Introduction
Oceans Tides

Have you ever been standing on a beach and it appears wider then what it did sometimes of the day and other times of the day. This the result of the gravitational attraction of the moon and sun. These tide changes are visible along the shoreline where the beach is wider when the tides is out and narrower at some part. Now get ready to learn more about this. You will lean how the diffent cycle of the moon can affect the tide.
Task
We will look at what causes tides.
How does the moon affect the tides of the ocean?
What are the terms used to describe tides in detail?

You will then use the information you learn to create a poster board presentation.
Have fun with it! Be CREATIVE!
Use printed images and/or create your own to decorate your poster board.
Each student will be responsible for their own INDIVIDUAL presentation.
Decorate it as best you can to help showcase what you have learned and as if you are teaching others about ocean tides as well!
Process
Tides are the rise and fall of the water in the ocean. They are created by the combined effects of gravitational forces exerted by the Moon, Sun, and rotation of the Earth. Ocean tides are constantly changing due to the factors I listed above. However, the sun has far more mass than the moon so it has a higher gravitational pull than the earth’s moon, but “the sun is 390 times further from the Earth than is the moon.”. The moon controls our tides because it is 390 time closer to us than the sun. The tides follows the gravitational pull of the moon, so if the moon is heading east or west the tides will follow. Since the factors are constantly changing the tide can be extremely high at one point in time, but in a several hours it can decrease dramatically. When the water reaches the highest point it’s called a “high tide”, but when the water stops falling it is called “low tide”. Costal tides experience two low tides and two high tides every single day. Technically, this happens every 24 hours and 50 minutes. It takes six hours and 12.5 minutes for the water at the shore to go from high to low, or from low to high. There are a few different types of tides. This includes Spring Tides, Neap Tides, and the Proxigean Spring Tide. A Spring Tide is when the moon is full or new. The full moon causes the high tides to be very high and the low tides to be extremely low. Neap tides are the opposite of Spring Tides, because the moon and sun are canceling each other’s gravitational pull, so this causes the low tides and high tides to have less difference between the two. Now the Proxigean Spring is very rare, because it only occurs when the moon is usually close to the earth, and it is also a full moon. This combination makes for extremely high tides. I hope this information about ocean tides help you understand them better!


Now it's your turn to explore!
Discover the mystery behind what causes the tides to change.
You may even find yourself in outer space on your quest to uncover the mystery!
Here is where you will find more information about ocean tides:
- http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/kits/tides/tides02_cause.html
- http://www.moonconnection.com/tides.phtml
- http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/ocean/Tides.shtml
- http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/kits/estuaries/media/supp_estuar01b_movies.html
- http://home.hiwaay.net/~krcool/Astro/moon/moontides/
Once you've uncovered the mystery, you will reveal your findings to the rest of the class using a poster board presentation that you've created.
You will be graded based on Communication, Creativity, Organization, Spelling/Punctuation/Grammar, and Accuracy of Information.
Communication: How well you communicate your knowledge of the subject. Are you easy to understand? Loud enough for everyone to hear? Speak clearly and effectively.
Creativity: Decorate the poster to the best of your ability! This is your chance to show off your creative talents!
Organization: All your graphics/text/images should make optimal use of your poster board, but not be cluttered. (A good way to check is if you can read/see your presentation from a distance.)
Spelling/Punctuation/Grammar: Double-check to make sure your words are all spelled correctly, punctuation is used properly, and your grammar is correct.
Accuracy of Information: Be sure to check your facts and make sure all your information is accurate! You have plenty of resources to back up your knowledge!
Remember: this is your chance to show others what you’ve learned and express yourself. Good luck!
Evaluation
GRADING RUBRIC
|
|
4 Excellent |
3 Good |
2 Average |
1 Needs Work |
|
COMMUNICATION
|
Student communicated information clearly and effectively
|
Student communicated information mostly clear and effectively
|
Student communicated information somewhat clearly and effectively
|
Student did not communicate information clearly and effectively
|
|
CREATIVITY
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Excellent use of color and design to create an eye-catching presentation
|
Good use of color and design to create a mostly eye-catching presentation
|
Average use of color and design to create a somewhat eye-catching presentation
|
Minimal use of color and design to create a presentation
|
|
ORGANIZATION
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Student organized poster board neatly and efficiently
|
Poster board is mostly well-organized |
Poster board is somewhat well-organized |
Poster board is not well-organized |
|
SPELLING PUNCTUATION GRAMMAR
|
No spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors
|
A couple spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors |
A few spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors |
Many spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors |
|
ACCURACY OF INFORMATION
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All information is accurate
|
Most information is accurate |
Some information is accurate |
Little-to-no information is accurate |
Add up your points
Multiply them by 5
To get your grade (%)
Total: _______ x 5
Score = _______ /100
Conclusion

Congratulations! You just finished the Ocean Tides webquest!
You have learned how the moon has an effect on tides, what causes tides, and are able to tell the difference between low and high tides.
The phenomenon of oceanic tides has been observed and studied by humanity for centuries and are the most important factor affecting the movement of waters across the ocean! There is still much to learn about ocean tides so hopefully with the knowledge you now know, you will be able to explore and learn more about the beauty of ocean tides.