Size, Shape and Earth Spheres Learning Activities

This zip file contains several different activities (12 pages of student handouts and a PowerPoint with a total of 14 slides) which can be used to compose a unit to introduce the concept of size, shape and spheres of the earth. The learning objectives and specific contents of this set of materials is listed below. This set of activities is suited for many earth science, environmental science or physical science classes. With teacher guidance, many components in these materials are adaptable to an enriched middle level science curriculum.

All documents are in PowerPoint, word or pdf format to allow you to edit the documents to meet your needs. These documents are well suited for use in distance learning environments. Answer keys for all student activities are provided.

The specific contents of materials in the package are as follows: 

• Size, Shape and Spheres of the Earth Completion Notes (4 pp.)
• PowerPoint to accompany the Completion Notes (14 slides)
• Size, Shape and Spheres of the Earth Worksheet (4 pp.) (30 questions)
• Size, Shape and Spheres of the Earth Quiz (4 pp.) (20 questions)
• Learning Objectives (1 p.)

Learning Objectives

Upon the completion of this unit the student will be able to:

1. explain what GPS is and why it is useful.
2. explain what a model represents and list some examples of models.
3. recognize the earth is a nearly perfect sphere
4. define the term oblate spheroid
5. state three evidences supporting the earth's shape.
6. explain the difference between the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and geosphere.
7. briefly describe the composition of the earth's atmosphere.
8. explain what a pause in our atmosphere is.
9. recognize the hydrosphere covers approximately 70% of the earth's surface.
10. compare and contrast the spheres of the earth in terms of density, phases of matter and approximate thickness.

NGSS Prerequisite for Earth Science

NY Earth Science Core Curriculum

Standard 1 Mathematical Analysis Key Idea 1

Standard 4 Performance Indicator 1.1 i

Terms of Use

Purchase of the product is for classroom use by the purchaser only. It is a violation for individuals, schools, and districts to redistribute or sell this item on the Internet or to other individuals. I do encourage you to use and edit these documents to suit your needs with your own students in distance learning environments.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.