Scale Model Earth
Scale Model Earth
Materials: 1.5 m x 1.5 m piece of butcher paper (butcher paper is about 1 meter
wide. You will need to cut a piece in half and glue to another to get these
dimensions)
Procedures:
1. Discuss the introduction on the lab sheet.
2. Describe where materials are located.
3. Demonstrate how a pencil and string can be used for a compass.
4. Emphasis that the layers of Earth are additive. Each level of thickness must
be measured from the previous one, NOT from the center each time.
5. If you would like students to do some research, do not give them the
information on the 3rd table on the student sheet. This information is probably
available in their books or if you have computers, this website is a good one:
http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/vwlessons/lessons/Earths_layers/Earths_la
yers1.html
6. Students can display their work on the walls of your room and you can quickly
discuss the merits of each or have student groups report.
Scoring guide:
Materials:
1.5 x 1.5 piece of butcher paper, 1 meter string, metric rulers, markers.
Procedures:
1. To make a scale model, every part of the object being modeled needs to be
“shrunk” mathematically. This is done by dividing every part by the same
number. To make our model, the shrinking factor is 1: 60,000,000. Earth will be
60 million times smaller in our model than in real life. In the metric system, our
conversion factor will be 60 km on Earth = 1 cm on our model.
2. Start by dividing the numbers of the real Earth on the data table below by 60.
Put that number in the column for thickness on the model.
3. Find the center of your large piece of paper. Put a dot there. Tie a pencil to
your string. Measure the thickness you calculated for the inner core on your
paper, starting from the dot. Use the string like a compass and hold it on the
center and rotate the pencil in a circle the correct size around it.
4. Continue making circles; remember to draw each time from the center but add
the thickness of each layer to the layer before it.
5. Add the surface features last.
6. When you are done, label each layer by name and write it’s density, phase
and composition on it.
7. Answer the analysis questions when you are done.
Data:
Layers of Earth
Analysis questions
2. If you saw Earth from outer space, how smooth would it appear?
3. How much of Earth would you see looking out a space shuttle window?
6. Earth was a molten (liquid) ball of rock when it formed. Why did some
elements sink to the center?
Conclusion: