The Depth of the Sky

May is not a calm, still time of year for educators and students. Schedules are filled with testing, field days, celebrations, and grading. It is a challenge to stay focused with all of that swirling around you like a tornado! During these high pressure moments, remember that, above the storm clouds, there is a place where the atmospheric pressure is low, molecules spread out, and the chaos clears. And that is what we are going to explore today.

Science With Depth Activity: Pressure Points

Earth’s atmosphere, extending over one thousand kilometers toward space, is made up of five layers that decrease in density the higher you go. The fascinating part is that about 80% of the mass of the Earth’s atmosphere exists in just the bottom layer! Sounds kind of like the end of year school calendar, doesn’t it?

Pointillism is an art technique that involves using only dots to create an image. The pacing of the dots can give a sense of texture and depth to what is being drawn. In this activity the dots will form words, demonstrate density, and represent emotions.

Inviting your students to explore the space, depth, and density of the layers of the atmosphere through the lens of their emotions can help them form a deeper connection to these abstract concepts. And by creating a model of the Earth’s atmosphere using pointillism, they will end up with a beautiful composition revealing their understanding of science, math, art, and emotions. Let’s dive in!

Materials:

• Long strips of paper

• Colored pencils, markers, crayons

• Ruler

Steps:

• Cut out one meter long strips of paper for each student.

• Measure and label each layer using the ruler (Scale: 1cm = 1km).

• Research and note the density and relative spacing of molecules for each layer.

• Choose some words describing what is keeping you busy right now (testing, celebrations, etc.)

• Draw those words using pointillism in the troposphere.

• Fill in the space around them with a dense swarm of dots.

• Use the pointillism technique to show the density decreasing as the layers go through the stratosphere to the mesosphere and beyond until you have only a few dots at the top of your model.

• After students complete their individual 1-meter models, collaborate as a class to create one reach for the stars strip. This single, long piece of paper represents the remainder of the Thermosphere and the Exosphere. Tape it to the top of the classroom wall or let it run down the hallway to show just how vast the sky truly is compared to our 'stormy' bottom layer! 

NOTE: This interactive layers of the atmosphere resource is a great place for your students to get the information they need for this activity and to learn more about the natural and man-made objects found in each layer of the atmosphere: https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/whats-in-the-atmosphere/ )

Reflection Questions:

• How does pointillism relate to density?

• How does the model of the atmosphere help you understand your emotions at this moment?

Differentiation:

• Give younger students the heights of each layer. Older students can research and find this on their own.

• Younger students can show a general, gradual decrease in dots per layer. Older students can be more precise with the number of dots.

• Displaying the Pressure Point projects in a hallway can also provide a kinetic demonstration of the dynamics of the layers of the atmosphere: the top of the paper doesn’t move when people walk past, but the bottom will flap and rustle.

NGSS Connection:

This activity leverages the Cross Cutting Concepts of Scale, Proportion, and Quantity to give students a unique view of the immensity of the atmosphere and the density changes within the layers. It also serves as a reminder that the “storms” we are living in are actually part of a much larger and more stable system.

Benthic Buzz:

I would love to see the Pressure Point models your students create! Did your students flow from stressed to calm as they dotted their way through the layers of the atmosphere? Send pictures of your atmospheric art and reflections to holly@sciencewithdepth.com. Let’s celebrate the depths that lie above us!