WOSAT Earth Science By Lou Young

This lesson was presented to a high school class of 16 students who have cognitive disabilities The concept taught is Earth’s layers The standards are:

Day 1 Pre-assessment: –Write the words layers, crust mantle and core on the board. –Have students write everything they know about these words. 10 minutes –Have students come to the board and write what they have written under each word. 10 minutes –Allow students to read and discuss what was written. 5 minutes –Divide students in groups of 2 and have them look up each word and come up with a descriptive definition of each 5 minutes –Have each group share what they have with the other groups and discuss definitions. 15 minutes

Day 2 Lab –Apples –Knife –Cardboard squares Purpose –Describe the layers of the Earth –Compare and contrast the layers of the Earth Procedures: introduction to the Earth’s Layer 15 min. –The core is the center of the Earth. The core is dense. It is divided into the inner and the outer core. The inner core is solid iron and nickel, surrounded by the outer core made of liquid iron and nickel. The core is about 3, 500km thick. –Outside the core is the mantle. The mantle is made of liquid and solid rock that moves and churns. The mantle is about 2,900km thick.

Day 2 cont’d –The crust is the outermost layer of the Earth. This is the layer of the Earth that we live on. The curst is very thin and much colder than the mantle and the core. The crust is between 8 and 70km thick. The continents and ocean floors are part of the crust. The thickest part of the crust is found below large mountain ranges. Explain procedure of lab: 3 minutes –Divide the class into groups of 2 –Explain that each group will get 1 apple and 1 knife –They will be making a model of the Earth’s layers using the 3 layers of the apple –They will remove the crust –Then the mantle –The core will be left

Day 2 cont’d Pass out 1 apple and 1 knife to each group (monitor knives). 2 min. Student Procedures: 15 min –1 student from each group cut their apple in half –Have each group document what they see –Compare apple’s layers to the Earth’s layers –Contrast the differences in layers, including size and texture –Compare findings of apple layers to the layers of the Earth Pass out one apple to each group. 15 min. –1 student will remove the skin of the apple, being careful not to cut themselves. Place skin to the side –Then 1 student will separate heart and the core of the apple –Students will compare the thickness of each layer –Students will write a conclusion that compare and contrast layers of the Earth using the model made from the apple

Day 3: Lab Purpose: students will be able to explain and describe the movement of the Earth’s mantle. Assessment of layers of the Earth: 5 minutes –Picking students at random, ask What are the 3 layers of the Earth? What is the core made of? What is the mantle made of? Which layer is the thickest? Which layer is the thinnest? Which layer do we live on? Introduction: 5 min The Earth’s mantle is made of rock and liquid. Because the mantle sits between the hot core and cool crust the rock and liquid is in constant movement. The core heats the liquid and rock and then the hot rock moves toward the crust. When the rock nears the crust it is cooled and the rock moves back down toward the core.

Day 3 cont’d Materials: Vegetable soup Sauce pan Spoon Can opener Procedure: 15 min. –Divide students into groups of 2 –Give each group a can of soup, sauce pan, and spoon –Have 1 person from each open the can –Pour the soup in the sauce pan –Place on heat source –Use spoon to stir soup as it heats –Bring soup to boil –Stop stirring –Observe what happens

Day 3 cont’d Conclusion: 15 min. Have students describe what they observed. Explain to students what they are describing is how the rock in mantle is moved. As the vegetables got hot they moved to the surface of the pan. They then cooled and sunk back to the bottom. Clean up: 5 min. Final Assessment: –List and describe the layers of the Earth –Compare and contrast the inner core and the outer core. –Explain the movement of the mantle –Draw and label a model of the Earth’s layers.