EARTH AND LIFE SCIENCE

GRADE 11 – SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Name of Learner _____________________________________Grade______ ________

Section ____________________________________________ Date_________________

THE AMAZING PLANET EARTH

Learning Activity Sheet
Week 1

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
This classic photograph of the Earth was taken on
Dec. 7, 1972, by the crew of Apollo 17. View of the Earth
as seen by the Apollo 17 crew traveling toward the moon.
This translunar coast photograph extends from the
Mediterranean Sea area to the Antarctica south polar ice cap.
This is the first time the Apollo trajectory made it possible to
photograph the south polar ice cap.

Planet Earth: It’s properties to support life.

The Earth is the only planet circling our sun on which life as we know it could (and
does) exist. A brief glance at the Earth and all other known planets finds many startling
contrasts. The Earth as a planet consists mostly of iron, oxygen, sulfur, silicon, magnesium,
and nickel (total, 98%), with the other two percent consisting of about a hundred other
elements. Like no other planet, ours is covered with green vegetation, blue-green seas,
streams, rivers, mountains, and deserts which produce a spectacular variety of color and
texture—all other known planets are covered with lifeless soil which varies only according
to slight movements made by wind or mild air currents. Completely barren, the surface of
most planets is totally in contrast to the Earth's with its blue lakes, green oceans, huge land
masses and 500,000 islands. Even from a distance, its colors are quite lively—bright
greens, blues and whites—whereas the surface of all other known planets are rather dull.

Composition
Earth is the densest major body in the solar system at 5.52 grams per cubic inch.
It's composed of 34.6 percent iron, 29.5 percent oxygen, 15.2 percent silicon, 12.7
percent magnesium, 2.4 percent nickel, 1.9 percent sulfur and 0.05 percent titanium.

Solar System Placement

Earth is positioned within the "habitable zone" of the solar system at 92,957,130
miles, making Earth unique within this solar system. This zone is defined as the distance
from the sun where water can be found in solid and liquid form. If Earth were in Mercury
or Venus' position, its atmosphere and water would evaporate. If Earth were pushed out
to the position of Mars or further out near the gas giants, it would be too cold to sustain
liquid water or life.
Dimensions
Around the equator, Earth is 7,926 miles in diameter and 24,902 miles in
circumference. From pole to pole or along the Meridional axis, Earth is slightly smaller
at a diameter of 7,899 miles and with a 24,860-mile circumference. This is due to the
Earth's rotation, which causes the Earth to bulge at the equator and flatten at the poles,
creating a shape called an oblate spheroid.

Rotational Properties
Earth leans on a 23.5-degree angle from vertical, rotating on that axis once every
24 hours at 1,000 miles per hour.

Surface Properties
Earth's surface is covered with 71 percent water. This liquid water is essential
for life and is also responsible for the erosion experienced on Earth's land masses. The
effects of erosion and tectonic plate movement have rendered Earth's surface younger
than the actual age of the planet by about 500,000,000 million years. In other words, the
Earth is believed to be 4.5 to 4.6 billion years old; however, the oldest known rocks are
four billion years old, with rocks older than three billion years being rare.

Earth's Layers
Earth's layers comprise five unique zones called the crust, upper mantle,
transition region, lower mantle and the core. The crust reaches down 24 miles and is
composed primarily of quartz. The upper mantle, where 4.043 of the Earth's 5.52 gram
per cubic centimeter mass is held, is 224 miles thick and is composed of olivene and
pyroxene (iron/magnesium silicates). The transition zone is 250 miles thick and is the
region where liquid magma begins to harden while subducted mantle rock melts into
magma. At 403 miles below the surface, the lower mantel is composed of mostly silicon,
magnesium and oxygen with trace amounts of iron, calcium and aluminum. Found at a
depth of 2,167 miles, the core is composed of iron with some nickel and is the source of
Earth's magnetic field due to its churning.

So what makes planet Earth so special……….

If evolution works to evolve life to fit the existing environments, why has it not
equally conquered all of the environments here and elsewhere? Earth is far better suited
for life than any other planet, yet most of the environments even here, are either too hot
or too cold, too far underground or too far above ground to support much life. In the
several thousands of miles of changing environments from the center of the Earth to the
edge of its atmosphere, there are only a few feet of habitable environment, and therefore
almost all creatures are forced to live there. Although only the Earth was made to be
inhabited in our solar system, even on the Earth only a thin slice is ideally suited for life.

