Layers of the Atmosphere

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

Pretend the earth is surrounded by a giant protective bubble.

This bubble protects the animals, plants, and people that live on the earth from harmful rays from the sun and helps keep the earth cool.

The earth's protective bubble is called the atmosphere. In this lesson, you will learn all about the layers of the atmosphere.

You and all the other living things on the earth live in the troposphere. The troposphere extends from the ground all the way up to about six miles into the air. Planes and jets fly through the troposphere. Weather also forms in the troposphere.

Above the troposphere is the stratosphere. The stratosphere extends up to twenty miles above the earth's surface. The stratosphere contains the ozone layer. The ozone layer protects all living things from harmful rays that come from the sun.

Above the stratosphere is the mesosphere. The protective mesosphere extends over thirty miles from the earth's surface. The mesosphere is very cold because the air is much thinner in this layer of the atmosphere.

The thermosphere is above the mesosphere. The thermosphere is a very hot layer that extends over two hundred miles above the earth's surface. This layer catches most of the sun's rays.

The final layer is the exosphere. The exosphere extends above the earth by over two hundred fifty miles.

Take a look at the diagram below and try to read the name of each layer of the atmosphere. 

After reading each layer aloud, move on to the Got It? section.