Lesson Plan Title: The Earth
Concept/Topic to Teach: The layers of the Earth.
Standards Addressed: Describe Earth's layers, including inner and outer cores,
mantle, and crust.
Specific Objectives: The students will be able to identify the layers of the earth.
Required Materials: (materials for a class size of 20)
21 apples, 1 knife (teacher use only), Earth PowerPoint created by Celeste
Jackson, vocabulary words on cards (crust, mantle, outer core, and inner core),
index cards, computers, and paper towels
Anticipatory Set (Lead-In): Show the students a hard-boiled egg. Ask the
following questions: Who knows what this is? Raise your hand if you like
to eat these? Carefully cut the egg in half with the shell on it. Show the
students the inside of the egg and tell them that today we will discuss
the layers of the earth and this egg is one representation of the earth.
Later the students will get a chance to name the layers of the earth on
the egg. (This will be based on what they learn from the lesson today.)
Step-By-Step Procedures for Teaching the Lesson:
1.
Introduce vocabulary words one at a time.
2.
Show slide #2 with the word flower on it along with the definition and
do the following.
 Teacher says: This word is crust.
 Teacher says: What word is this? Student reply: crust
 Teacher says: Yes, crust
 Teacher says: The crust is the outermost layer of the earth.
 Teacher says: What is the outermost layer of the earth? Student
reply: the crust
 Teacher says: Yes, the crust is the outermost layer of the earth.
 Teacher says: Class, your turn to read the definition.
 Student replies: The crust is the outermost layer of the earth.
 Teacher says: What word is this again? Student reply: crust
3.
4.
5.
Show slide #3 with the word mantle on it along with the definition and
do the following.
 Teacher says: This word is mantle.
 Teacher says: What word is this? Student reply: mantle
 Teacher says: Yes, mantle
 Teacher says: The mantle is the dense layer made of hot semisolid
rock.
 Teacher says: What is the dense layer made of hot semisolid rock?
Student reply: mantle
 Teacher says: Yes, the mantle is the dense layer made of hot
semisolid rock.
 Teacher says: Class, your turn to read the definition.
 Student replies: The mantle is the dense layer made of hot
semisolid rock.
 Teacher says: What word is this? Student reply: mantle
Show slide #4 with the word outer core on it along with the definition
and do the following.
 Teacher says: This word is outer core
 Teacher says: What word is this? Student reply: outer core
 Teacher says: Yes, outer core
 Teacher says: The outer core is the only liquid layer of the earth.
 Teacher says: What is the only liquid layer of the earth? Student
reply: the outer core
 Teacher says: Yes, the outer core is the only liquid layer of the
earth.
 Teacher says: Class, your turn to read the definition.
 Student replies: The outer core is the only liquid layer of the
earth.
 Teacher says: What word is this? Student reply: outer core
Show slide #5 with the word inner core on it along with the definition
and do the following.
 Teacher says: This word is inner core.
 Teacher says: What word is this? Student reply: inner core
 Teacher says: Yes, inner core
 Teacher says: The inner core is the center of the earth.
6.
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15.
 Teacher says: What is the center of the earth? Student reply:
inner core
 Teacher says: Yes, inner core is the center of the earth.
 Teacher says: Class, your turn to read the definition.
 Student replies: The inner core is the center of the earth.
 Teacher says: What word is this? Student reply: inner core
Display the vocabulary words on the board for future reference in
today’s lesson.
View slide #6 and let the students do cloze reading. (teacher will read
everything except the underlined word, the students will say those
words)
At the end of slide 6, ask the following questions.
*How many rocks is the crust made of? (2)
*What are the names of the rocks? (the granite and basalt)
View slide #7 and let the students with green shirts choral read. (only
students with that color shirt will read)
At the end of slide 7, ask the following questions.
*What is the largest layer of earth called? (mantle)
*What is it composed of? (very hot and dense rocks)
View slide #8 and let the students with white shirts choral read. (only
students with that color shirt will read)
At the end of slide 8, ask the following questions.
*What is the outer core composed of? (melted metal)
*What is the name of the two melted metal? (iron and nickel)
View slide #9 and all students will choral read. (all students will read
together)
At the end of slide 9, ask the following questions.
*How do metals move in the inner core? (they vibrate)
*Why do they vibrate? (the temperature and pressure is so great)
Look at the hard-boiled egg again and discuss the different layers that
could represent the layers of the earth.
