Lesson Plan in LS 2

Scientific Literacy and Critical Thinking Skills

I. Objectives
At the end of this lesson, the learners will be able to:
a. Identify the layers of Earth’s atmosphere.
b. Describe the heights, temperatures, and pressures of each layer of the
atmosphere.
c. Identify the gases present in the atmosphere.
d. Present information about one of the layers of Earth’s atmosphere.

II. Subject Matter

A. Topic: Earth’s Atmosphere
B. Materials: Projector, Powerpoint presentation, hand outs, activity
sheets/worksheets, video presentation
C. Reference: A & E Modules (LS2)
D. Science Process: Observing, Identifying, Presenting
E. Value: Care for the Atmosphere
F. Philosophy: Progressivism
G. Theories of Education: Constructivism, Experiential Learning, Socio–
Constructivism
H. Integration: Math: Conversion – Miles to Kilometer, Kilometer to Miles

III. Methodology
A. Engage (10 minutes)
1. On the screen, show the pictures: onion, cake, atmosphere, soil
2. Tell students “Think of what all of these pictures have in common.”
3. Give students time to discuss, then listen to what they came up with.

a. Tell students, “They all have layers! Today we are going to talk
about the atmosphere and what is happening in each of its layers.”
b. Ask students “What is the atmosphere?” (gases that surround the
Earth held in place by gravity).
i. show the definition on screen
B. Explore
1. Have students get a piece of paper.
2. Tell students “We are going to watch a brief video. While you watch, write
down each layer of the atmosphere and at least one fact about each layer.”
3. Have students get into pairs.
4. Play the video.
 5. Using their notes to help them, have students create the layers of the
atmosphere.
a. Between the two of them, have them stack 5 of their notebooks,
folders, books, etc on top of one another.
b. Have them explain to their classmates what each book/item
represents which layer of the atmosphere.

6. Then, choose a couple of volunteers to share their stack and explain each
layer of “their atmosphere.”
a. Be sure to correct students if they do not layer their atmosphere
correctly, but reassure them there will be much more practicing throughout the
lesson to get it right.

Theories of Education: Constructivism, Experiential Learning

C. Explain (25 minutes)

1. Pass out the Earth’s Atmosphere handout.
2. Tell students “As we have already learned, the atmosphere is made up of 5
layers.”
a. Ask students “what are the five layers, starting from the Earth’s
surface?” (troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere).
b. Tell students to open their handouts.

3. Layers of the atmosphere:

a. Troposphere - closest layer to the Earth’s surface, 0-12 km in
height. This is where our weather and climate take place because almost all of
the atmosphere's water is found in this layer.
- In this region we do almost all of our activities
- Within this layer we breathe and live
- This is where mountains rise, oceans spread and planes fly
- This is the layer where most clouds lie over us
- Hot air balloons fly in this layer

b. Stratosphere - second layer, 12-70 km in height. The ozone layer is

found here that filters the Sun’s UV rays to allow life to survive on Earth. Jets
fly in this layer to help to avoid the turbulence of weather.
 - A study from The University of Maryland shows that despite the
global ban on CFCs and halons since the Montreal Protocol 1987,
these long-lasting compounds are still abundant in the atmosphere
and take 50 -100 years to go away. (von der Gathen, et.al, 2021).
- Other chemicals emerging as major causes of stratospheric ozone
depletion such as copper-based chemicals –copper compounds are
allowed on organic crops in farming since the 1700s as a major
antifungal agent, however, copper-based fungicides appear to
have atmospheric side effects (Jiao et. Al, 2022).
- Ozone layer is starting to show early signs of recovery in the upper
stratosphere, but ozone in the lower stratosphere continues to
decline for unclear reasons (Volkamer, 2020). When Ozone
pollution interacts chemically with the surface of the oceans, it can
“pull” naturally occurring Iodine up into the atmosphere– iodine
is extremely effective in destroying ozone (Koeing, et.al, 2020).
- Common air pollutants such as diesel exhaust pollutants can
alter floral odours making it harder for pollinating insects to locate
pollen and nectar. Observations revealed there were 62 – 70 % fewer
pollinator visits to the plants located in polluted air. Insect pollination
supports 70% of all crop species including apples, strawberries, and
cocoa rely on it (Ryalls, et.al, 2022).
- A trend towards a rising surface average annual air temperature in the
Northern Hemisphere has been revealed, from 1970s to 2018 it increased
by 0.7˚C (Perevedentsev, et.al, 2019). Sea level along US coastlines will
rise between 10 -12 inches on average above today’s levels by 2050. The
process that contribute to rising seas – such as melting glaciers and ice
sheets as well as complex interactions between ocean, land, and ice – will
affect ocean height (NASA, 2022).

