Composition of Earth’s Atmosphere
Overview
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What is it about the Earth’s atmosphere that makes Earth habitable?
In this lesson, students become NASA junior atmospheric chemists and explore the
composition of Earth’s atmospheric gases through scientific inquiry. As students work
collaboratively changing the levels of atmospheric gases, they make and test hypotheses
to discover the atmospheric conditions that make Earth habitable and what changes
would make the earth uninhabitable.
This is an excellent, engaging lesson that will give students a solid foundation for future
lessons about greenhouse gases in our atmosphere and/or biogeochemical cycles in
ecosystems.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Astrobiology Institute
(NAI) developed ASTROVENTURE. NASA established the Astrobiology Institute in
1998 as an innovative way to develop the field of astrobiology and provide a scientific
framework for flight missions. Astrobiology is the study of the origins, evolution,
distribution, and future of life in the universe.
Lesson Concept:
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The Earth’s atmosphere has an ozone layer and the necessary amounts of carbon dioxide,
oxygen, nitrogen, and liquid water to make life possible.
CA 6th Grade Science Standards:
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5.0 Organisms in ecosystems exchange energy and nutrients among themselves and with
the environment.
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5b. Over time, matter is transferred from one organism to others in the food web, and
between organisms and the physical environment.
NGSS Alignment:
MS-ESS3-5. Ask questions to clarify evidence of the factors that have caused the rise in global
temperatures over the past century. [Clarification Statement: Examples of factors include human
activities (such as fossil fuel combustion, cement production, and agricultural activity) and natural
processes (such as changes in incoming solar radiation or volcanic activity). Examples of evidence
can include tables, graphs, and maps of global and regional temperatures, atmospheric levels of
CyberQUEST TechQuest Lesson: Astro-Venture (last updated 09/15/2015)
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gases such as carbon dioxide and methane, and the rates of human activities. Emphasis is on the
major role that human activities play in causing the rise in global temperatures.]
Through Astroventure (and its extension activities), students learn about greenhouse gases including
CO2, methane, and hydro-carbons in general and how they absorb heat and affect global
temperatures. Astroventure is a great, engaging learning opportunity to begin learning about the
rising global temperatures.
Crosscutting Concepts: Cause and Effect, Stability and Change
Science Practices: Using models, Constructing explanations
ISTE Standards
 Creativity and Innovation
Use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues
 Research and Information Fluency:
Plan strategies to guide inquiry
 Digital Citizenship
Exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning,
and productivity.
Cyberinfrastructure Tools:
http://astroventure.arc.nasa.gov/atmosphere/training/index.html
Lesson Activities
ENGAGE (30 minutes)
This warm up activity takes place the day before or prior to the
ASTROVENTURE web page Exploration:
Teacher Does
Student Does
(5 minutes) Teacher asks: What is it about
the Earth that makes life (on Earth)
possible?
Teacher directs students to Pair/Share with
their elbow partners.
Student pairs discuss: What is about the earth
that makes life possible? (5 minutes.)
(10 minutes.) Teacher asks table groups to
discuss and make a list of their ideas.
Table groups discuss and make a list of their
ideas. (7 minutes.)
(15 minutes.) Teacher asks Table groups to
share “Novel Ideas” style (First table group
reads entire list- teacher records their ideas
on Chart paper or using Wall Wisher and
computer projector. The next table group
shares any ideas on their list not already
Table Groups share their pair’s discussion and
make a table list of their best ideas to answer the
prompt. (7 minutes.)
Table Groups share their lists with whole class.
(13 minutes.)
CyberQUEST TechQuest Lesson: Astro-Venture (last updated 09/15/2015)
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recorded. Continue until all table groups
have shared.)
Teacher Charts the responses.
EXPLORE (Two, 50 minute sessions)
We suggest two sessions with the ASTROVENTURE simulation so that students do not rush
through the simulation. Taking good notes and using the resources within the simulationwriting in the Astro Journal, reading the What Scientist Say and the Astro-Facts and making
notes in their own Journal-Note Taking guide.
Teacher Does
Student Does
(5 minutes.) Using the chart created in the
Engage, the Teacher asks:
What is it about Earth’s atmosphere that
makes life possible?
How could a change in its atmosphere
affect life?
Teacher will call on a few students to get
general comments.
Students view chart and respond to the second
question, “How could a change in its atmosphere
affect life?” (5 minutes.)
(3 minutes.) Distribute ASTROVENTURE
Journal Note Taking Guide and explain
how the notetaking guide should be used
(Project with Document camera or on
overhead projector.)
Students view and discuss the Journal Note
Taking Guide. (3 minutes.)
(5 minutes, or as needed.) Provide access to Students arrange themselves at computer
the computers (It is desirable that students
stations or desks in order to be able to share a
pairs each work with one computer to
computer. (5 minutes, or as needed.)
foster collaboration between the students.)
(7 minutes.)
Direct students to the ASTROVENTURE
web site. Allow students to view and read
the introduction and explore the site for
five minutes. **Teacher should
demonstrate how to Enlarge-ZOOM- the
size of the webpage screen to provide
students a better-sized visual found in the
View section of the File Toolbar.
Students go to the ASTROVENTURE Website.
They view and read the introduction and explore
the site for five minutes. (7 minutes.)
