Ocean Tides
Supporting
TEKS Objective
The student is expected to collect and analyze data to identify sequences and predict patterns of change in shadows, tides, seasons, and the observable appearance of the Moon over time.
Essential Understanding
The student knows that there are recognizable patterns in the natural world and among objects in the sky.
Science Background
Tides and Currents Education: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (website) - Tides are one of the most reliable phenomena in the world. This collection of short essays describes and explains Earth’s tides, the forces that cause them, and why it is important to understand how they work.
Tides and Currents Education
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, noaa.gov
Tides and Water Levels: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (website) - Explains how the moon’s gravitational pull contributes to Earth’s tides and planetary bulges. Includes video and podcasts.
Tides and Water Levels
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, noaa.gov
Signature Lesson
Tides, Where Does All the Water Go? Explorers Education Programme (PDF) - Research project in which students collect and analyze data to identify tidal patterns and features, understand the causes and impacts of tides on plants, animals and people.
Tides, Where Does All the Water Go?
Explorers Education Program, Marine Institute, www.marine.ie
Gravity and Tides: NatureBridge (PDF) - Students participate in class discussion and conduct a rubber band activity to understand how the gravitational pull of the moon and Sun, along with differential gravitational forces, affect the oceans’ movements.
Gravity and Tides
NatureBridge, www.naturebridge.org
Activities for Children-A Teaching Unit for Years 8-12 Children: SEREAD (pdf) – The first two Activity, What Causes Tides and Spring and Neap Tides have students collect data and create models to understand the relationship of the Earth and Moon regarding the cause and effects of tides.
- Supporting Lessons
- Extensions
- Assessment Ideas
- Literature Connections
- Related
TEKS - Additional Resources
Supporting Lessons
Tide Watch: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (website) - Scroll down to the final activity (6.6), in which students track and record newspaper reports of local tidal patterns for one month, observe moon phases over the same time period, and create a small poster that matches these two sets of data in text and drawing.
Tide Watch
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, hea-www.harvard.edu
Elaboration Lessons and Extensions
Waves and Tides: Alaska’s Seas and Rivers Curriculum (website) - During this 7-10 day investigation, students develop an understanding of the causes, properties and patterns of waves and tides through discussion, demonstration, and hands-on activity. (This lesson was originally developed for 7th grade, and will need some modification for use with 4th grade students.)
Waves and Tides
Alaska’s Seas and Rivers Curriculum, Alaska Sea Grant, seagrant.uaf.edu
Assessment Ideas
Have students draw and label a diagram showing Earth and the moon system, and then use it to explain how tides are produced.
Tide Activity: Missouri Botanical Gardens (website) - Students should locate the tidal charts from the links on this page, choose two different parts of the world to investigate, graph five days of data in those locations, and answer the questions on the page.
Literature Connections
Hi Tide in Hawaii. Osborne, Mary Pope (ISBN-13: 978-0375806162)
Oceans. Simon, Seymour (ISBN-13: 978-0060889999)
Oceans. Delta Education (ISBN-13: 978-1592423736)
My Life with the Wave. Cowan, Catherine (ISBN-13: 978-0060562007)
Additional Resources
Earth Tides and Volcano Monitoring: US Geological Survey (Website) - Explains the relationship between Earth tides (as opposed to ocean tides) and volcanic activity and research.
TEKS Navigation
Grade 4
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