Earth Science
Characteristics of the Earth and the Moon
Reading Comprehension
Characteristics of the Earth and the Moon
1 The Earth is a special place. It is the only planet in our solar system in which we know that life exists. We know of no other planet that is home to any living organisms. The moon is special too. Early people thought that the moon had a strong influence on things that happened on the Earth. The moon actually does influence certain things on Earth. The
Earth and the moon are similar in some ways. For example, they are both spherical in shape. However, there are many more differences between the Earth and the moon than similarities.
2 The surface of the Earth is a thin layer of rock. This rocky surface is called the lithosphere. The air surrounding the Earth is called the atmosphere. The atmosphere includes the air we breathe. All the water on the Earth’s surface is called the hydrosphere.
The hydrosphere also includes the water underground and water vapor in the air.
3 Earth is shaped like a sphere, but it bulges a little at the equator. If you traveled inward toward the center of the Earth, you would pass 4 main layers of the Earth. Each layer is made up of different materials. The outer layer of the Earth is called the crust. The crust is basically solid rock. The layer under the crust is called the mantle. It is made up of melted rock. Underneath the mantle is a layer called the outer core. It is liquid metal. Inside the outer core is the inner core. The inner core is the center of the Earth. It is made of solid iron and nickel.
4 The Earth and its moon both move, but they move in different ways. The Earth revolves around the sun. The moon revolves around the Earth. Both the Earth and the moon also rotate like a spinning ball around an imaginary line called an axis. The Earth makes one complete rotation around its axis every 24 hours. The axis of the Earth runs from the North Pole to the South Pole and also runs at a slight tilt. One rotation of the
Earth takes one day. When one half of the Earth is facing the sun, that half is experiencing daytime and the other half is experiencing nighttime. Therefore, the Earth’s rotation gives us night and day. When we see what appears to be the sun moving across the sky, it is really the rotation of the Earth we notice. The sun has not moved at all. It takes one full year for the Earth to orbit, or revolve around, the sun. As the Earth moves around the sun, we go through the four seasons of the year. Since the Earth is tilted along its axis, only part of the Earth tilts toward the sun as the Earth travels around it. The tilt of the Earth as it travels around the sun gives us our four seasons. During the part of the year when the
Northern Hemisphere is leaning toward the sun, the northern half of the Earth is experiencing summer and the southern half is experiencing winter. As the Earth moves around the sun, the seasons in the northern half of the Earth change from summer to fall and then to winter. During winter the Northern Hemisphere tilts away from the sun. At this time the other half of the world is having their summer. As the Earth continues to revolve around the sun, the seasons in the Northern Hemisphere change from winter to spring and then back to summer.
5 It takes the moon about 29 days to completely orbit the Earth. As the moon travels around the Earth, the shape of the moon looks different. Sometimes the moon looks like a round circle of light in the nighttime sky. At other times, it has a thin, crescent shape. The moon itself does not really change shape. It is always shaped like a ball. What changes is

the part of the moon that the sun is shining on. The different ways the moon looks from the Earth are called the phases of the moon. When the moon cannot be seen from the
Earth because we cannot see the re flection of the sun’s light, the phase is called a new moon. As the moon travels around the Earth, we can see a little more of the light. A few days after a new moon, the moon looks like a half circle. This phase is called the first quarter. A few days after that, we can see the moon as a full circle of reflected light. This phase is called a full moon. After about another seven days, we can see another half circle of reflected light. This phase is called the third or last quarter. This entire process is known as the lunar cycle.
6 Since both the Earth and the moon move, sometimes the Earth is directly between the sun and the moon and sometimes the moon is directly between the sun and the Earth.
When this happens, an eclipse often occurs. An eclipse happens when one object casts a shadow on another object in space. When the Earth casts a shadow on the moon, it is called a lunar eclipse. When the moon casts a shadow on the Earth, it is called a solar eclipse. A person should never look directly at an eclipse. This may result in damage to a person’s eyes. You should always protect your sight during an eclipse.
7 As you know, the gravitational pull of the Earth keeps the moon in orbit around the
Earth. The moon, just like any mass, has a gravitational pull of its own. The moon’s gravity pulling on the Earth causes the water in the ocean to be pulled upward when it is nearer to the moon. The ocean water away from the moon falls at this same time. The rise and fall of the ocean water is known as the tide. Each day, the beach will have a high tide, a low tide, another high tide, and another low tide. So the moon does have some influence on things that happen on the Earth!
8 There are many other differences between the Earth and the moon than those mentioned earlier. As stated before, the Earth is home to living organisms, plants and animals. The moon cannot support life. Rocks are found on both the Earth and the moon however. Unlike the moon, there is water on the Earth. The Earth has an atmosphere and the moon does not. The gravitational pull on the Earth is much stronger than on the moon.
Therefore, objects weigh more on the Earth than on the moon.
9 Both the Earth and moon are fascinating places. We can learn a lot by studying the characteristics of the Earth as well as the characteristics of the moon. Even though they are very different places, there are many things that tie the Earth and the moon together and make both places a little more interesting for the humans that observe them.

