SIOP Lesson Plan Template 1

Date: Grade/Class/Subject: 7th Grade Earth

Science
Time: 1-2 class periods (~90 min. total)

Unit/Theme: Plate Tectonics/Properties of Standards: MS-ESS1-3

Earths Interior Layers SC8.1.8

Content Objective(s): SW develop understanding of the structure of the Earths interior (and
ultimately, relationships to plate tectonics, occurrence of earthquakes and
volcanoes, and the origin of the Earths magnetic field, etc.) by constructing
a scale model of a slice of the interior of the Earth and studying the
material properties of Earths interior. The activity also provides useful
practice with the concept of scale.

Language Objective(s): SWBAT use descriptive language to record the physical properties of
the crust, mantle and core.

Key Vocabulary Supplementary Materials

crust, mantle, inner core, outer core,
lithosphere, asthenosphere
egg, hot plate, pot, water, tongs, cutting board,
knife, two 11 x 17 sheets of paper taped
together along the short side for each student),
meter stick, pencil, ~ 70 cm long string with
loop at one end, transparent tape,
colored pencils/crayons)

SIOP FEATURES

Preparation Scaffolding Group Options

Adaptation of content Modeling Whole class
Links to background Guided practice Small groups
Links to past learning Independent practice Partners
Strategies incorporated Comprehensible Input Independent

Integration of Processes Application Assessment

Reading Hands-on Individual
Writing Meaningful Group
Speaking Linked to objectives Written
Listening Promotes engagement Oral

Lesson Sequence: Hard boiled egg demonstration, PowerPoint presentation, slice of the Earth
project

Introduction: Discuss, or get students to draw and then share their ideas of what is inside the
earth, and evidence to justify their ideas. (i.e. volcanoes show that there must be heat to melt
the rock and there must be water because steam and hot water come out of the ground in parts
of Yellowstone, or even Thermopolis...Digging in the ground or exposed hillsides (Wind River
Canyon, Grand Canyon, etc.) reveals different layers.)
HOT Questions
How far down have scientists drilled? The deepest drill so far is the Kola Hole in Russia. After 24
years of drilling scientists reached a depth of just over 12km (7.5 miles).
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kola_Superdeep_Borehole) (Recent drilling-2007/08-in Yellowstone
brought borehole samples between 500-800 feet long).
(https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2016/1028/ofr20161028.pdf)
 Could we travel to the center of the Earth? No, we would be melted long before we got past the
crust.

Activity: While the introduction is taking place, have an egg boiling at a safe location in the
classroom. Make sure it has ample time to cook, as you will want students to see the distinct
layers (NOTE: for an extra special presentation, use permanent markers to draw continents and
oceans on your egg before cooking. After the egg is fully cooked, carefully remove it from the
water and let it cool for a moment before beginning the demonstration. Ask students what
connections they can make between the egg and the Earth. (answers may include that they have
layers, the eggs shell is like the Earths crust, etc.).
HOT Question: Is it hotter on the outside or the inside of the egg? Which part will cool faster?
(The inside is hotter and the outside will cool faster.)
Cut the egg in half with a sharp knife. Some shattering of the shell is inevitable but dont peel the
egg or students may not see how thin the shell is in relation to the inner layers. How many
layers does it have? 3 main layers, some students will say 4 if they include the thin membrane
just under the shell. The shell represents the crust it is very thin and rigid so it breaks easily. On
average the crust of the Earth is only 8km (5 miles) thick under the oceans and 35 km (22 miles)
thick under the continents. (In Yellowstone, there is a mantle plume that is only 2 miles below
the surface) The white represents the mantle, this is the largest part of the Earths interior. It is
made of rock that is so hot it can flow but only extremely slowly. If we could see the mantle
moving, it would flow about as fast as your fingernails grow. The mantle is hotter close to the
core and cools a little as it nears the crust just as the egg is hot in the middle and cooler on the
outside. The yolk of the egg is the Earths core. Scientists think that the core has two parts. The
inner core is the hottest part of the planet but it is under so much pressure that it is solid and
made mainly of iron. The outer core is almost as hot but the metal is slightly softer. Have
students fill in the egg portion of their comparison worksheet. They should label and
color each of the three major layers of the egg (i.e. outside=shell, second layer=white,
center=yolk). We live on the only cool part of the planet, everything inside the Earth is hot.
Volcanoes are places where hot molten rock (magma) has risen to the surface, broken through
and been rapidly cooled. There are many simple models of the Earths layered structure, a
recently boiled egg is perhaps the best because it shows both the heat and the layering of the
Earths interior. An apple, an avocado, human skin and even a slice of Mars bar could all be used
to show the thin, hard crust above larger, denser (heavier), less rigid, internal layers.

