EARTH AND LIFE

SCIENCE
WEEK 1
Origin and
Structure Of
the Earth
(Planet Earth)
 What do you think
are the
characteristics of
the planet Earth
that make it
different from all
the other planets?
Factors that make a planet
habitable
 Earth is the only place in the known universe confirmed to host life
and is the only one known for sure to have liquid water in the
surface. These are reasons why planet earth is a unique one: (1) It
has liquid water; (2) Plate Tectonics; and (3) It has atmosphere that
shelters it from the worst of the sun’s rays.
 Earth is the only planet in the solar system that has a large amount
of liquid water. About 70% of the surface of the Earth is covered by
liquid or frozen water. Because of this, Earth is sometimes called
“blue planet.” Planet Earth is habitable because it has the right
distance from the sun.
 It is kept warm by an insulating atmosphere, and it has the right
chemical ingredients for life including water and carbon.

 It can provide water, oxygen, useful biological products for human, and
has suitable weather and climate. Earth, Venus, and Mars may have
similarities: (1) They all are terrestrial planets, made of solid rocks and
silicates; (2) They all have an atmosphere; (3) They all almost have the
same time to rotate on their axes; (4) Earth and Mars both have water;
(5) They all have carbon dioxide; and (6 All have landforms. Earth,
Venus, and Mars have differences: (1) Venus has no water; (2) Venus
and Mars don’t have oxygen; and (3) Earth has life forms.

  List down ten (10) activities that
you can do to save planet Earth and
Activity identify those activities as a form of
recycling, reducing, or reusing.
Origin and Structure of
the Earth (Subsystem)
Activity
 Read the statement below and answer the question that follows.
 Imagine walking along a rocky coast as a storm blows in from the sea.
The wind whips the ocean into whitecaps, and waves crash onto the
shore. Before you have time to escape, blowing spray has soaked your
clothes. A hard rain begins as you scrambled over the rocks to your car.
During the adventure, you have observed the spheres of the Earth.
Subsystems of the Earth
 Atmosphere – it is the gaseous layer above the Earth’s surface,
primarily composed of 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen. Other gases like
argon, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, and other inert
gases made the remaining 1%. The atmosphere supports life because
animals and oxygen, and plants need both carbon dioxide and oxygen.
In addition, the atmosphere supports life indirectly by regulating
climate. Air acts as both a blanket and a filter, retaining heat at night
and shielding from direct solar radiation during the day.
 Biosphere – the zone of Earth where all forms of life exist:
in the sea, on land, and in water. It is sometimes called as
the large ecosystem. This is the zone that life inhabits.
Biosphere is a very thin layer of the earth’s surface.
 Geosphere – the solid Earth, consisting of the entire
planet from the center of the core to the outer crust. It
includes the core, mantle, and crust of the Earth.
 Hydrosphere – the water part of the Earth which
circulates among oceans, continents, glaciers, and
atmosphere. Oceans cover 71% of the Earth and contain
97.5% of its water.
 Earth is a complex system made up of many smaller systems through
which matter and energy are continuously cycled. Energy and matter
flow through Earth’s spheres: geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and
biosphere. Energy flows through the atmosphere mostly by convection.
 The Earth consists of four subsystems, across whose boundaries matter
and energy flows, the atmosphere (air), biosphere (living things),
hydrosphere (water), and geosphere (land). The atmosphere provides
the geosphere with heat and energy needed for rock breakdown and
erosion. The biosphere receives gases, heat, and sunlight (energy) from
the atmosphere. It receives water from the hydrosphere and a living
medium from the geosphere.
How does the four subsystem of the
Earth connect with each other?
Minerals
 Minerals are the building blocks of rocks. Mineralogists use
the criteria to determine whether a material is classified as
a mineral or not.
 Characteristics of Minerals
1. naturally occurring- a product of Earth’s natural processes
2. inorganic- it must be product of Earth’s physical processes.
3. homogeneous solid- minerals should have definite volume
and rigid shape
4. definite chemical composition—represented by a chemical
formula
5. orderly crystalline structure- atoms of minerals are
arranged in an orderly and repeating pattern
Understanding Science Words
Activity
Prepare a list of minerals based on the
Mohs Scale of Hardness and identify some
products that make use of these minerals .
Activity
 Assume you are a mineralogist that discovered a
new type of mineral. To inform not only the academe
but also the common people, you are then tasked to
make an infographic that will state its
characteristics, properties, and significance (whether
economic, health and scientific). Present these
important data through a concept map.
 POST-
ASSESSMENT
1. Why is Earth called the “living planet?”
A. It has life mechanism.
B. It has water and atmosphere.
C. It has carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
D. It has atmosphere that supports oxygen.
2. Which must be provided for an organism to survive in
planet Earth?
E. right amount of sunlight and atmosphere
F. right amount of water and carbon
G. Only A
H. Both A and B
3. Planet Earth is considered as “blue planet.” Which of the following best
describes the surface of planet Earth?
A. Earth has atmosphere.
B. Earth has lots of volcano.
C. Earth is covered with red dust.
D. Earth has mostly water on the surface.
4. What is the reason why Earth is different from other planets in the solar
system?
E. Earth is mostly covered in water.
F. Earth has comfortable distance from the sun.
G. Earth has carbon dioxide on its atmosphere.
H. It has approximately same size as that of Venus.
 5. Which of the following best describes planet Earth?
A. It has gases.
B. It has rocky core.
C. It supports life.
D. It supports other planet.
6. An example of a connection between atmosphere and hydrosphere is
______.
A. lakes B. rain C. rivers D. rocks
7. From the given choices, which is an example of a connection between
biosphere connecting to atmosphere?
E. Animals eat plants.
F. Animals drink water.
G. Animals lie in caves.
H. Plants produce oxygen.
8. Which among the choices clearly gives an example of connection
between hydrosphere and geosphere?
A. boats transporting goods
B. B. fish swimming in water
C. water evaporating to make clouds
D. waves eroding rocks on beach
9. All living things, including land and sea made up the Earth. Which term
best described the statement?
E. geosphere B. ozone layer C. atmosphere D. biosphere
10. Which interaction will take place if nitrogen is returned to the soil
when dead plants decompose?
F. biosphere and atmosphere
G. geosphere and atmosphere
H. biosphere and geosphere
11. Pyrite is a yellowish mineral that looks like gold and is commonly
called fool’s gold. What is the property of mineral exhibited by pyrite
wherein it reflects light and with metallic look?
A. Color B. Hardness C. Luster D. Streak
12. Quartz can break other than along planes of cleavage. What is the
property of mineral that show this characteristic?
A. Cleavage B. Fracture C. Hardness D. Tenacity
13. Some minerals like mica has surfaces with planes of weak bonds in
the crystals. Thus, its crystals can be peeled like layers of onion. What
is the property exhibited by mica?
A. Cleavage B. Fracture C. Hardness D. Tenacity
14. Which property refers to the resistance of mineral to scratching?
A. Cleavage B. Fracture C. Hardness D. Luster
15.What are the building blocks of rocks and it is mostly found in the
geosphere? A. minerals B. soil C. ore D. elements