LESSON

EARTH as a Unique Planet

1

PRE-ACTIVITY

Activity # 1: The Unique Earth

Using the graphic organizer below, you have to list down some of the characteristic our planet Earth
has that you think makes it unique among any other planets in the Solar System.

LESSON PROPER

Our Earth is the only place in the universe that can support life. It is a modest-sized planet
that orbits an average-sized star, the sun. Life on Earth is ubiquitous; it is found in boiling mud pots
and hot springs, in the deep oceans and even under the Antarctic ice sheets. Many continental areas are too
steep, too high, or too cold for humans to inhabit. Yet, Earth is so hospitable to life. Here comes our first point
when we start counting why the earth is called a unique planet.

Although scientists have discovered some evidence of basic requirements for life such as water,
organic molecules, amino acids on other planets like Mars, Saturn’s, Titan, etc., as of now, only our planet has
witnessed the existence of life.

What Makes Life Possible on Unique Planet Earth?

 Many factors made life possible on the earth, making it a special planet. Below are the components that
make the earth a unique planet of the solar system –

 Earth has water

Water is the basic need for living organisms to survive. Earth is the only planet that has life on it, and
water content is one of the significant reasons. Water content not only makes the life possible on the earth but
also makes it a unique planet of the solar system. 

Water covers approximately 70% of the earth’s surface, and the rest 30% is available in the form of
land for a terrestrial life form. This is the reason the earth is known as the blue planet as it looks blue from the
space due to the presence of water bodies.

 Energy sources on Earth

Energy is another vital need to survive on earth. The primary source of energy for us is sunlight. This
energy flows from one organism to another in different ways. For example – the plants use sunlight to make
food. The herbivores feed these plants to fulfill their food requirement, and then carnivores consume these
herbivores. Apart from sunlight, there are many other sources of energy available on earth like wind energy,
geothermal energy, hydroelectric energy, etc.

 Plate Tectonics only available on Earth

It is the only specialty of our planet. Plate Tectonics is very important to have life on a planet, and so
the earth has it. The shell of the earth is broken up into constantly moving plates; this is known as plate
tectonics.

The tectonic plates are floating on magma present within the earth’s crust. When the collision occurs
between two tectonic plates, then one plate bends and slides under the other, causing new crust formation like
mountains.

Plate tectonics plays a vital role in recycling it. For example – carbon dioxide absorbs the sun’s heat to
keep our planet warm. Carbon dioxide is closely associated with the rocks goes inside the earth’s crust and
melt. Eventually, this carbon dioxide again releases back to the atmosphere through volcanic eruptions.

 Earth is rich in minerals

Earth is a treasure of various minerals. These minerals are an essential part of our life. The earth’s core
has most of the iron content. Approximately 88% of the earth’s core is only iron. 

We get these minerals from the earth’s womb by the process called extraction. If we divide our planet
into stacks of material, we will majorly get iron approximately 32.1% iron and 30.1% oxygen, 15.1% silicon,
13.9% magnesium, etc. Apart from this, the earth also contains aluminum, calcium, potassium, feldspar,
bauxite, talc, quartz, cobalt, pyrite, etc.
 Distance from the Sun

It is a blessing to have an ideal distance from the sun. The earth is approximately 149,597,870,700
meters (92.952 million miles) away from the sun.

Earth’s distance from the sun is quite important to have life. This distance helps to maintain the
accurate temperature on the earth. 

 The Earth’s moon

The earth has one moon. The moon plays a vital role in balancing the climate of the planet. It helps to
maintain the steadiness of the earth’s atmosphere. 

Moon helps to prevent unwanted extreme weather conditions on the earth by its stabilizing effect. The
earth’s moon is also responsible for causing tides on the earth’s surface.

 Earth is a big magnet

The molten iron core of the earth creates a magnetic field known as the magnetosphere.
Magnetosphere helps to protect us from harmful cosmic rays of the sun. 

If the planet does not have a magnetic field, the solar wind particles from the sun would have directly
exposed to the earth’s surface. As a result, our planet would have been scorching every time.

The heat at the molten core of the earth generates convection motions of conducting materials that
create electric current protecting us from radiation.

