Emphasize that models are critical tools for planetary scientists trying to understand phenomena too distant to experience directly. Tell students (in teams or pairs) that in this activity they will build models of the atmospheres of Earth and the other planets.Discuss the "Goldilocks Principle" and how the Earth has just the right amount of greenhouse gases to keep Earth just the right temperature for living organisms.Ask students "Why do you think living organisms thrive on Earth but not on Venus or Mars?".Refer to background section and to Tables 1 and 2 found in the Tables Section below. Discuss greenhouse gases and the greenhouse effect.Note: Younger grades might enjoy the model construction but may have difficulty translating the abstract model into an understanding of the real atmospheres. Depending on the math skills of your students, you may need to help them with adjusting percentages to represent the proper number of beans. For example,Earth's atmosphere consists of 78% nitrogen therefore, 78 out of the 100 jellybeans are one color.If you are unable to provide 300 jellybeans, you can use a smaller number and adjust the proportions. Teacher provides each team of students with a total of 300 jellybeans (100 for each planet).Use Table 1 (below) to determine how many jellybeans of each color for each of the three planets.Teacher hands out three small, re-sealable bags to each pair or team of students.Colored jellybeans, cotton balls or different colored beans (or similar materials) to represent different gases in the atmosphere of each planet.Students will be able to explain the "Goldilocks Principle" and understand that Earth's moderate temperature is due primarily to its unique atmosphere.Students will understand that Earth's two closest neighbors, Venus and Mars, have very different atmospheres than the Earth.Students will understand the scope and importance of the greenhouse effect on Earth. In this activity, students learn about the atmospheric differences between the three "sister" planets (Venus, Earth, and Mars) by developing and using models of the atmospheric compositions of the three planets.
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