JASON Mission Center : Mission 2 - Lesson 2: The Structure of the Atmosphere

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From: Monster Storms Mission 2: The Plot Condenses

Mission 2 - Lesson 2: The Structure of the Atmosphere

Understand the molecular structure of air and investigate the structure of the atmosphere.

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Prepare


	Time Required: 60 minutes Set up a projector and computer with an Internet connection to watch the Mission Briefing video. Obtain large sheets of drawing paper and markers for each student. Prepare word prefixes cards as described on page 29 of the teacher’s edition. Create Layers of the Atmosphere and Altitude Graphs transparencies from the JASON Mission Center.

Mission 2 Transparencies

Supporting Material


View	All the transparencies you'll need for Mission 2.

Motivate


	Ask students to recall the work they did on the Inquiry activity in the proceeding lesson. Ask what factors caused the water droplets to appear on the jar. Explain that this simple activity shows relevant properties of the earth’s atmosphere that they will learn about in today’s activities. Ask students to recall the information they leaned about the work done by Robbie Hood.

Teach

Have students read The Plot Condenses on page 28 of the student edition.
Show the Mission Briefing video and ask students to share their thoughts.
Divide students into pairs and have them read the mission briefing article The Physical Structure of Air. Review the material as directed on page 28 of the teacher’s edition.
Ask readers to share questions or comments with the class. Make sure that students understand the molecular difference between solid, liquid, and gas.
Have pairs continue to read the next section, The Physical Structure of the Atmosphere. Ask them to write down the bold face words as they read and write a definition in their own words for each.
Take a few minutes to share the word prefixes as described in the teacher’s edition. Ask students to write the prefixes with their definitions of the words.
Show the Layers of the Earth’s Atmosphere transparency and follow the guidelines for teaching provided on page 29 of the teacher’s edition.
Show the Altitude Graphs transparency as students follow along with the graphs in the student edition. The guided questions on page 30 of the teacher’s edition provide excellent discussion prompts.

The Plot Condenses

Mission Briefing Article


View	Strap in for a mission to explore the dynamics of air and water. During this mission, students learn about the work of NASA scientist Robbie Hood, as she flies into the spiral storm clouds of hurricanes to collect data. Her work is highlighted in this article.

Mission Briefing 2: The Plot Condenses

Video


View	Get background on your mission as you join scientist Robbie Hood and pursue energy through the intricate pathways of the water cycle as it fuels monster storms.

The Physical Structure of Air

Mission Briefing Article


View	Air is all around us, but what exactly is it? Find out about the structure and properties of air as you read this article.

The Physical Structure of the Atmosphere

Mission Briefing Article


View	Learn about the physical structure of our atmosphere and find out how scientists use atmospheric data to predict changes in the weather. Four graphics accompany the information presented.

Reflect And Assess

Assessment


	Have individual students create a scale drawing of the atmosphere as directed in Reinforce: Layers of the Atmosphere on page 29 of the teacher’s edition. The drawings will provide an excellent assessment of the lesson.

Follow-up


	Ask students to investigate the Critical Thinking activity question on page 29 of the teacher’s edition. Ask advanced students to complete the Teaching with Inquiry activity on page 30 of the teacher’s edition.