THE ATMOSPHERE OF
EARTH
Earth’s atmosphere is similar to a jacket for our planet. It surrounds our
planet, keeps us warm, gives us oxygen to breathe, and it is where our
weather happens. Earth’s atmosphere has six layers: the troposphere, the
stratosphere, the mesosphere, the thermosphere, the ionosphere, and the
exosphere.
COMPONENT 4B
Q1. What is the atmosphere?
Q2. What are the main gases that make up the atmosphere?
Q3. Why are the gases in the atmosphere important for life?
COMPONENT 4C
Q1. How far is it to the center of the earth?
Q2. The information box indicates that water in the atmosphere
accounts for 0.25% of the component of the atmosphere. In what forms
might the water be found in the atmosphere?
Q3. Use the numerical information provided in the information box to
evaluate how well the diagram provided represents the relative
thickness of the atmosphere compared to the overall size of the earth.
COMPONENTS 5: LESSON
CONCLUSION
Q1. How has the lesson helped you to better understand the
atmosphere?
Q2. Which questions were to answer – the ones in Component 4B or
Component 4C? Why?
Q3. What strategies do you use to answer the harder questions?