Final Test
9 The pocket of air that surrounds the
Earth is called the –
A lithosphere
B atmosphere
C hydrosphere
D core
10 Which shows a list of the four layers of the Earth?
A crust, mantle, inner core, outer core
B crust, mantle, rock, metal
C crust, core, center, water
D solid rock, melted rock, boiling water,
Ice
11 About how long does it take the
Earth to rotate on its axis?
A One day
B One week
C One month
D One year
12 Night and day are caused by the –
A sun revolving around the Earth
B Earth’s rotation on its axis
C Earth revolving around the sun
D moon revolving around the Earth
13 About how long is the lunar cycle?
A One day
B One week
C One month
D One year
14 Which shows the correct order in the changes of the phases of the moon?
A Full moon, new moon, first quarter,
third quarter
B New moon, full moon, first quarter,
third quarter
C New moon, first quarter, full moon,
third quarter
D New moon, first quarter, third quarter,
full moon
15 What causes the rise and fall of the tides?
A The pull of the moon’s gravity
B The movement of the sun
C The magnetic force of the poles
D Heavy rainstorms
16 About how often does the rise of the tides occur?
A Twice per day
B One per week
C Twice per month
D One per year
17 Both the Earth and moon have –
A plants
B animals
C rocks
D water
18 Objects weigh less on the moon because –
A there is more gravity on the moon
B there is less gravity on the moon
C there is no gravity on the moon
D the moon does not move
19 Why does the moon appear to shine?
A The moon reflects light from the sun.
B There are many fires on the moon.
C The moon produces its own light.
D Humans have put large lamps on the
moon.

Concept Practice Vocabulary Questions
8 What does the word lithosphere mean in paragraph 2?
A The rocky surface of the Earth
B The air surrounding the Earth
C All the water on the Earth
D Melted rock underneath the Earth
9 What does the word atmosphere mean in paragraph 2?
A All the rocks that cover the Earth’s
surface
B The air surrounding the Earth
C The water on the surface of the Earth
D The core of the Earth
10 The word hydrosphere in paragraph
2 means –
A vegetation covering the surface of the
Earth
B all the water on the Earth’s surface
C the pocket of air that surrounds the
Earth
D the molten rock on the Earth’s surface
11 What does the word axis mean in paragraph 4?
A A tilted planet
B A line drawn on the surface of the
Earth by a large machine
C An imaginary line that passes from
the North Pole to the South Pole
through the center of the Earth
D The direction the Earth leans toward
the sun
12 The word rotation in paragraph 4 means –
A the spinning of a planet or moon on
its axis
B the orbit of a planet around a sun
C a force of gravity pulling a moon
toward a planet
D moving quickly in a circle around an
Object
13 Which word in paragraph 4 helps the reader to know what the word orbit means?
A full
B around
C seasons
D tilts
14 What does the word tide mean in paragraph 7?
A The rise and fall of the ocean’s
shoreline caused by the gravitational
pull of the moon
B A way that the ocean water cleans the
coastline
C The difference between the deepest
part of the ocean and the shallowest
D A large wave that crashes into a
beach

Earth Science
Characteristics of the Earth and the Moon
Essential Vocabulary lithosphere: the rocky surface of the Earth atmosphere: the pocket of air that surrounds the Earth hydrosphere: all the water on the surface of the Earth and
underground, including ice and water vapor axis: an imaginary line running from the North Pole to the South
Pole through the center of the Earth rotation: the spinning of a planet or moon on its axis revolution: a complete trip around the sun orbit: the path one object takes around another object in space tide: the rise and fall of the water level of the ocean near the
shore that is caused by the pull of gravity of the moon

Earth Science Name___________
Characteristics of the Earth and the Moon
Concept Practice
1) List the Four layers of the Earth and what each is made up of.
2) The oxygen we breath is found in the pocket of air that surrounds the Earth called the –
3) What causes night and day?
4) What causes the four seasons?
5) What are the four phases of the moon?
6) How long does it take the Earth to rotate once on its axis?
7) About how long is the lunar cycle?

Earth Science Name___________
Characteristics of the Earth and the Moon
Final Test
A
B
1) Janice was planning on making a diagram to represents the phases of the moon. Which of the following diagrams best represents a full moon?
D
C
2) An object weighs 30 grams on Earth.
Which of the following would be true about the object’s weight on the moon?
A It would weigh the same.
B It would weigh more.
C It would weigh less.
D The weight of the object could not
be determined while on the moon.
3) About how long does it take the Earth to make one rotation on its axis?
A One day
B One week
C One month
D One year
4) Which of the following is found on both the Earth and the moon?
A Plants
B Rocks
C Animals
D Water
5) When the northern half of the Earth is tilted toward the sun, the people who live in the Northern Hemisphere are experiencing –
A summer
B winter
C fall
D spring
6) When the Earth casts a shadow onto the moon it is known as a –
A lunar eclipse
B solar eclipse
C sunspot
D gravitational pull
7) Which of the following helps to cause the tides?
A Heat from the sun
B The moon’s gravitational pull
C Migrating whales
D Strong winds
8) Which of the following takes about one year to complete?
A One rotation of the Earth on its axis
B One lunar cycle
C The rise and fall of the tides
D One revolution of the Earth around
the sun

Final Test
(Circle one)
20 21 22 23 24
A Last Quarter A Waxing A Waxing A Waxing A Waxing
B First Quarter B Waning B Waning B Waning B Waning
Use these words to answer the questions below
25. The Rocky Surface of the Earth
26. The rise and fall of the water level of the ocean near the shore that is caused by the pull of gravity of the moon
27. The path one object takes around another object in space
28. The spinning of a planet or moon on its axis
29. An imaginary line running form the North Pole to the South
Pole through the center of the Earth
30. All the water on the surface of the Earth and underground, including ice and water vapor
31. The pocket of air that surrounds the Earth
A Mantle C Inner core
B Crust D Outer Core

32
33
34
35