for
example).
• Language: Word choice is incorrect
or distracting.
• Mechanics:
-- Writing has spelling, grammatical,
and punctuation errors
that impede readability or
comprehension.
-- Frequent errors in sentence or
paragraph structure (incomplete
or run-on sentences or
paragraphs, for example).
-- Inadequate mechanics with
consistent errors in punctuation,
capitalization, and spelling.
-- Needs substantive editing.
• Tone/Voice: Tone does not reflect
academic or informal writing (uses
slang, for example).

9. Name: Date:
STUDENT MATERIALS
2
BIG HISTORY PROJECT
Directions: Use this table to score and comment on the writing that you are evaluating. Put an X in the cell that denotes the grade. Use the other cells for comments.
Description Exceptional (5) Skilled (4) Proficient (3) Developing (2) Inadequate (1) Score
Criteria A -
Constructing an
argument
Criteria B -
Using texts as
evidence
Criteria C -
Applying BHP
concepts
Criteria D -
Writing with
appropriate
mechanics
Total Score
WRITING RUBRIC