Sixteen facts in a fact bank fill a four-by-four table on this 5th grade science sheet about Earth's layers. For the crust, mantle, outer core and inner core, students record what it is made of, whether it is solid or liquid, how thick it is and how hot it gets. Page 2 asks four questions that use the finished table, including why the inner core stays solid at about 5,200°C. The answer key repeats the table and gives a full sentence for each question.
“Describe each layer of the Earth by what it is made of, whether it is solid or liquid, how thick it is and how hot it is.”
The page 1 table covers all four layers across all four properties.
“Compare layers using the data in a table.”
Questions 1, 3 and 4 on page 2 use the temperature, thickness and made-of columns.
“Explain why a very hot layer can still be solid.”
Question 2 expects the answer that pressure from the layers above squeezes the inner core.
A fact bank of 16 entries, such as iron and nickel (used twice) and about 2,200 km, goes into a grid. Each layer has a row, and the columns are made of, solid or liquid, thickness and temperature.
Four questions that draw on the table: the hottest layer, why the inner core is solid even though it is so hot, the thinnest layer and the two metals in the core. Each has dotted lines for the answer.
The completed table and a sentence for each question, including the high-pressure reason the inner core cannot melt.
Reading a table
Ask students to underline the units before they place anything. Kilometers go with thickness and degrees Celsius go with temperature, which sorts out several of the 16 facts at once.
Pressure demonstration
Question 2 deserves a class talk. Squeeze a ball of modeling clay in a fist before students write, so pressure packing material together has a picture behind it.
Test review
Have students fill the table from memory with the fact bank folded away, then check it against the bank. The gaps show which layers need another look.
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