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Layers of the Earth Worksheets

8 free PDFsUS Letter PDFsAnswer key includedNo login

A labeled diagram of the crust, mantle, outer core and inner core, label and cut and paste pages, a chart, a reading passage and a model to make.

Download the layers of the earth worksheets

Layers diagram

Labeled, to label, and cut and paste.

Learn more

A chart, a reading passage and riddles.

Model and words

Make a model and practice the vocabulary.

  • Preview of the printable “Make a model of the Earth's layers (Activity Page)” worksheet: designing and explaining a model of the Earth's layersView larger

    Make a model of the Earth's layers (Activity Page)

    Designing and explaining a model of the Earth's layers

    US LetterPDFA4PDF

    1 page29 KB

Print at 100% (actual size) for the cleanest tracing lines.

About these layers of the earth worksheets

If you could cut the Earth in half, you would see four layers. The thin, rocky crust is where we live. Below it is the thick mantle of hot rock that flows very slowly. Then comes the liquid metal outer core and, at the very center, the solid inner core of iron and nickel.

These layers of the Earth worksheets include a labeled diagram, a page to label with a word bank and a cut and paste twin. A chart compares the thickness and temperature of each layer, a reading passage explains how scientists learn about Earth's insides from earthquake waves, and riddles, a vocabulary page and a make-a-model activity round out the topic.

Every page is black and white, prints on US Letter or A4, and every page with right answers has an answer key on page 2.

Standards

  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.7Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.1Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.4Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area.

How to use them

  1. Cut a hard-boiled egg or a peach in half: shell or skin (crust), white or flesh (mantle), yolk or pit (core).
  2. Use the labeled diagram, then the label or cut and paste page.
  3. Read the chart with a calculator handy for the comparisons.
  4. Finish with the model activity.

Teaching tips

  • The crust is much thinner than it looks on most diagrams. Ours says so in a note.
  • The mantle is solid rock, but it is so hot that it flows very slowly over millions of years.
  • The inner core is hotter than the outer core but stays solid because of enormous pressure.
  • Distances are rounded: about 4,000 miles to the center.

Questions teachers and parents ask

What are the four layers of the Earth?

From the outside in: the crust, the mantle, the outer core and the inner core.

Which layer is the thickest?

The mantle, at about 1,800 miles thick.

How do scientists know about the layers?

No one has drilled through the crust. Scientists study how earthquake waves bend, speed up and slow down as they travel through the planet.

Is there a blank layers of the Earth diagram?

Yes. The label page has a word bank, and the cut and paste page has the words to glue in. Both have answer keys.