Emily Reverman

Science Lesson Plan

Overview of Lesson Plan:

Subject: Science-tides
Grade: 5th grade
Number of Students: 28 students
Length of Lesson: About 30 minutes
Rationale:
It is important for students to understand how the moon affects the ocean tides because
this will help students understand more concepts in science, such as weather and
gravity.
Process-Orientated Objectives:
The students will be able to predict and infer what happens to the tide by observing the
model.
Content Standards:
E.ST.M.2 Solar System Motion- Gravity is the force that keeps most objects in the solar
system in regular and predictable motion.
E.ST.05.25 Explain the tides of the oceans as they relate to the gravitational pull
and orbit
of the moon.
Scientific Process Addressed:
Students will be practicing using models to demonstrate how something works.
Scientific Topic Addressed:
How the moon's gravitational pull affects the tides in the oceans.
What do I want the children to discover? I want the students to discover how things
happening in the solar system affect our Earth.

Materials to be used:

four scarves

sun sign

moon sign
earth sign
four ocean signs
four pictures of the tides
video

Instructional Sequence:
Anticipatory Set:
Show pictures of two different tides (same location, different time of day).
Ask: How are these pictures different? What causes the water levels to be
so different?
What happens to the level of the water during the day? The rise and fall. It
can occur once or twice a day.
What do we call this? Tides
Watch video on tides! http://www.watchknowlearn.org/Video.aspx?
VideoID=50362&CategoryID=2805
Ask students: I want you to be paying very close attention to this video so
that when it is done, you can tell me what causes the tides.
After the video: Who can tell me what the video told us about tides?
Tides are caused by the moon's gravitational pull. The sun's gravitational
pull also creates the tides, but the moon gives the tides their height and regular,
daily pattern.
Procedures:
1. Moons gravitational pull
When the Earth is rotating, the moon's gravitational pull tugs on the part of
the Earth that is closest to it. When this happens, the Earth's crust rises slightly
due to this force. This makes the water "bulge" in the oceans which creates the
tides.
2. Model
I need six volunteers to be a part of a model to show how to moon's
gravitational pull affects the tides.
Have one student tape a picture of the earth to their shirt, one student
tape a picture of the moon to their shirt, one student tape a picture of the sun to
their shirt, and four students tape pictures of water to their shirt to represent the
oceans. The four students representing the oceans will stand around the Earth in
a circle and they will each hold scarves in their hands to connect them. Have all
students turn to face the student who represents the moon.

3. Explain what a model is.

A model is something that represents objects so that we can understand
them more easily. So we have to remember that this model does not show the
correct sizes of the moon, sun, and earth or the correct distance between each.
This is just an example to help us picture how the moon's gravity works to create
tides.
4. Demonstrate the affect of the moon's pull on the tides
Which part of the ocean is being pulled most by the moon? The 'ocean'
closest to the moon.
Have this child take three steps towards the moon.
Which part of the ocean is being pulled least by the moon? The 'ocean'
farthest away.
Have this child take one step toward the moon.
Since the other two oceans are in the middle, they take two steps towards
the moon.
Why did the oceans move towards the moon? Because the gravity pulled
them there.
What happened to the oceans after the moved? The two students that are
standing beside the Earth represent the ocean where there is less water.
Where are the oceans at the highest level? nearest and farthest from the
moon.
How many sides of the Earth experience high tide at the same time? Two
Where is the low tide? The two oceans closest to the Earth
The model shows that the moon produces two high tides and two low
tides. The ocean furthest from the moon "feels less" of the gravitational pull.
Now in our model, is the Earth moving? No. In real life, the Earth would be
spinning.
Have student demonstrate this by spinning around a few times.
When the Earth is moving, the moon is also spinning. It orbits around the
Earth about every 27 days. So as the Earth moves, the high tides and low tides
will change to different parts of the Earth.
So, the moon creates two high tides and two low tides each day and as
the Earth spins, the tide flows in and out.

5. What would happen if there was no moon?

Have students stand in original positions to that the scarves are linked in a
circle. Instead of having a moon, there is a sun for this model. Invite new
students to be in the model.
Now we have no moon. Would the Earth still have tides? Ask students to
share opinions.
Besides the moon, what pulls on the earth? The Sun

 The Sun has less of an effect on the tides than the moon does. It effects
the tides 1/3 of the amount that the moon does.
Student nearest the sun takes one giant step towards the sun, students in
middle take one normal step towards the sun, and the student farthest away take
one small step.
What happen to the oceans? They still moved, but they are closer to the
Earth.
Is there still a high and a low tide? Yes, but the difference between the
high tide and the low tide is less extreme.
6. Conclusion
Why is this important?
Oceans influence weather and the seafood that is available for people to
eat, creates tide pools which are essential for some marine life,
Expected Conclusion:
Students will understand how the moon affects the tides. They will be able to explain
what happens to the oceans/tides.
Closure:
It is important for us to know how the moon affects the changing of the tides because te
tides affect our climate and weather.
Reflection:
I thought that this lesson went well. The students seemed to learn from the variety of
instructional techniques that I used throughout the lesson (video, lecture, model). I
thought that the order in which I did these things was very beneficial because the
students were able to watch the short clip, talk about their understanding, and then see
how it works in a physical model. The lesson would have been better if they students
who were in the model would have been able to stand in a more open space. It was
difficult for the model to work correctly in such a cramped location. Yes, the students
were able to meet the objectives. Based on the information that they learned, they were
able to use the model to explain what would happen to the tides in different
circumstances.