THE SUN INTERACTS
WITH OUR ATMOSPHERE
Short Overview
Activity 1: 4 PICS 1 WORD
Activity 1: 4 PICS 1 WORD
MECHANICS:
1. The class will be arranged into groups.
2. Each group will select a representative for each round, members will
take turns in answering.
3. Rearrange the letters flashed in each slide in order to name each
picture being shown.
4. A group will be given 1 point for every correct answer.
5. The group with the most number of correct answers wins the game.
Activity 1: 4PICS 1 WORD
OTSEAHR
MEP
Activity 1: 4PICS 1 WORD
APTUEEMT
RRE
Activity 1: 4PICS 1 WORD
EGTH
HI
Activity 1: 4PICS 1 WORD
GEERY
N
Question 1:
What is the Earth’s Atmosphere?
source: [Link]
Answer: The layer of air around the Earth.
Question 2:
What forms of energy come from the Sun?
- Light (radiation we see)
- Heat (radiation we feel)
- Ultraviolet rays
- X-rays
Question 3:
How does the Sun affect our weather?
⮚ If the Sun is out/showing, we have good weather.
⮚ The energy from the Sun heats up the atmosphere.
⮚ When the Sun’s energy heats some areas more than others
then the air rises and air from nearby flows in to make a
wind.
Lesson Purpose and Intention
Lesson Purpose and Intention
❖ The lesson is about understanding
more deeply how the atmosphere
reacts to the energy received from the
Sun.
❖ It
builds
Lesson Purpose and Intention
❖ It builds explanations of the gases
and processes that create the
greenhouse effect that is
important for life on Earth.
Lesson Purpose and Intention
❖ The lesson is about establishing
that the Earth has a delicate
energy balance.
❖ The lesson builds
understanding of how the
Sun affects our weather.
Lesson Language Practice
THE SUN INTERACTS WITH OUR ATMOSPHERE
The Sun Interacts with our Atmosphere The Sun is the Earth's primary source of
external energy. Energy from the Sun heats our planet to the point where life can
flourish.
Most of the energy from the Sun is transmitted to the Earth as short-wave radiation
(light and ultra-violet radiation). Because the atmosphere is mostly transparent,
much of the light reaches the Earth’s surface where it is firstly absorbed, converting
to infra-red energy. Much of this infra-red energy is re-radiated into the atmosphere,
heating the gases of the atmosphere.
Some atmospheric gases, including carbon dioxide, ozone, nitrous oxide and water
vapor, are naturally occurring gases that absorb and emit infra-red energy very
effectively. These gases are called greenhouse gases.
THE SUN INTERACTS WITH OUR ATMOSPHERE
The naturally occurring greenhouse gases have a positive effect as they hold just the right amount
of heat in the atmosphere for life to exist, and they allow excess heat to radiate back into space.
This keeps the average temperature of the atmosphere to about 13 degrees Celsius. The
atmospheric warming effect is called the greenhouse effect.
Without the greenhouse effect, the Earth’s surface temperature would be about -23 degrees
Celsius, and life probably could not exist.
The weather we experience on Earth is a direct result of absorbing energy from the Sun. The Sun
heats the Earth’s surface in varying amounts, and this sets up convections current in the
troposphere, producing winds and influencing ocean currents. In the warmer months in both the
northern and southern hemispheres, tremendous storms form (including typhoons, hurricanes, and
cyclones) which is a way the Earth gets rid of excess energy. The weather effects convert heat
energy into kinetic energy (e.g., wind).
Practice Saying the words:
Kinetic Energy
Ultra-violet
radiation
ENERGY
Infrared energy
Practice Saying the words:
Kinetic Energy
Ultra-violet
radiation is the energy that
objects possess due to
the motion.
Invisible rays that form
part of the energy that
comes from the sun. ENERGY
Infrared energy
is a type of radiant energy
that’s invisible to human eyes
but we can feel as heat.
Lesson Activity
MECHANICS:
1. Using the same groups, students will
gather questions in an open area (outside
the classroom).
2. Then they will answer the questions
using the cartolina or manila paper inside
the classroom.
3. After gathering the questions, the group
of students will go back to the classroom.
4. The group students will choose one
member to present their answers in class.
5. They will be given 3 minutes to present
their answers.
Question 1:
What is the main form of energy that is
transmitted from the Sun to the Earth?
Answer: As short-wave radiation (i.e., light and
ultra-violet radiation).
Question 2:
What are some greenhouse gases?
⮚ Carbon dioxide
⮚ Ozone.
⮚ Nitrous oxide.
⮚ Water vapor.
Question 3:
How do naturally occurring greenhouse
gases have a positive effect on the Earth
and our environments?
⮚ They hold just the right amount of heat in the atmosphere, allowing
excess heat to radiate back into space.
⮚ They help keep a healthy balance of heat absorbed and emitted by
the atmosphere.
⮚ They keep the temperature of the atmosphere in a range that allows
life to exist.
Question 1:
What would the Earth’s surface temperature be
without the greenhouse effect?
Answer: About 13 degrees Celsius
Question 2:
What are some weather effects that are caused
by the Earth absorbing energy from the Sun?
Answer: winds, breezes, tremendous storms
(including typhoons, hurricanes, and cyclones)
Question 3:
Complete the following flow chart to show how
the Sun’s energy is responsible for the natural
warming of the Earth’s atmosphere.
Question 3:
Complete the following flow chart to show how
the Sun’s energy is responsible for the natural
warming of the Earth’s atmosphere.
Lesson Conclusion
1. Has the activity helped you to understand more
deeply how the atmosphere reacts to the energy
received from the Sun?
2. What did you enjoy using flow charts to summarize
information?
3. What was hard to do or understand in the lesson?
