Virginia SOL 6.7.c

Science6th GradeEarth Resources

The Standard

properties of the atmosphere change with altitude

Virginia Standards of Learning for Science

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students compare air temperature, pressure, and density at different altitudes. They use tables, graphs, or models to describe how each property changes through atmospheric layers.
What Mastery Looks Like: Students explain that air pressure and density decrease as altitude increases. They identify that temperature may decrease or increase, depending on the atmospheric layer.
Common Misconceptions: Students may think oxygen disappears at high altitudes rather than becoming less dense. They may also assume temperature always decreases with altitude or confuse air pressure with temperature.
How to Assess It: Give students a graph showing temperature, pressure, and density by altitude. Ask them to describe one pattern for each property and explain one change.

Lesson moves

Place a mini marshmallow in a sealed syringe, pull the plunger, and connect its expansion to lower pressure at higher altitudes.
Ask students to explain why breathing is harder and temperatures are lower on a mountain than at sea level.
Have teams sort altitude, pressure, density, and temperature cards into correct atmospheric profiles, then check their choices against a graph.
Compare sea-level conditions with airplane cruising conditions, then have students explain why airplane cabins need pressurization and heating.

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