Earth Model Lab Lesson
Plan
Objective
The student will be able to demonstrate the relative thickness of crust and
atmosphere relative to Earth’s other layers.
Indiana Standards
6.3.7 Understand and describe the scales involved in characterizing the Earth and
its atmosphere. Describe that the Earth is mostly tock, that three-fourths of its
surface is covered by a relatively thin layer of water, and that the entire planet is
surrounded by a relatively thin blanket of air.
Materials
Bakers Clay
 Triple Beam Balance
 1 cup flour
 Bakers Clay
 2 tsp cream of tartar
 Fishing Line
 1 cup water
 Metric Ruler
 0.5 cup of salt
 1 tsp oil
 Food coloring
Mix all ingredients in pan over medium heat until
a ball is formed. Store in a plastic bag.
Engage
Using the data from the overhead, can you calculate how many times thicker the
crust is than the mantle?
Introduce idea of normalizing data. Discuss similarity to the idea of scale in the
solar system.
Exploration
1. Have students move to lab stations and read construction procedure.
2. Demonstrate the procedure of making weighing and rolling the play-do
3. Have students begin by making the 2g inner core.
a. Check students work
4. If students have correctly measured and created the inner core then instruct them
to continue with the Earth’s remaining layers.
5. Have students complete analysis procedures 1 – 7
Explanation
Elaboration
Begin with questions about the relative thickness of Earth’s crust. Reinforce the
idea that the crust is very thin relative to Earth’s other layers; however, it is the
crust that is home to humans. Extend this to a discussion of the atmosphere. How
thick is the atmosphere relative to the Earth’s crust?
Evaluation
Complete the answers to the three questions at the end of the handout. All
questions should be on the student’s lab report (see below).
Earth Model Project
The Earth's structure, scale and our place on it can be difficult to comprehend. Today we
will use baker's clay to create a physical model of the planet. We will also use the idea of
normalized data.
At times it is difficult to visualize the relationships among numbers if they are in an
inconvenient form. The data table on the left contains a list of measurements. This raw
data can be converted into a form that is easier to understand by dividing all the
measurements by the value of the smallest (as shown in the second table on the right).
This process is called normalizing the data. Now it is easier to see the third measurement
is 19 times larger than the first measurement.
Raw Data (mm)
Raw Data (mm) Divided by = Normalized data
0.0625
0.0625
0.0625
1
0.125
0.125
0.0625
2
1.1875
1.1875
0.0625
19
0.875
0.875
0.0625
14
a. Triple-beam balance b. Baker's clay (see Materials Table)
d. Metric Ruler
c. Fishing line
Materials:
Layer
Actual Width
(km)
Actual Volume
(x 109 km3)
Mass of clay in
model (g)
Inner core
1216
7.5
2
Outer core
2270
170
46
Mantle
2885
906
242
Crust
5 to 40
21
6
Atmosphere
10-20
10
3
Construction Procedure:
1.
2.
3.
4.
We will assemble the Earth model one layer at a time, starting with the inner core.
Obtain a small amount of the clay for the inner core. The color is your choice.
Using a triple-beam balance, measure out exactly 2 grams.
Return the remainder.
5. Roll the clay into a sphere.
6. For each subsequent layer, follow this process:
a. Obtain a small amount of the appropriate clay.
b. Using a triple-beam balance, measure out the exact amount.
c. Return the remainder.
d. Carefully mold the clay into an even layer around your Earth model.
Analysis Procedure:
1. When finished, measure the mass of your Earth model and record here
_________________.
2. Measure the circumference of your Earth model and record here
_________________.
3. Use a sawing motion with a taut length of fishing line to saw through the Earth
model.
4. Measure and record the thickness of the layers in your Earth model. You may
have to estimate what the average thickness is if the model is not uniform.
5. Present both halves of your Earth model to the instructor.
6. Calculate the normalized thickness of the Earth's layers.
7. Calculate the normalized thickness of the layers of the baker's clay model. Include
a sample calculation here:
Data:
Layer
Clay color
used
Actual
layer
width
(km)
Inner core
1216
Outer core
2270
Mantle
2885
Crust
25
Atmosphere
15
Actual layer Layer thickness
width
of model
(normalized) (measured in cm)
Analysis:
1. What was the biggest problem making the model?
Layer
thickness of
model
(normalized)
2. How has your perception of the thickness of the Earth's crust changed from doing
this lab
3. How has your perception of the thickness of the Earth’s atmosphere changed from
doing this lab?
Why is normalizing your data useful?