Tides
Students learn how differences in the Moon's and Sun's gravity across Earth create two tidal bulges, why most coasts get two high tides about every 24 hours and 50 minutes, how spring and neap tides form, and how tides shape coastlines, the Earth and Moon system, and moons of Jupiter.
Grades 5-8About 15 minutes of narrated flight, plus discussion stops7 stops
The full guide, with the 40-minute plan, discussion key points, exit ticket, activities, transcript and PDF, comes with a teacher license. Already licensed? Use Open the full guide.
What students will see and do
Students circle Earth four times to watch the tides, the two bulges, coastlines and long term tidal effects, and visit the Moon, the Sun and Jupiter's moon Io to explore the forces behind tides. The class pauses at three discussion stops: the Moon, the Sun and Jupiter.
Learning objectives
- Explain that tides result from the difference in gravitational pull across Earth, not just the pull itself.
- Use a model of two tidal bulges to explain why most coasts have two high tides about every 24 hours and 50 minutes.
- Predict when spring tides and neap tides occur from the positions of the Sun, Moon and Earth.
- Describe effects of tides beyond beaches, including the lengthening day, the receding Moon and tidal heating on Io and Europa.
NGSS connections
| MS-ESS1-1 | Students use a model of the Earth, Sun and Moon system to describe the cyclic patterns of daily tides and the monthly spring and neap tide cycle. |
|---|---|
| MS-ESS1-2 | Students develop a model of the role of gravity in the motions within the solar system, including tidal forces from the Moon, the Sun and Jupiter. |
Stops on this journey
- The Breathing Ocean
- The Moon's Uneven Pull (discussion stop)
- Two Bulges, Two Tides
- The Sun Joins In (discussion stop)
- Tides Around the World
- Tides Change the Earth and Moon
- Tides That Melt Rock (discussion stop)
Vocabulary
- tide
- tidal force
- tidal bulge
- high tide
- low tide
- spring tide
- neap tide
- intertidal zone