Discussion
Present the PowerPoint introducing the layers of the Earth. **When discussing the mantle,
students may express confusion about heating and materials getting runnier as they heat up.
This is true on the surface of the Earth but the pressure is so great inside the Earth that even hot
rocks are too dense to move easily. The mantle is not all magma, the huge pressures inside the
Earth mean that most rock is solid despite the high temperature. It is only in isolated pockets that
the crust and mantle melt to form magma. The inner core is the hottest part of the Earth but it is
under so much pressure that it is believed to be completely solid. If we travelled to the core the
pressure would be so great we would be compressed to about the size of a marble.

Conclusion: (http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~braile/edumod/earthint/earthint)

Students may work in pairs while creating their pie slices but must turn in individual
projects at the conclusion.

Draw a light center line and width lines (short dashed lines on construction detail, Figure 1) on
the 34 x 11 paper (two 11 x 17 sheets of paper taped together) and construct a scale model
of a slice (like a pizza slice) of the Earths interior. The scale is 1:10 million or 1 cm = 100 km
(1 cm on the model represents 100 km in the actual Earth), resulting in a slice with a radius of
63.7 cm corresponding to the real Earths radius of 6371 km (10 million times the size of the
scale model). Using the dimensions shown on the construction detail drawing (Figure 1) will
provide a 15 segment of the Earths interior.
Once the surface arc line (draw using the string with a loop and a pencil with the length from the
center point to the pencil in the loop being 63.7 cm) and the straight (angle) lines have been
drawn, the light pencil lines can be erased. Complete the scale model slice of the Earth by
drawing arcs at the appropriate radii corresponding to the Moho, Lithosphere-Asthenosphere,
Transition Zone, Core-Mantle, and Outer Core-Inner Core boundaries as given in Table 1 and
illustrated on the Earths Interior Structure diagram (Figure 2).
Table 1. Measurements for Earths Interior Structure

Actual Scale Value

Value (1:10 million
Scale)

Radius of Earth 6371 km 63.7 cm

Depth* to base of the crust (average) 35 km 0.35 cm

Depth* to base of lithosphere 100 km 1.0 cm

(average)

Depth* to base of upper mantle 670 km 6.7 cm

Depth* to core-mantle boundary 2885 km 28.9 cm

Depth* to outer core-inner core 5155 km 51.6 cm

boundary

For the first two boundaries below the surface (Moho and Lithosphere-Asthenosphere), it is easier
to measure downward (0.35 cm and 1.0 cm) from the surface to adjust the length of the string.
Note that converting the depth and radius measurements, in kilometers on the Table, to the 1:10
million scale, one can simply move the decimal two places to the left and the number will be in
cm. For example, 6371 km is 63.71 cm at the 1:10 million scale (see Table 1). More complete
information on the layers of the Earth's interior is given in Table 2.

Label the boundaries and layers of the Earth and (optionally) color the various layers representing
spherical shells. Suggested coloring of slices to enhance visibility and imply relative temperature
in the Earths interior is: inner core - white, outer core - yellow, mantle (below the lithosphere) -
orange, upper mantle - red, lithosphere - brown.

Reflections:

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