Guided Practice/Monitoring:
In this section of the lesson, we will pretend that the apple is the earth
and we will label and discuss the layers of the earth/apple. Teacher
should already have a precut apple color coded with the different layers
labeled.
1. Give each student an apple and a paper towel.
2. Make some observations about the skin of the apple.
3. Ask the students: What layer of the earth does the skin represent?
Student replies: the crust
4. Teacher asks: How do you know that the skin represents the crust?
Student replies: The crust is the outer layer of the earth and the skin
is the outer layer of the apple.
5. Teacher walks around and carefully cuts each apple in half the long
way.
6. Teacher says: I want you to separate both pieces of the apple on your
paper towel.
7. Teacher asks: What is the next layer of the earth? Student replies:
mantle (teacher shows the mantle on the color coded apple toowhite part)
8. Teacher carefully points to all of the white dense part of the apple
and says: This part of the apple represents the mantle. Everyone
point to the mantle of the apple. (teacher monitors to make sure that
everyone has it)
9. Teacher asks: How do we know that this part represents the mantle?
Student replies: The mantle is the dense part of the earth and this is
the dense part of the apple.
10. Teacher asks: What is the next layer of the earth called? Student
replies: the outer core (teacher shows the outer core on the color
coded apple too-blue color)
11.Teacher carefully points to the outer core of the apple and says: This
part of the apple represents the outer core. Teacher says: Everyone
point to the outer core of the apple. ( teacher monitors to make sure
that everyone has it)
12.Teacher asks: What is the center of the earth called? Student replies:
the inner core (teacher shows the inner core on the color coded
apple too-red color)
13.Teacher carefully points to the inner core of the apple and says: This
part of the apple represents the inner core. Teacher says: Everyone
point to the inner core of the apple. (teacher monitors to make sure
that everyone has it)
14.Teacher asks: How do we know that this part represents the inner
core of the apple? Student replies: The inner core is the center of
the earth.
15.Teacher says: The next part of this lesson will consist of you being
divided into five groups of four. You will design a concept map for the
layers of the earth and this will be a grade. I will use the rubric to
determine grades.
16.Follow these steps for the project:
•
Go to the following website on the computers
http://www.bubbl.us/
•
Create a false account for the class as a whole. ( have this done
already)
•
Sign in and click on new sheet and type in layers of the earth in
the first box.(this is the title)
•
Drag four connecting lines and label them. (crust, mantle,
outer and inner core)
•
Drag two more connecting lines under each box and write two
facts about that layer of the earth.
•
When you are done print it out on paper.
Closure (Reflect Anticipatory Set): Conclude the lesson by reviewing the layers of
the earth. Ask the following questions: What is the outer layer of the
earth called? (the crust) What is the dense part of the earth called? (the
mantle) What is the center of the earth called? (the inner core) What is
the third innermost layer of the earth called? (the outer core) Also
inform the students that they will be learning more about the layers of
the earth and the different rocks that make up the earth.
Assessment Based on Objectives:  Using a checklist, the students will be able to
identify the layers of the earth with 80% accuracy.
Adaptations (For Students With Special Needs): I have a student who is classified
as MR (mental retardation). This student is at a functional level and can
copy simple material if a model is present. The student cannot read and
will be given a model of the earth already color coded to manipulate
during the lesson. When observing the apple, the student will also
receive a color coded apple to aid in locating the different layers. This
student will have the opportunity to color code his/her apple like the
example. A Brain Pop video about the layers of the earth will also be
used with this student as a second reinforcement.
Extensions (For Advanced Students): As an extended activity, advanced students
can work in pairs to do further research on the layers of the earth. With
that information, they can create a mock online quiz using Google Docs.
The teacher will put the practice quiz on his/her school webpage so that
the students will have an opportunity to practice.
Possible Connections to Other Subjects: After doing this lesson, we will relate it
back to a reading skill that carries over into every subject. We will compare-and –
contrast the different layers. We will do this by using a venn diagram.
Reflection: In this section the teacher should reflect on how they presented the
lesson. Areas for improvement, areas of strength, successful strategies used and
how they impacted student learner outcomes should be addressed.
*** In every lesson, there must be opportunities for critical/creative thinking, and
fun and interesting student involvement activities. Give enough details in your
plan that any educator can take your written plans and replicate all components
of the lesson. Write it as though another person is going to use it!***