Content Area Mini-Lesson

Grade Level and Content Area: 6th Grade Science

Content Area Objective: The students will be able to build a model to illustrate the
structural layers of Earth, including the inner core, outer core, mantle, crust,
asthenosphere, and lithosphere.
Brief Background Information:
The very center of the Earth is the core, which is mostly iron and nickel.
The inner core is solid and measures 1,516 miles in diameter.
The mantle is a solid and rocky layer.
The mantle layer consists of more than 82 percent of the entire volume of
the Earth.
The mantle is 1,800 miles deep.
The mantle makes up about 85% of the Earths weight.
The Lithosphere consists of all the crust and the topmost part of the
mantle.
Lithosphere is therefore a very hard, rocky covering and it is not very hot
as compare to other layers.
The Asthenosphere is located under the lithosphere.
The Asthenosphere is a soft and very weak layer as compared to the
other layers.
The crust of the Earth is made of granite and other solid rock. Sand, soil
and crushed rock sit atop the crust.
The crust ranges in depth of 3 to 43 miles.
The outer core is a liquid layer.
Content Area Vocabulary & Instructional Approach: A visual of Earth and its layers will
be displayed on the wall with every layer displayed and labeled with the definition. I will
pass out a worksheet with the definitions and a picture example that the students will
keep in their journals so they have the information available to them at all times as a
reference source.
Asthenosphere
Lithosphere
Crust
Mantle
Inner core
Outer core

Text: Just the Facts: Earth and Space Science by Jennifer Linrud Sinsel

Comprehension Strategies:
Before Reading: Create a K-W-L Chart to see what the student already know
about Earths layers, what they want to know about earth layers.
K

Earth has 5 Layers.

How does each layer

relate with the others?

During Reading: QuestioningtheTextw/ThinkAloud

While reading out loud to my students, I would stop throughout the book and ask
questions that I have previously written down on a sticky note that is placed on the page
next to the text.

After Reading: Students will create a Visual representation to get a further understanding
of the text and having some hands on work. The students will use their knowledge of the
earths layers and build a model of the Earth made out of Playdough.

Assessments:

Vocabulary Instructional Approach: I will observe the students as we go over the

vocabulary terms that are displayed on the graph and in their notes. I will also
check their journals to see if they have added any additional information and/or
questions about the content to ensure that the students have a working knowledge
of the lesson and vocabulary terms.
Before Reading: I will have each student turn in their K-W-L chart to see their
base knowledge on the subject is and what they would like to learn in this lesson.
This will give me a better understanding of how much information I need cover
during the lesson.
During Reading: I will observe the students when I am reading the text and when
I ask them the questions I had made out for them.
After Reading: at the end of the lesson I will call each student back to my desk
and have them show me their Earth. I will ask each student a question about the
earths layers. This will show me what I need to re-teach and what the students
really learned.