Back to Icy Worlds: Planetary Geology
Icy Worlds – U2, Lesson 2: Planetary Dynamics
In this lesson: Students will begin by using surface images of the Moon, Earth, and Europa to speculate about the forces and processes that change planetary surfaces over time. Then, they will learn about convection through a demonstration and several readings. They will use what they learn to update the model of Europa that they started in Lesson 1 of this unit.
Lesson Level Question: What interior processes cause planets to change over time?
Engage
Students will speculate on the forces and processes that cause planetary bodies to change over time.
Explore
Students will explore a model of convection and generate ideas about the ways that the model represents the real world.
Explain
Students will reflect on what they saw in the demonstration and learned in the last lesson to explain ways that heat can change the surface of a planetary body.
Elaborate
Students will engage in readings that elaborate on the different sources of energy on Earth and Europa that cause convection.
Evaluate
Students will update their models from Lesson 1 to include new ideas about convection.