Earth’s Layers Reading Passage and Worksheet

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Students learn about the inside of Earth and how scientists study it.

In this activity, students will:

• READ about the layers inside Earth, including their key elements, temperatures, width, and other features. Students will also learn about the basics of how scientists can study them, including using seismic waves and modeling.
• ANSWER text-dependent questions – no prior knowledge required!

Key Terms Included: crust, tectonic plates, magma, mantle, convection, asthenosphere, lithosphere, inner core, outer core

A Note About the Level of this Article: I have found that Earth’s layers readings are either too elementary or way too advanced for my students. I wrote this for my 7th and 8th grade students studying an NGSS-based curriculum.

NGSS Standards Covered: MS-ESS2-1, MS-ESS2-2

Teacher Notes:

• Answer key provided.
• Please note: This Earth’s layers reading passage is NOT editable.
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Related Standards:

• NGSS MS-ESS2-1: Develop a model to describe the cycling of Earth’s materials and the flow of energy that drives this process.
• NGSS MS-ESS2-2: Construct an explanation based on evidence for how geoscience processes have changed Earth’s surface at varying time and spatial scales.