Atmosphere Complete Lesson Plan

Everything you need for an engaging, ready-to-teach unit on Earth’s atmosphere is included in this resource! Students will explore the composition of the atmosphere and its layers, while building skills in critical thinking, collaboration, and scientific modeling. With editable presentations, worksheets, student-choice projects, and assessments, this multiday lesson is comprehensive yet requires minimal prep.

Through differentiated, student-led activities, your middle schoolers stay engaged while you focus on their success.

Essential Questions

• What is the composition of Earth’s atmosphere?

• What are the layers of Earth’s atmosphere?

Why Teachers Love This Lesson

• Differentiated materials to meet the needs of all learners

• Multimodal activities to keep students engaged and learning in different ways

• Maximum flexibility—works digitally or in print

• Editable PowerPoints to customize for your classroom

• Spanish translations of vocabulary, reading passages, and interactive notebook pages

This resource follows the 5E Instructional Model (Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Elaboration, Evaluation), ensuring structure and flexibility for effective science instruction.

What’s Included

Engagement

• Lesson objectives and Word Wall Cards (English & Spanish)

• Teacher file with engaging prompts, discussion ideas, and common misconceptions

Exploration – Student-Led Station Lab
Nine differentiated stations introduce the composition and structure of Earth’s atmosphere in multiple ways:

Input Stations (absorb content)

• Explore It! – Hands-on demo or experiment

• Read It! – Differentiated reading passages (English & Spanish) with comprehension questions

• Research It! – Website-based task with guided questions

• Watch It! – Short video with reflection prompts

Output Stations (show understanding)

• Organize It! – Printable or digital card sorts

• Write It! – Open-ended short-answer responses

• Illustrate It! – Sketches or diagrams of atmospheric layers

• Assess It! – Task cards + vocabulary-in-context activity

Bonus Station – Challenge It!
Fun enrichment activities like crosswords, games, and mini-projects for early finishers

Explanation

• Editable PowerPoints (standard & interactive versions)

• Interactive notebook templates (digital & print, English & Spanish)

• Guided note-taking templates

Elaboration

• Student-choice projects on Earth’s atmosphere to extend learning

Evaluation

• STAAR 2.0–style assessments (standard & modified versions)

• Review worksheet for practice, homework, or class discussion

Flexible for Any Classroom

This lesson is designed for both in-person and virtual learning. Station labs, interactive notebooks, and presentations are fully compatible with Google Slides and PowerPoint.

This is a finished product; it will be updated with formatting or corrections as needed. Future improvements and new features will be sold as a separate product.