CONCEPT: Changes are constantly occurring in and on the earth.
CONTENT OBJECTIVE: 6I1.00 To understand the composition and characteristics of the various layers of the earth
INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES: The learner will:
1.01 identify the layers of the earth
OUTLINE OF CONTENT:
I. Crust
II. Mantle
III. Core
TN COMPONENT OF SCIENCE: Unifying Concepts of Science
TN GOAL:
To enable students to acquire scientific knowledge by applying concepts, theories, principles and laws from life/environmental, physical, and earth/space science.
TN THEME:
2.1 SCALE AND MODEL - The development of models provides a conceptual bridge between the concrete and the abstract, while the use of scales allows for a comparison of differences in magnitude between the model and the desired form.
TN STANDARD(S): The learner will understand that:
2.1a A model is a representation used to simplify complex phenomena.
BENCHMARK: Models are often used to represent concepts of various magnitudes.
2.1b Different models can be used to represent the same thing. The kind of model used and its complexity depends on the purpose.
BENCHMARK: Models can be simulated on a computer and then altered to see what happens.
CLASSROOM CONNECTOR
TIME REQUIRED:
30 - 35 minutes
MATERIALS:
Egg, Styrofoam, posterboard
SET:
Have you ever eaten a boiled egg? How many layers does it have? (response) How are the earth and a boiled egg related? (They both have three layers.) Today we will learn about the earth's layers.
INSTRUCTION:
The earth is made up of three layers. The first layer is the crust which is made mostly of rocks. The crust is the thinnest of the three layers. Just under the crust is the layer called the Mantle. The Mantle is very thick, in fact, if you drove from Kansas City to Los Angeles, you would have traveled as many miles as the thickest of the earth's Mantle. Most of the Mantle is solid.
Beneath the Mantle, and at the center of the earth, is the Core. The Core has two parts, the inner core and the outer core. Scientists believe the outer core is liquid and the inner core is solid. The core is believed to be shaped like a ball with a temperature of about 5500 degrees centigrade. Make a scale model of the earth with clay, Styrofoam, etc. Color each layer a different color, label layers, tell its thickness and approximate temperature.
CLOSURE:
Remember the egg we talked about at the beginning of the lesson? (Use this example to draw a diagram of the earth and the layers.) List the three layers of the earth. Relate the layers of the earth to the layers of your model.
ACTIVE PARTICIPATION:
(Make "oobleck" by mixing 3/4 cup cornstarch to 1 cup water.) Stick your finger in the mixture forcefully and then lightly to see what happens. This would represent the core layer of the earth.
ENRICHMENT:
If you have a computer available, you can simulate a model of the earth and then alter it to see what happens.
This is the
time this file has been accessed since 02/25/98.
The University of Tennessee at Martin is not responsible for the information or views expressed here.
