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7th grade · Science · Unit 14 of 14

People & Earth's Resources

More people, more use per person: the effects on Earth.

What your child practices

Practices arguing from evidence how a growing human population and rising use of resources per person affect Earth's land, water, air and living things, and how using less per person can reduce that impact, with examples such as groundwater, fisheries and New York's returning forests.

New York State Learning Standards learning standard: MS-ESS3-4 · how a growing human population and rising use of resources per person affect Earth's systems

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. More people and more use per person both raise our impact on land, water, air and living things.
  2. Clearing land removes habitat; burning fossil fuels adds carbon dioxide.
  3. Using less per person can lower the total impact.

Example: As the human population grows, what happens to the demand for fresh water? Each person needs water. More people need more water. Answer: it increases

People & Earth's Resources in New York

In the New York State Learning Standards, this is unit 14 of 14 in 7th grade Science, after Synthetic Materials.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: New York State Education Department (NYSED)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    The world's human population today is about…

    • 8 billion
    • 80 million
    • 8 million
    • 800 billion

  2. Question 2

    Which helps reduce the impact of a growing city?

    • Draining wetlands
    • Wasting food
    • Good public transit
    • More single-use plastic

  3. Question 3

    Which resource is nonrenewable?

    • Sunlight
    • Oil
    • Trees
    • Wind

  4. Question 4

    Which is evidence that people affect Earth's systems?

    • Sunrise times
    • Ocean tides
    • Rising carbon dioxide levels in the air
    • The moon's phases

  5. Question 5

    Per-capita consumption means…

    • the amount used per person
    • the price of a product
    • the total used by a country
    • the number of people

  6. Question 6

    Country A has more people than Country B, but Country B uses more energy in total. This shows total impact depends on…

    • the weather only
    • population only
    • land area only
    • both population and use per person

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