Earth's Atmosphere
Videos
Grades3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8Chemistry, Earth and Space Sciences
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Provided by Scholastic
What it is
- In this StudyJam from Scholastic, students will learn about the layers in Earth's atmosphere and how they are different from each other.
- Students will watch a video, then take a quiz to test their knowledge.
Teaching tips
Positives
- The dialogue in this video is conversational, which can help keep students engaged.
- Words on the screen drive home the most important parts of the video.
Prerequisites
- Students should understand Earth's place in our solar system.
- Please review the Scientist notes, which highlight that the video oversimplifies the content somewhat, so you should let students know there are other gases in the atmsophere such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, argon, and others.
Differentiation & Implementation
- While watching, students can draw a diagram of the atmosphere, adding notes for each layer.
- To make connections to climate change, teachers can introduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and their impact on the climate. This activity may be helpful for introducing the gases.
- Teachers can make climate connections and connections to social studies by highlighting the ozone layer and discussing the Montreal Protocol. This video may be useful.
- Teachers can use the quiz as a pre- and post-assessment.
From the scientist review
This research includes a video and a short quiz about the layers of the atmosphere. Students will learn what the five layers are and some basic facts about each. Some information has been simplified for easier understanding. In the section about the troposphere, the video states that it is composed of two important gases: nitrogen and oxygen. This is accurate but could be confusing since other gases are present in the atmosphere, especially if students are already familiar with weather and climate concepts. Nitrogen and oxygen constitute the largest percentage of gases (78% and 21%, respectively) and are the most important; however, others, such as argon, water vapor, and carbon dioxide, are also often mentioned when discussing the composition of the atmosphere. The information presented is accurate, and this resource is recommended for teaching.
Ready to use it?
Hosted on studyjams.scholastic.com
Want this to fit your class?
Add your location for local examples, questions, and action ideas.