(10 minutes.) Teacher selects one of the
gas/elements on ASTROVENTURE and
Students observe how to take notes in their
Journal Note Taking Guide from the webpage.
Students can enlarge the image on their
computers.
CyberQUEST TechQuest Lesson: Astro-Venture (last updated 09/15/2015)
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demonstrates how to type notes into the
website Astro-journal and how to copy
notes onto the paper Journal Note Taking
Guide.
Point out What the Scientist Say feature
(helps provide correct notes and the AstroFacts with more information.)
(5 minutes.)
(20 minutes.)
Ask students to begin their exploration of
the ASTROVENTURE activity.
Teacher should circulate among students to
spot check that students are carefully taking
notes and accessing all the resources in the
simulation.
Student pairs explore the activity and take notes
in their Journal Note Taking Guide of their
observations and scientific explanations. (20
minutes.)
SECOND DAY WITH THE SIMULATION
Ask students to continue the simulation
activity completing their Journal Note
Taking Guide notes. (30 minutes)
Students to continue the simulation activity
completing their Journal Note Taking Guide
notes. (30 minutes)
(Have students log off or lower lid on
laptops.)
Students log off or close lids to laptops.)
Teacher asks table groups what they have
found from exploring the website.
(20 minutes.)
Students use notes from Journal Note Taking
Guide to explain what they found out through
the exploration. (20 minutes.)
Ask for specific information relating to the
most advantageous levels of the five
elements
Note: Students should respond with answers that
relate to Water Vapor, Carbon dioxide, Ozone,
Oxygen and Nitrogen.
Ask students what conclusions they can
draw about life on earth from their
discoveries using the simulation.
Chart the student responses.
EXPLAIN (60 Minutes)
Teacher Does
Student Does
Teacher will prompt the students to reengage their recently acquired knowledge
Individual students write one page reflection s to
explain the importance of the atmospheric gases
CyberQUEST TechQuest Lesson: Astro-Venture (last updated 09/15/2015)
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about the atmosphere and what role the
balance of elements plays in making the
Earth habitable. (This could be an
opportunity for students to practice word
processing if computers are available or it
could be a handwritten assignment.)
(60 minutes.)
(elements) to sustain life on Earth and what role
the balance of gasses plays in making the Earth
habitable. (60 minutes.)
EXTEND
Teacher Does
Student Does
As time permits, teachers may want to use the following EXTEND activities. See the Extend
Lesson Activities document posted in the Support Video Links, Web links, etc., section of the
Lesson for complete details and directions. It is recommended the activities be done in the
order shown below.
Activity 1:
Teacher led demonstration with a lamp to
demonstrate the relationship between light
and heat.
Activity 1:
Students investigate the relationship between
light and heat in a teacher-led demonstration,
and they learn academic vocabulary: visible
photons, infrared photons, radiation.
Activity 2:
Teacher has students go to
http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/gree
nhouse
to observe how visible light from the Sun
heats the Earth’s surface.
Activity 2:
Students use an interactive web site to
investigate how the light (visible photons) from
the Sun heats the Earth’s surface and the
atmosphere. They also predict which gases
absorb heat (infrared photons) and be able to test
out their hypotheses
Activity 3:
Teacher has students go to
http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/gree
nhouse
to do more investigations related to heating
of the Earth from Sun light.
Activity 3:
Students use the interactive website to observe
visible photons from the Sun and the infrared
photons from the Earth’s surface and record the
temperature in a chart.
Then they predict what will happen to the
temperature if a “glass pane” was placed above
the Earth. They continue to investigate the
relationship between glass panes and heat. They
can see visually how the glass panes trap the
infrared photons.
Activity 4:
Teacher has students go to
Activity 4:
Students continue on the same website to
CyberQUEST TechQuest Lesson: Astro-Venture (last updated 09/15/2015)
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http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/gree
nhouse
to study the effects of greenhouse gasses on
the earth’s temperature.
investigate the effects of greenhouse gases on
the Earth’s temperature. Here they make the
connections between the previous activities and
the greenhouse effect.
Activity 5:
Teacher provides a lab for students to be
able to compare how the temperature of a
planet with greenhouse gases compares to
one without greenhouse gases
Activity 5:
Students conduct a science experiment about
how the temperature of a planet with greenhouse
gases compares to one without greenhouse
gases.
They make a model of how greenhouse gases
work with a glass jars. They use thermometers
or SPARK probes.
EVALUATE
Teacher Does
Student Does
Final Day of this Lesson- Time may vary based on the approach to using web based
presentation tools.
(40 Minutes)Teacher provides this prompt
to the students:
Now that you know how the Earth’s
atmosphere makes life possible, describe at
least two changes to Earth’s atmosphere
that would make Earth uninhabitable.
Explain why the changes would make it
uninhabitable
(20 Minutes.) Teacher asks student groups
to present their response to the prompt to
the whole class.
Students in pairs or triads respond to prompt on
chart paper or using one of the presentation
formats suggested by the lesson authors:
Popplet
Pixie
PowerPoint
Students will use their Journal Note Taking
Guides and the two charts developed in the
Engage and Explore activities prepare their
presentation.
Student audience views presentations by student
groups. Students ask questions and reflect on
ideas presented by each group.
Teacher Contributors:
June Richards, Kay O'Hanlon, Linda Schultz, Tim Bennett
CyberQUEST TechQuest Lesson: Astro-Venture (last updated 09/15/2015)
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