The extremely fine line between an environment where life can and cannot exist is
illustrated by the fact that it is estimated that a one-degree temperature change in the
average worldwide temperature would, in time, seriously affect life on the Earth, and a
two-degree temperature change could be disastrous to life. The tolerances are extremely
small, and if there are any other planets in the universe, it is unlikely that any of them
could have life, due to the extremely rigid conditions necessary for life to exist.
 The chances of a planet being just the right size, the proper distance away from
the right star, etc., are extremely minute, even if many stars have planets circling them, as
some speculate. The mathematical odds that all of these and other essential conditions
happened by chance are astronomical—something like billions to one!

LEARNING COMPETENCY AND CODE:

Recognize the uniqueness of Earth, being the only planet in the solar system with
properties necessary to support life.
S11/12ES-Ia-e- 3

ACTIVITY NUMBER 1: YOU SELECT!

Direction: Choose which statements are true or false about the Earth. Circle the letter T for
statements that are true and circle F if the statement is false.

T / F 1. The classic photograph of the Earth was taken on Dec. 7, 1972, by the crew
of Apollo 17.
T / F 2. The Earth is not the only planet circling our sun on which life as we know it
could (and does) exist.
T / F 3. The Earth is the densest major body in the solar system at 5.52 grams per
cubic inch.
T / F 4. If the Earth was pushed out to the position of Mars or further out near the
gas giants, it would be too cold to sustain liquid water or life.
T / F 5. Around the equator, Earth is 7,926 miles in circumference and 24,902 miles
in diameter.
T / F 6. The Earth's surface is covered with 80 percent water.

T / F 7. The Earth is believed to be 4.5 to 4.6 billion years old.

T / F 8. The Earth's layers comprise five unique zones called the crust, upper mantle,
transition region, lower mantle and the core.
T / F 9. The effects of erosion and tectonic plate movement have rendered Earth's
surface younger than the actual age of the planet by about 500,000,000
million years.
T / F 10. Earth is far better suited for life than any other planet, yet most of the
environments even here, are either too hot or too cold, too far underground or
too far above ground to support much life.

ACTIVITY NUMBER 2: SAY WHAT !

Direction: Complete the sentence by filing in the correct word from the choices given to
make the statement accurate.

Sample question : Earth is far better ____________ for life than any other planet.
(appropriate, improper)

Sample answer: Earth is far better appropriate for life than any other planet.

1. The Earth is the only planet ______________ our sun on which life as we know it could
 exist. (orbiting, stopped)

2. The Earth as a planet _____________mostly of iron, oxygen, sulfur, silicon, magnesium

and nickel. (is made, is broken)
3. The Earth’s liquid water is ______________ to sustain life. (dangerous, important)

4. The effects of erosion and tectonic plate movement have _______________ the Earth's
surface to look younger than its’ actual age. (caused, terminated)

5. The Earth’s crust _____________ down 24 miles and is composed primarily of quartz.
(limits, extends)
6. Due to the Earth's rotation, it causes the Earth to _____________ at the equator and
flatten
at the poles, creating a shape called an oblate spheroid. (swell, lack)

7. The Earth is _____________on a 23.5-degree angle from vertical, rotating on that axis
once every 24 hours at 1,000 miles per hour. (tilted, straight)

8. Earth is _____________within the "habitable zone" of the solar system.

(far, placed)

9. The chances of the Earth being just the right size, the proper distance away from the
right
star, etc., are extremely _______________. ( huge, small)

10. If the Earth were in the position of Mercury or Venus, its atmosphere and water would
_____________. (disappear, strengthen)

ACTIVITY NUMBER 3: WHICH IS WHICH?

Directions: From the given sentences, interpret which statement show which properties of
the Earth to support life. You may choose your answer from the words
below.
You may write the words as many times as it is needed.

Solar System Placement Composition Earth’s layers

Rotational Properties Surface Properties Dimensions

________________1. The Earth is made of vital metals which makes it one of the heaviest
planets in the solar system.
________________2. The Earth is not that hot and not that cold it is just right.
________________3. The Earth is close to 8,000 miles in diameter along its equator.
________________4. The ground in which we stand, run and play in made of soil and
rocks.
________________5. The Earth is slanted in its orientation as it goes around the Sun.
________________6. Steel is made of iron and other alloys.
________________7. The Earth has more bodies of water than land masses.
________________8. Plants and other organism need water to survive.
________________9. The Earth is the third planet away from the Sun.
________________10. The Earth’s Gravity is caused by the movement of its’ inner core

ACTIVITY NUMBER 4: WHERE DO YOU BELONG?

