CHAPTER 6
LESSON 1
EARTH’S STRUCTURE
SCIENCE SPI’S:7.7, 7.8.1, 7.8.2 SOCIAL STUDIES
SPI’S:5.3.6 LANGUAGE ARTS SPI’S: 1.1.3,1.1.2, 1.1.3,
1.1.4, 1.1.5, 1.1.6, 1.1.11, 1.1.13 READING 2.9
WHAT WILL YOU LEARN FROM
THIS LESSON?
• You will understand the Earth’s structure including
the inner core, outer core, mantle, and crust.
VOCABULARY
•
•
•
•
•
•
Core
Crust
Fossil
Lithosphere
Mantle
Tectonic Plates
VOCAB. CONT…
• Core: Earth’s innermost structure
(Think of it this way… if earth was a hard-boiled egg,
the core would be the yolk.)
VOCAB. CONT…
• Crust: a thin, nearly solid rock layer that is
uppermost in Earth’s structure.
(Let’s go back to the hard-boiled egg example. If the
yolk represents the core, then what part of the egg
would represent the crust?)
Look at the photo on P. 206
“Layers of the Earth”
This will help us better
understand the Earth’s
structure.
•
•
•
•
crust
mantle
outer core
inner core
VOCAB CONT…
• Fossil: the physical remains or
trace of an organism that lived
long ago
VOCAB. CONT…
• Lithosphere: the solid, outer part of
Earth, made of the crust and part
of the upper mantle
• Mantle: thick layer of Earth’s
structure just below Earth’s crust
(Again, refer to the photo on P. 206 to help understand
the Earth’s layers.)
VOCAB. CONT…
• Tectonic plates: a theory that
giant plates of rock are moving
slowly across Earth’s surface
WHY DO WE NEED TO KNOW THIS?
Glad you asked!!
Earth has layered structures with solid
rock at the surface and partly liquid
rock material below.
When scientists understand the Earth’s
structure, they can help predict when
a geyser or a volcano will erupt, or
how a river will change course over
time.
DID YOU KNOW?
In many parts of the world, columns of
steaming hot water can be found
shooting up from the Earth’s surface.
These boiling fountains are known as
geysers!!!
Jim Bridger was
Quoted as saying
the geysers are so hot
that meat is readily
cooked in them!!
DID YOU KNOW?
Yellowstone National Park in
Wyoming is well known for its
numerous geysers and hot springs.
I NEED A VOLUNTEER, PLEASE…
Who would like to come up and
locate Wyoming on the classroom
map?
OKAY, BACK TO GEYSERS…
What do geysers tell us about the
Earth’s interior?
GEYSERS TELL US
THE EARTH’S INTERIOR IS…
HOT, HOT, HOT!!!
THE DEEPER INTO THE EARTH’S
INTERIOR YOU GO, THE
HOTTER IT GETS!!!
SO, IS IT HOTTER AT THE EARTH’S
CORE, OR THE EARTH’S CRUST?
C’MON…YOU KNOW THIS!
THE EARTH’S CORE!!!
WAY TO GO!!!
I NEED A VOLUNTEER TO READ
P. 205, PLEASE.
STRUT YOUR STUFF…
Take out your Science journal and
write a paragraph explaining why
it’s hotter at the Earth’s core than
at the Earth’s crust. Be sure to
indent, and use correct
punctuation.
WHO REMEMBERS WHAT WE’LL
KNOW AT THE END OF THIS LESSON?
WHO REMEMBERS WHAT WE’LL
KNOW AT THE END OF THIS LESSON?
We’ll understand the Earth’s
structure including the inner
core, outer core, mantle,
and crust.
LET’S THINK…
Where would be the best place on Earth’s surface to
try to drill a hole all the way to the mantle?
(Remember, the mantle is the thickest layer between
the crust and the outer core.)
A. The ocean floor
B. The top of a mountain
ANSWER
The ocean floor!!!
But why?
ANSWER
The crust is thinner under the ocean, making it easier
to drill a hole to the mantle.
Why would it be most difficult to drill a hole to the
mantle starting at the top of a mountain?
ANSWER
The crust is thickest at the
top of a mountain.
(Think of it this way… if you start drilling at the top of a
mountain you must drill all the way down through the
mountain just to get to ground level. Then, you have
to continue drilling until you hit the ocean floor. Only
then does the actual drilling below the Earth’s crust
begin.
QUESTION
What layer of the earth is liquid?
Hint…the answer is on page 207
ANSWER
Outer core!!!
The heat there is hot enough to
melt rock, but the pressure is not
great enough to make a solid
mass, as it is in the inner core.
I NEED A VOLUNTEER, PLEASE…
Begin reading at the top of page 207.
Pay CLOSE attention when we come to
the vocabulary words, “mantle,
“lithosphere”, and “core”.
TIME TO STRUT YOUR STUFF AGAIN
Take out your Science journal and compare
and contrast inner core and outer core.
Use a Venn diagram like the one below for
this activity.
Outer
core
Inner
core
STILL STRUTTING YOUR STUFF…
Using a drawing of a peach as a
model of the Earth, what would the
peach pit represent?
ANSWER
The inner core!!!
LET’S HAVE SOME FUN…
In your Science journal, draw a picture of a peach.
Using the layers of the peach, from the surface
inward, list the layers of the Earth.
Be sure to include the crust, mantle, outer core and
inner core.
For example: the skin of the peach would be the
crust…now you take it from there.
ANOTHER CHECK… WHAT ARE WE
LEARNING IN THIS LESSON?
ANOTHER CHECK… WHAT ARE WE
LEARNING IN THIS LESSON?
• We’re learning the Earth’s structure including the
inner core, outer core, mantle, and crust.
NOW LET’S TALK MOVING PLATES…
Look at the images on pages 208 and 209 of your
text.
According to the tectonic plates theory, Earth’s giant
continental and oceanic plates move slowly.
Scientists think the lithosphere is broken into giant
sections that “float” (or move) on the lower mantle.
MOVING PLATES CONT…
Let’s take turns reading
pages 208 and 209
Who’d like to read first?
QUESTION
Where is the boundary between
the North American Plate and the
Eurasian Plate?
ANSWER
On the ocean floor, in the middle
of the Atlantic Ocean
QUESTION
What is the effect on molten rock
from the mantle rising up in the gap
between plates?
ANSWER
It causes NEW crust to form.
Pretty cool, huh?
COMPARE AND CONTRAST
In your Science journal, compare and contrast
converging and diverging boundaries.
Next, write a sentence explaining sliding boundaries.
CONGRATULATIONS CHAMPS!!!
Now you know the Earth’s structure including the
inner core, outer core, mantle, and crust!!!
Next, we’ll study volcanoes and earthquakes!!!