Description

What our Layers of the Atmosphere lesson plan includes

Lesson Objectives and Overview: Layers of the Atmosphere teaches students about the blanket of gases that surround and protect the planet. They will learn what each layer does and how it differs from the others. This lesson is f0r students in 4th grade, 5th grade, and 6th grade.

Classroom Procedure

Every lesson plan provides you with a classroom procedure page that outlines a step-by-step guide to follow. You do not have to follow the guide exactly. The guide helps you organize the lesson and details when to hand out worksheets. It also lists information in the yellow box that you might find useful. You will find the lesson objectives, state standards, and number of class sessions the lesson should take to complete in this area. In addition, it describes the supplies you will need as well as what and how you need to prepare beforehand.

Options for Lesson

You can check out the “Options for Lesson” section of the classroom procedure page for additional suggestions for ideas and activities to incorporate into the lesson. Consider using a digital atmosphere simulation, such as NASA’s interactive tools. For a literacy-based approach, have students write a creative story about traveling through each layer, describing what they see and feel. Students could also create a collaborative mural where small groups illustrate one atmospheric layer on poster paper and present it to the class. Students could also make a short video or slideshow explaining each layer.

Teacher Notes

The teacher notes page provides an extra paragraph of information to help guide the lesson. You can use the blank lines to write down any other ideas or thoughts you have about the topic as you prepare.

LAYERS OF THE ATMOSPHERE LESSON PLAN CONTENT PAGES

Intro to the Atmosphere

The Layers of the Atmosphere lesson includes two content pages. Have you ever looked up at the sky and wondered what’s above the clouds? The answer is the atmosphere! Atmosphere comprises two Greek words: atmos, meaning gas, and sphere, which means ball or globe. The atmosphere is a blanket of gases that surrounds Earth. It keeps us warm, gives us air to breathe, and protects us from harmful rays from the sun. Scientists called meteorologists study the atmosphere to predict the weather and learn about climate changes.

The atmosphere is made of different layers. Each one has special features and jobs. But overall, the atmosphere is mainly made of nitrogen (about 78%) and oxygen (about 21%). There are small amounts of other gases such as carbon dioxide and argon. Water vapor and tiny dust particles are also floating around. The atmosphere traps heat from the sun, making life on Earth possible.

Five Layers

The lowest layer of the atmosphere is called the troposphere. This is where we live and breathe. It rises about 6 to 12 miles (10 to 20 kilometers) above Earth. All the weather, including rain, snow, clouds, and storms, happens in this layer. The higher you go in the troposphere, the colder it gets. At the very top, it can be as cold as -60°F!

Above the troposphere is the stratosphere. This layer extends up to about 30 miles (50 kilometers) high. The ozone layer protects us by blocking some of the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays. Interestingly, airplanes sometimes fly in the lower stratosphere to avoid bad weather since there are no storms up there.

The next layer up is the mesosphere. It reaches up to about 53 miles (85 kilometers) above Earth. This layer is super cold, even colder than the North Pole. One of the most incredible things about the mesosphere has to do with meteors. Falling meteors and space debris are usually burned up before reaching the earth’s surface. When space rocks fall toward Earth, they burn up in this layer, which creates what we call shooting stars.

Above the mesosphere is the thermosphere. It goes up to about 370 miles (600 kilometers). Even though the temperature here can rise to over 3,000°F (1,650°C), it wouldn’t feel hot to us. Why? Because the air is so thin, there aren’t enough molecules to transfer heat. This is also where the auroras, or northern and southern lights, appear in the sky!

The final layer is the exosphere. This is the outermost layer of the atmosphere, and it slowly fades into space. It can extend more than 6,200 miles (10,000 kilometers) from Earth! This layer has few air molecules, and satellites orbit the planet from here. It’s super quiet and cold because there’s hardly any air.

Interesting Facts

Did you know that most of the air in the atmosphere is found close to the ground? That’s because gravity pulls air down. As you go higher up, there is less air and less pressure. That’s why mountain climbers sometimes carry oxygen tanks. They need extra air to breathe when they’re way up high!

The layers of the atmosphere are not motionless, and they do overlap. The atmosphere is constantly moving and changing. Winds blow, storms form, and energy from the sun travels through it. For example, the ionosphere crosses the mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere. It is a region of Earth’s upper atmosphere, extending from about 80 to 600 kilometers (50 to 370 miles), where solar radiation partially ionizes the atmosphere and where much of our communication systems, like GPS, operate.

Without the atmosphere, life on Earth couldn’t exist. The blanket of gases keeps the planet warm, gives us oxygen, protects us from harmful rays, and shields us from meteors. Because the atmosphere is so important, we must take care of it. Pollution from cars, factories, and burning fossil fuels can harm the air and the ozone layer. Recycling, saving energy, and planting trees can help keep the atmosphere clean and safe.

Key Terms

Here is a list of the vocabulary words students will learn in this lesson plan:

• Atmosphere: a blanket of gases that surrounds Earth to keep us warm, provide air to breathe, and protect us from harmful rays from the sun
• Meteorologist: a scientist who studies the atmosphere to predict the weather and learn about climate changes
• Water vapor: a gaseous form of water that rises up toward the atmosphere
• Troposphere: the lowest layer of the atmosphere that reaches around 6 to 12 miles above the earth where all the weather happens
• Stratosphere: the second layer of the atmosphere that extends up to about 30 miles high and that is above the weather
• Mesosphere: the middle layer of the atmosphere that reaches to about 53 miles above Earth
• Thermosphere: the layer of the atmosphere that goes up to about 370 miles
• Auroras: the northern and southern lights that appear in the sky
• Exosphere: the outermost layer of the atmosphere that slowly fades into space
• Ionosphere: a special layer that crosses the mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere

LAYERS OF THE ATMOSPHERE LESSON PLAN WORKSHEETS

The Layers of the Atmosphere lesson plan includes three worksheets: an activity worksheet, a practice worksheet, and a homework assignment. These worksheets will help students demonstrate what they learned throughout the lesson and reinforce the lesson concepts. The guide on the classroom procedure page outlines when to hand out each worksheet to your students.

ATMOSPHERE FLASH CARDS ACTIVITY WORKSHEET

For the activity, students will create flash cards for each layer of the atmosphere. On one side, they will write the name of the layer at the top of the card and draw a picture that represents that layer below the name, such as clouds for troposphere. On the back of each card, students will write three facts: how high the layer goes, what happens there, and what the temperature is. When they finish, they can hole punch the cards and tie them together with string or clip them with a metal ring.

LAYERS OF THE ATMOSPHERE PRACTICE WORKSHEET

The practice worksheet requires students to answer five questions based on what they learned in the content. The sixth question requires them to research the Greek origins of the names of the layers to find their meaning.

REVIEW HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

Students will test their knowledge by answering four comprehension questions for the homework assignment.

Worksheet Answer Keys

The lesson provides answer keys for the practice and homework worksheets. Correct answers are in red to make it easy to compare them to your students’ responses. If you choose to administer the lesson pages to your students via PDF, you will need to save a new file that omits these pages. Otherwise, you can simply print out the applicable pages and keep these as reference for yourself when grading assignments.