The
Coast In Motion!
-
Pre-site Activities/Teacher
Led
Grade Level: 5
Content
Area: Science
Time to Complete: 30 minutes
Title of
Lesson: The Coast In Motion!
South Carolina State Standards
Addressed:
|
I.A.4.a.
|
Use drawings, tables,
graphs, written and oral
language to describe
objects and explain
ideas and actions. |
|
II.A.1.j.
|
Infer how waves,
current, tides, and
storms affect the
geological features of
the ocean shore zone
(e.g. beaches, barrier
islands, inlets,
estuaries, and harbors,
etc.) |
Lesson Description:
The
following activity was designed for teachers to familiarize the students
with ocean tides and with some of the terms we will be using during the
field trip.
Material/Equipment/Resources:
|
rules of Conduct and Park Etiquette |
|
globe |
|
small and large balls |
|
string and large rubber band |
Teacher Preparation:
| 1. |
Review Rules of Conduct and Park Etiquette with students |
| 2. |
Read background information. |
| 3. |
Complete pre-site activities |
Background Information:
Resources:
Procedures:
Activity 1: How the Sun and Moon Affect Tides
Materials (for each group, have the following):
| Small world globe (the earth) |
| Small ball (the moon) |
| Large ball (the sun) |
| Two pieces of string, one long and one short |
| Large rubber band |
Procedure:
| 1. |
Tie the pieces of string to the opposite ends of the rubber
band. Tie the short piece of string to the small ball. Put the
rubber band around the globe. Tie the long string around the large
ball. |
| 2. |
Have one student hold the small ball and another student hold
the large ball. First pull the small ball (moon) away from the
globe. Observe what happens. |
| 3. |
Now pull the
large ball (sun) away from the globe. Observe what happens. |
Discussion:
| 1. |
What do the
strings represent? (gravitational pull) |
| 2. |
What does
the rubber band represent? (water) |
| 3. |
What happens
to the ocean when the moon is pulled away? (bulges) |
| 4. |
How many
high and low tides are there? (2 of each) |
| 5. |
What causes
low tides? (reduction of water as it is being pulled to high tide
direction |
| 6. |
Which tide is higher, the one on the side of the moon or the
one on the side of the sun?
Why? (moon,
more pull) |
| 7. |
Which has
the least effect on ocean water, the moon or the sun? (sun, further
away) |
| 8. |
Can the sun
cause tides? (yes, but much less, 1/12, attraction of moon) |
** Reprinted from
Unit Two Seawater, North Carolina Marine Education Manual, UNC Sea Grant
Publication UNC-SC-78-14-B.
Activity 2: Vocabulary
Be sure students are familiar with the
pre-site vocabulary.
|
