Earth’s Blanket

In this lesson, you will learn about the atmosphere’s role in keeping Earth warm enough for us (and other organisms) to live here. You will learn about how the Sun heats the Earth and the atmosphere, and you will learn about how the Earth heats the atmosphere too. You will also learn about what it would be like if Earth’s atmosphere was different, and talk about how the changing atmosphere affects climate change. Then, you will get to do your own experiments to see that air can keep things warm, and that air can even help to heat things up.

Related topics and things that you might want to know already:

Earth gets most of its energy (and therefore its heat) from the Sun:

• Earth and Sun

The properties of gases and air:

• Particle Behavior – Solids, Liquids, and Gases
• Force Direction of Solids, Liquids, and Gases
• Air Pressure
• Foundations for the Work of Air

What you’ll learn:

• Earth gives off heat
• Air insulates
• The greenhouse effect
• 3 types of heat transfer: conduction, convection, and radiation

Pre-lesson discussion questions:

• Where does Earth get its heat from?
• How does Earth stay warm?
• What would happen if Earth was warmer?
• What would happen if Earth was cooler?