c. Mesosphere (middle) - third layer, 50-80 km in height. Coldest

layer in the atmosphere with extreme temperatures as low as -90℃.
d. Thermosphere - fourth layer, 80-400 km in height. Space shuttles
travel around the earth and the northern lights are seen. i. Write the following
gases on the right side of the illustration. They are found in the first four layers
of the atmosphere: atomic oxygen, molecular oxygen, atomic nitrogen,
molecular nitrogen, helium, and hydrogen.
e. Exosphere - final layer, 400-2000 km in height. It is the barrier
between Earth’s atmosphere and the emptiness of space.
-In this layer atoms and molecules escape into space and the satellites
orbit the Earth.
 - After exploring space for more than 50 years, the region above the
atmosphere of Earth is highly polluted by orbital debris also known as space
junks. Since the dawn of space age, approximately 7000 rockets have been
launched. Orbital debris is a by-product of human activities in space,
analogous to global warming. If nothing is done to prevent its increase, we
could reach a point of no return, just as with global warming, hindering
future missions and the development of future generations (Mullick, et.al,
2019).

4. Tell students “Take a look at the graph in your handout. This illustrates the
layers of the atmosphere as well as the temperatures, height, and pressures at
each layer.

5. Integration: Math – Conversion: Kilometer to Mile, Mile to kilometer

*To convert mile to kilometer, multipy the number by 1.6
*To convert kilometer to mile, divide the number by 1.6
Example:
A. kilometer  Mile B. Mile  Kilometer
formula: N ÷ 1.6 Formula: N x 1.6

Let’s Try This

Convert Kilometer to Mile Convert Mile to Kilometer
160 kilometers 50 miles
 350 kilometers 150 miles
600 kilometers 75 miles

Answers:
Convert Kilometer to Mile
160 kilometers = 100 miles
350 kilometers = 218.75 miles
600 kilometers = 375 miles
Convert Mile to Kilometer
50 miles = 80 kilometers
150 miles = 240 kilometers
75 miles = 120 kilometers

Gas Composition of the Atmosphere:

Atmospheric Pressure:
Air has weight. The pressure of all the air above our heads is the force that pushes air into our
lungs and squeezes oxygen out of it and into our bloodstream. As soon as that pressure
diminishes (such as when we ascend to the high mountain) less air is pushed into our lungs,
hence less oxygen reaches our bloodstream and hypoxiation results.

Theory of Education: Cognitive Psychology

D. Elaborate (20 minutes)

1. Put students into groups.
2. Assign each group one of the layers of the atmosphere.
3. Each group needs to come up with a 30 second commercial/ advertisement
about their layer of the atmosphere, trying to persuade someone to visit their
layer.

4. Their commercial must include:

 a. Accurate information about their layer
b. A catchy slogan about their layer.
c. A visual aid to enhance their commercial.

5. Give all groups one piece of paper to use as their visual aid
a. They can use the paper however they want (drawing a picture,
writing their slogan on it, writing the name of their layer etc).

6. Give students time to brainstorm ideas and practice their pitch.

7. Then, each group can perform their commercial for the class.
8. **After the groups are finished, you can use the visual aids to display on the
wall or in a particular place in the classroom as a reminder of the layers of the
atmosphere.

Theory of Education: Socio-Constructivism

E. Evaluate
Test I.
Direction: Label the following diagram with the layers of the
Atmosphere.

Test II
QUESTIONS:
1. Describe what happens to the temperature from the Stratosphere to the
Mesosphere.
2. In which layer would you find a meteor?
3. As the altitude increases, what happens to the pressure?
4. In terms of temperature and pressure, what can you say about the
troposphere?
Prepared by:
EUNICE ERIKA A. CORENTIN
ALS Teacher