Alarmingly Simple Layers of the Sun Lesson Plan Using Stations

Featured in this blog: This layers of the sun lesson plan is perfect for the busy teacher! Featuring 6 stations with QR codes, students will love this activity!

Teaching about the layers of the Sun can be a cosmic adventure, and I’m here to share some pointers to make your lesson a shining success.

Beginning Your Layers of the Sun Lesson

Encouraging Questions: Fostering Curiosity

As you immerse your students in the grandeur of the Sun, invite questions and curiosity. Encourage them to wonder aloud about the Sun’s composition, the reason for its shining brilliance, and how it sustains life on Earth. A simple “What if the Sun went on vacation?” scenario can prompt imaginative inquiries, creating an atmosphere of active learning.

By laying this solar foundation, you’re not just preparing your students for the layers ahead but igniting a celestial spark that will fuel their curiosity about the wonders of the universe.

I’m a middle school Science teacher and TPT author. My goal is to share useful resources to make your life easier.

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Layers of the Sun Lesson Background

First, the sun is made up of primarily two gases, hydrogen and helium. There is no actual known surface to stand on, since it is just an enormous pile of gases held together by a disgusting amount of gravity that would crush us like a bug if we attempted to go to the sun.

Why is the sun so darn hot? It is because of a process called nuclear fusion in the center of the sun. In the sun’s core, the immense pressure actually forces hydrogen atoms to fuse together and form helium. This results in an enormous explosion of light energy! Since the sun is so dense, that light energy continues to bounce around inside the sun, sometimes taking thousands of years until it makes its way out of the sun and into the solar system.

Fun fact: Once the sun’s light makes it to the surface, it only takes 8.3 minutes to reach us 93 million miles away on Earth!

What are the 6 Layers of the Sun?

Since we just finished learning about nuclear fusion, let’s start at the center of the sun and work outward.

Core – This is where hydrogen atoms are mashed together to form helium, resulting in nuclear fusion. This layer of the sun is around 27 million degrees F°! The energy produced in the core will begin to move outward towards the next layer.

Radiative zone – The energy produced in the core moves towards the radiative zone, but this zone is extremely dense. Light must fight to get through it to the next layer.

Convective zone – Named because of the convection currents that occur here, this area has warmer gases rising and cooler gases falling.

Photosphere – The former three layers make up the interior part of the sun. The photosphere is the part of the sun you can see, or the “surface” of the sun. Remember, the sun doesn’t have an actual surface, but the photosphere is where the gases become thick enough to see. When teaching my students, I tell them that the photosphere is the layer of the sun you see in “photos”.

Chromosphere – The lower layer of the sun’s atmosphere. This layer is not visible to the human eye unless there is a solar eclipse.

Corona – Finally, the corona is the outermost atmospheric region of the sun’s atmosphere. It also is not visible unless there is an eclipse. The corona is what eventually turns into the solar wind.

Teaching the Layers of the Sun Lesson

I like to show a picture of the sun and brainstorm what my students know. Do they know it is a gas? A star? Do they know it has layers? How is it powered? All of these questions go onto a large piece of paper that is posted in the room. At this point there are more questions than answers, but I assure them we will answer them soon. Then, I show them a quick video about the sun. Students are instructed to take notes and see if the video answered any of our questions. Check out the ones below, they are great and are suited for different age levels.

Layers of the Sun Lesson Plan - Next Step

Now that my students have been introduced to the sun, we dig right in. I set up stations around the room and hand out lab sheets to my class. The students are going to spend the remaining time during class to start this lab, then use the next class to continue. My school uses a block scheduling, so my students are with me for over an hour.

As you can see from the pictures below, there are 6 stations. Each group has a lab sheet and an iPad. They are to work together to complete each station about the different areas of the sun.

Digital Version of Layers of the Sun Lesson

When I made this lesson I knew I needed to make a version for my online students. This next resource covers all of the same topics, but is a digital and interactive resource. Teachers who wish to save paper can opt for this version. I personally like this version for students who were absent or need extra work.

Wrap up the lesson!

After my students have completed all six stations we take time to go over what they learned at each station. We then refer to the paper of questions we created upon the opening of the lesson. I use this time to see what questions we now can answer, and clear up anything we did not get to answer.

As a final review of the layers of the sun, I assign this digital and interactive activity. Students must apply their knowledge to complete it.

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