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6th grade The layers of the air worksheet

6 printable versionsBuilding Confidence10 questions · answer keyFree · no account

Level: Building Confidence · On Level · Challenge Me

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The layers of the air

Grade 6 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. Read this first

    Use this

    Cross-section of the atmosphere, not to scale.

  3. Ari labels the cross-section. Layer A starts at the ground. Which layer is A?

    • The exosphere
    • The mesosphere
    • The troposphere
    • The stratosphere

  4. Layer C sits just above layer B. Which layer does Bo write for C?

    Use the picture in question 1.

    • The thermosphere
    • The troposphere
    • The mesosphere
    • The stratosphere

  5. Layer D runs from about 80 to 85 km up to about 500 to 1,000 km. Which layer is D, Esme?

    Use the picture in question 1.

    • The troposphere
    • The mesosphere
    • The exosphere
    • The thermosphere

  6. Using the temperature strip, what happens to temperature as you climb through layer A, Jun?

    Use the picture in question 1.

    • It falls
    • It rises
    • It stays the same

  7. Using the strip, what happens to temperature as you climb through layer B, Kira?

    Use the picture in question 1.

    • It rises
    • It stays the same
    • It falls, as in layer A

  8. In which two layers does the strip show temperature rising with height, Luz?

    Use the picture in question 1.

    • Layers C and E
    • No layer: it falls the whole way up
    • Layers B and D
    • Layers A and C

  9. Rain, snow and thunderstorms are all weather. In which layer does almost all weather happen, Milo?

    Use the picture in question 1.

    • Troposphere (layer A)
    • Stratosphere (layer B)
    • Mesosphere (layer C)
    • Exosphere (layer E)

  10. The ozone layer absorbs much of the Sun's ultraviolet light. Which layer holds it, Noah?

    Use the picture in question 1.

    • Mesosphere (layer C)
    • Thermosphere (layer D)
    • Stratosphere (layer B)
    • Troposphere (layer A)

  11. Ren needs the word for the layer of gases that surrounds Earth. Which word is it?

    • Ozone
    • Atmosphere
    • Crust
    • Hydrosphere

  12. Where is the air thickest, with the most air packed into each liter, Tala?

    • In the middle of layer C
    • Near the ground
    • The same at each height
    • At the top of layer E
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6th grade The layers of the air worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

The layers of the air. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can name the five layers in order from the ground up.
  • I can read how temperature changes with height: falls, rises, falls, rises.
  • I can say where weather, the ozone layer, meteors and the space station are, and explain why the air is thinner higher up.

Standard: none (IXL parity)

Words to know

atmosphere: The blanket of gases around Earth

troposphere: The lowest layer, where we live and almost all weather happens

stratosphere: The next layer up, holding the ozone layer; it warms with height

mesosphere: The middle layer, where most meteors burn up; coldest near its top

thermosphere: A very thin, very hot layer where the space station orbits

exosphere: The outermost layer, fading into space

Common mistakes

Your child mixed up the order of the air's layers. From the ground up: troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere. Try a made-up sentence with the first letters, T-S-M-T-E.

Your child expected the air to get colder all the way up. It cools through the troposphere, then warms in the stratosphere, cools in the mesosphere and warms in the thermosphere. Try tracing the zigzag on a drawing together.

Your child put something in the wrong layer. Weather is in the troposphere, the ozone layer in the stratosphere, most meteors burn up in the mesosphere, and the space station orbits in the thermosphere.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with the layers of the air?

Your child mixed up the order of the air's layers. From the ground up: troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere. Try a made-up sentence with the first letters, T-S-M-T-E.

Are these 6th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

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