Introduction
It has been 100 years since the total and complete destruction of planet Earth. A
group of humans who managed to escape have established a civilization on Mars. You
have been hired to work at the Intergalactic Department of Education. The latest
trend in education is to take virtual trips for students to experience areas of the earth,
no longer in existence. Your job at the I.D.E. is to create realistic trips for the
students of Mars, who, obviously, have never been to Earth before.
Task
Take the 6th grade students of Mars on a virtual trip through the layers of earth’s atmosphere!
Process: Brochure Rubric
1. You will be put into groups to work as a team for the Intergalactic Department of
Education.
2. Your IDE work group will be assigned these five layers of the atmosphere: troposphere,
stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere.
3. Within atmosphere work group, you will research each layer using material provided in
class along with your textbook (chapter 18, page 495 ).
4. Your groups research will be written down by all group members on the Layers of the
atmosphere Data Sheet.
5. Using your layers data sheet, you will create a 6-sided brochure outlining the features of
each layer of atmosphere. This will contain the basic information about that particular
layer. Please follow the brochure rubric below to ensure you cover all the necessary
information. Check off each section when you are sure it is covered.
Process: Brochure Rubric
Include all these elements for each layer of earths’ atmosphere in your brochure.
Element
Team Check
Maximum
Introduce Layer – note any signs of life
2 pts
Describe climate (if any), temperature, altitude and
pressure.
2 pts
Composition of the Atmosphere
2 pts
Importance of the layer – Unique features
2 pts
Organization of project
2 pts
Total Per Layer of Atmosphere
10pt
50 pts