Directions: There are words found in each of these 10 boxes. Circle the word that doesn’t
belong with group.

BOX 1 BOX 2
Magnesium Diameter

Titanium Oxygen

Mercury Circumference
BOX 3 BOX 4
Oceans Rivers

Venus Mantle

Continents Core
BOX 5 BOX 6
Mars Sulfur

Earth Nickel

Iron Water
BOX 7 BOX 8
7,976 miles Solar system

4.6 billion years Zones

24, 902 miles Rotation

BOX 9 BOX 10
23.5 degrees angle Meridional axis

24 hours Poles

2,167 miles Cubic inch

ACTIVITY NUMBER 5: DEFEND YOURSELF

Direction: Briefly answer the following questions based from what you have learned from
the background information.

1. How important is liquid water to our survival on planet Earth?

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2. What do you think will happen to humankind if Earth becomes too close to the Sun?
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3. Earth metals like nickel, magnesium and others are considered natural resources of our
planet. What do you think we must do to help conserve them.
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4. What do you think will happen if the liquid in the inner core of our planet suddenly stops
churning or moving?
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5. There are different properties that the Earth has that makes it capable of sustaining life,
if one or two of them are taken away, can life still exist on Earth? Justify your answer.
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ACTIVITY NUMBER 6: NAME YOUR PLANET.

Direction: If you were given the power to create your own planet, how will it look like?
What will you call it? Also, your planet must contain a diversity of living
organisms?
Draw your design in the circle below and compose a brief paragraph on what
must your planet have to make the living things survive.

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REFLECTION:
1. What are the properties of planet earth that makes living things continuously survive?
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2. What should we do to help take care of planet Earth?

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3. Would you agree that planet Earth is the only planet in our solar system capable of
sustain
life? Please your answer further.
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REFERENCES:
https://www.icr.org/article/earth-unique-all-universe/
https://sciencing.com/six-properties-earth-8371705.html
https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/the-blue-marble-the-view-from-apollo-17
https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/bulge?s=t
Answer Key

ACTIVITY NUMBER 1:
1. True
2. False
3. True
4. True
5. False
6. False
7. True
8. True
9. True
10. True

ACTIVITY NUMBER 2:
1. orbiting
2. is made
3. important
4. caused
5. extends
6. swell
7. tilted
8. placed
9. small
10. disappear

ACTIVITY NUMBER 3:
1. Composition
2. Solar system placeement
3. Dimensions
4. Earth’s layers
5. Rotational Properties
6. Composition
7. Surface Properties
8. Surface Properties
9. Solar System Placement
10. Earth’s Layers

ACTIVITY NUMBER 4:
1. Mercury
2. Oxygen
3. Venus
4. Rivers
5. Iron
6. Water
7. 4.6 billion years
8. Zones
9. 2,167 miles
10. Cubic inch

ACTIVITY NUMBER 5
Answer Rubric
3 2 1
points points point
Answered the question Answered the question Answered the question
with complete accuracy of with some accuracy of with a few accuracy of
details. details. details.

Provided a clear logical

presentation of ideas Provided a somewhat clear Provided a few logical
related to the topic. logical presentation of presentation of ideas
ideas related to the topic. related to the topic.

ACTIVITY NUMBER 6
Answer Rubric

3 2 1
points points point
Answered the question Answered the question Answered the question
with complete accuracy of with some accuracy of with a few accuracy of
details. details. details.

Provided a clear logical

presentation of ideas Provided a somewhat clear
related to the topic. logical presentation of
ideas related to the topic.
Created a clear and
accurate visual presentation Created a somewhat clear
/ design related to the topic. and accurate visual
presentation / design
related to the topic.
Provided a few logical
presentation of ideas
related to the topic.
Created a few clear and
accurate visual presentation
/ design related to the topic.

PREPARED BY

FERDINAND J. SORIANO, MPS

Master Teacher I
Francisco G. Nepomuceno Memorial High School
Name of writer