1. Restless Earth Year 8 Geography
Starter 10 mins– Class discussion - Which of these is most like the Earth?
A tennis ball, apple, orange and an egg.
AIM: To consider that the crust is very thin in relation to the rest of the world, there is a lot of mantle and there is a core in the centre. Therefore an apple or egg best describes it.
Year 8 Geography

2. Learning Objectives To understand the Earth’s structure
To know about the plates that make up the surface of the Earth
Activity 1 (15 mins): Watch video. Go through the layers of the Earth, children fill out the table and label the diagram on the worksheet as we go.

3. 2 million years old 100 million years old 30 million years old
How old is the Earth?
The Earth is…
2 million years old
100 million years old
30 million years old
4600 million years old

4. The layers of the Earth

5. The layers of the Earth The core
The core is mainly made up of iron, mixed with a little nickel.
The temperature is 5500oC in the middle of the core
The outer core is liquid and is 2220 km thick
The inner core is solid and is 1260km thick

6. The layers of the Earth The mantle
The mantle forms about half of the Earth
It is made of heavier rock
The top of the mantle is hard but the rock underneath is hot and soft like soft toffee.
It is 2900km thick and the temperature ranges from oC

7. The layers of the Earth The crust The crust is the layer you live on.
It is a thin layer of rock around the Earth
There are two types of crust:
1. Continental crust (where there is land) which is 30km thick
2. Oceanic crust (under the sea) which is 5km thick

8. Plate tectonics The structure of the Earth is like an egg: The Core
Mantle
Earth’s Crust – which is made up of pieces called tectonic plates
Activity 3 (10 mins) – Introducing plate tectonics

9. Plate tectonics
Introduce the idea of plate boundaries, highlight examples of convergent, divergent and conservative boundaries.
Extension – Kung fu panda song if ahead of time or have as plenary?
The Earth’s surface is made up of pieces called tectonic plates.
Plates are slabs of the lithosphere – Earth’s crust and upper mantle

10. They move because they are dragged along by the powerful convection currents in the soft hot rock in the mantle.
Plate
Plate
Mantle
Mantle
Explaining convection briefly

13. So what have we learnt?
Let’s play…
Plenary (5 mins)

14. Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?
Geography Edition

15. Question 1

16. How many layers of the Earth are there?
B 2
C 3
D 4

17. How many layers of the Earth are there?
B 2
C 3
D 4

18. £100

19. Question 2

20. Which of these is most like the Earth?
A Tennis ball
B Egg
C Apple
D Satsuma

21. Which of these is most like the Earth?
A Tennis ball
B Egg
C Apple
D Satsuma

22. £500

23. Question 4

24. Which is the hottest layer of the Earth?
A Mantle
B Crust
C Inner core
D Outer core

25. Which is the hottest layer of the Earth?
A Mantle
B Crust
C Inner core
D Outer core

26. £1000

27. Question 5

28. What layer do we live on?
A Inner core
B Mantle
C Outer core
D Crust

29. Which layer do we live on?
A Inner core
B Mantle
C Outer core
D Crust

30. £10,000

31. Question 6

32. What are tectonic plates?
A Something we eat our dinner on
B Pieces of the Earth’s crust
C Something you stand on in baseball
D The thing a car licence number is printed on

33. What are tectonic plates?
A Something we eat our dinner on
B Pieces of the Earth’s crust
C Something you stand on in baseball
D The thing a car licence number is printed on

34. £100,000

35. Question 7

36. What tectonic plate do we live on?
A Pacific
B Antartic
C Eurasian
D Nazca

37. What tectonic plate do we live on?
A Pacific
B Anarctic
C Eurasian
D Nazca

38. £1,000,000

39. Wanted; man for hazardous journey. Low wages,
intense heat & pressure, long months of darkness &
constant risks.
Return uncertain.

40. So, some ideas to help you…
Your mission – Homework: Diary Entry of a journey to the centre of the Earth (about 1 side A4)
It might be a mission impossible, but use your imagination.
What would you see on your journey to the centre of the Earth?
What would you take with you?
How would you return?
How would you deal with the heat & pressure?
So, some ideas to help you…