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?

20 minutes

Engage

Students will speculate on the forces and processes that cause planetary bodies to change over time.

20 minutes

30 minutes

Explore

Students will explore a model of convection and generate ideas about the ways that the model represents the real world.

30 minutes

30 minutes

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.

30 minutes

30 minutes

Elaborate

Students will engage in readings that elaborate on the different sources of energy on Earth and Europa that cause convection.

30 minutes

40 minutes

Evaluate

Students will update their models from Lesson 1 to include new ideas about convection.

40 minutes