 The atmosphere around the Earth

The earth has its atmosphere that extends up to 10,000 km in the space. However, it is dense up to 50
km from the earth’s surface. Earth’s atmosphere includes five main layers, i.e., Troposphere, Stratosphere,
Mesosphere, Thermosphere, and Exosphere.

Thanks to the ozone layer that prevents us from the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun. The ozone layer
is found in the lower portion of the stratosphere containing a dense concentration of ozone molecules. The
ozone layer found in the stratosphere layer found approximately 20-30 km above the earth’s surface.

 Earth’s movements 

Earth has two types of movements – rotational movement and revolutionary movement. These
movements help us to measure the length of a day and a year.

The rotational movement helps to count the length of a day. The earth rotates on its axis, taking 24
hours completing one rotation. We consider these 24 hours as one complete day.

The revolutionary movement of the earth helps us to measure a year. The earth takes 365.2564 days
to complete one revolution around the sun. We consider these 365 days as one complete year.
 The remaining 0.2564 days will pile up together to make one complete day. We add this one complete
day in February every four years, known as a leap year.

The unique factors of the planet like water, the ozone layer, atmosphere, etc. make the earth as an
essential planet for a life form. Earth has given us everything needed to survive. This is a reason why we
address our planet “Mother Earth.” 

POST ACTIVITY

Activity # 2: Essay

Answer the following questions focusing on the content of our lesson. Write your answers on a
paragraph form with five (5) to six (6) statements per paragraph. Rubrics will be used to assess your essays.

1. What is the significance of understanding the characteristics of the Earth?

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2. Which of the aforementioned unique characteristics of Earth do you like the most and why?
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 RUBRICS for ESSAY WRITING
Criteria & Unsatisfactory Needs Improvement Satisfactory Outstanding
Percentage
1 2 3 4
Content is not Content is comprehensive
comprehensive. Major Content is accurate. and accurate. Major points
Content is incomplete. points are addressed, Major points are stated. are stated clearly and well
Major points are not but not well supported. Responses are stated.
Content
clear. Specific examples Responses are adequate and address Responses are excellent,
and Development
are not used. inadequate or do not topic. timely and address topic.
address topic. Specific examples are Specific examples are
Specific examples do used. Content is clear. used. Content is clear.
not support topic.
Structure of the paper is
Structure of the paper is clear and easy to follow.
Organization and Structure is mostly clear
not easy to follow. Transitions are logical and
structure detract from and easy to follow.
Organization and Transitions need maintain the flow of the
the message. Writing is Transitions are present.
Structure improvements. thought throughout the
disjointed and lacks Conclusion is logical.
Conclusion is missing, or paper. Conclusion in
transition of thoughts.
if provided, does not logical and flows from the
follow form the body of body of the paper.
the paper.
Rules of grammar,
Grammar, Paper contains Paper contains few Rules of grammar, usage,
usage and punctuation
Punctuation, and numerous grammatical, grammatical, spelling and punctuation are
are followed with minor
spelling spelling and punctuation and punctuation errors. followed. spelling is
errors. Spelling is
errors. correct.
correct.

Activity # 3: Think beyond the Pages

In a 1/8 sized Illustration board, create a Poster showing the unique characteristics of the planet Earth.
Upload your output through our Class Group Chat on your FB messenger and label it with the hashtag
#OutputNo.1 and your name. A rubric, which is given below, will be used to assess your output on this activity.

RUBRICS for POSTER MAKING

CATEGORY 5 4 3 2
The poster clearly The poster clearly The poster indirectly The infographics
communicates the communicates some communicates the does not sufficiently
Presentation main idea and of the important ideas communicate any
idea and hardly
strongly promotes and slightly promotes promotes awareness. idea that can promote
awareness. awareness. awareness.
All of the graphics The graphics were
used reflect an Most of the graphics made by the students
Creativity and used reflect student The graphics were
Originality exceptional degree of but were copied from not made by the
student ingenuity in ingenuity in their the designed or ideas
creation. students.
their creation. of other.
All graphics are Most graphics are Some graphics are The graphics are
Accuracy and
accurate and related accurate and related accurate and related neither accurate nor
Relevance
to the topic. to the topic to the topic. related to the topic.
It includes all the Few required
required elements as All required elements Required elements
Required Element elements are
well as additional are included. are missing.
included.
information.