53

Lesson 53 of 84 ยท Plate Tectonics

Experimentโญ 30 XP

Earth's Atmosphere (Part 2)

๐ŸงชLab Brief #53

Plate Tectonics.

๐ŸŽฏ Your mission

Set it up. Test it. Be amazed.

โšก The twist

Nature loves to surprise the careful watcher.

๐Ÿคฏ

Mind = Blown

๐Ÿ”ฌ The more you look, the more nature shows you.

๐Ÿ”ฎ

Make a hypothesis first

Before you start: write down what you think will happen, and why.

What You'll Learn

The atmosphere has several layers. The troposphere (closest to Earth) contains our weather. The stratosphere contains the ozone layer that protects us from harmful ultraviolet radiation.

Key Words

  • watershed
  • erosion
  • weathering

Materials Needed

  • clear container
  • rocks
  • sand
  • clay
  • water
  • plastic tray

Safety First

  • Tie back long hair before starting the experiment.
  • Protect your work surface with newspaper or plastic.
  • Adult supervision recommended.

Steps

Step 1 โ€” Read

Read the introduction and identify the main idea of this lesson.

Step 2 โ€” Do

Create a model of the water cycle in a bowl: place warm water in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, put ice on top, and observe condensation and precipitation.

Step 3 โ€” Observe

Look for patterns in your observations.

Step 4 โ€” Record

Make a graph or chart showing your results.

Check Your Understanding

Question 1

1 of 3

What is the atmosphere?

๐ŸŒ

Where you see this in real life

This shows up in your everyday life more than you'd think.

๐Ÿ†

Stretch Challenge

Try this in real life this week.

Try one experiment in real life this week โ€” even a tiny one.

๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿ‘ง

For the dinner table

โ€œWhat's the most surprising thing you learned today?โ€

๐ŸŽฏ

Next Smart Experiment

We'll pick an experiment that matches exactly how you're thinking right now.

๐ŸŒShare card

Share this experiment

Send it to a parent who's looking for a 10-minute kitchen science win.

๐Ÿ–จ๏ธ

Checkout complete lesson on Plate Tectonics for 6th Grade

Get the full Plate Tectonics track as a printable PDF โ€” all lessons, worksheets, and answer keys.

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