Predicting Your Local Tides

Mr. Conant · Briscoe Middle School · Beverly, MA

{Essential Questions} {Task} {Evaluation} {Online Resources}

Student's Page

Additional Worksheets

Essential Question:

What causes Tides?
How many tides occur in a 25 hour period?
What are Spring and Neap tides? At what phase of the moon do both of these occur?

Task

Part 1: Reviewing Why Earth Has Tides

Before we begin predicting tides, it is important that we review what tides are and how they occur. To help us with this go to the following Web site on tides. As you read the Web page, answer the questions below. Make sure you use complete sentences and your answers are legible.

What causes the tides (the rise and fall of sea water every day)?

Explain why Earth experiences high tides on the opposite side at the same time.

Why is the tidal cycle 24 hours and 50 minutes?

Explain why Earth experiences spring tides. To provide you with a visual model to help in answering this question, go to Why Tides?

Explain why Earth has neap tides. To provide you with a visual model to help in answering this question, go to Why Tides?

Part 2: Examining A Local Tide Chart

Directions: Examine the following table containing the times of low and high tides in Beverly from April 10, 2008 to April 16, 2008. After you have studied the table, answer the questions that follow.

Beverly's Water Level Predictions: April 10 - April 16, 2008

Date	Day	Time	Tide	Time	Tide	Time	Tide	Time	Tide
4/10/08	Thur	2:46 AM	High	9:11 AM	Low	3:29 PM	High	9:25 PM	Low
4/11/08	Fri	3:42 AM	High	10:08 AM	Low	4:29 PM	High	10:24 PM	Low
4/12/08	Sat	4:43 AM	High	11:10 AM	Low	5:33 PM	High	11:27 PM	Low
4/13/08	Sun	5:50 AM	High	12:15 PM	Low	6:41 PM	High	-	-
4/14/08	Mon	12:34 AM	Low	6:59 AM	High	1:21 PM	Low	7:48 PM	High
4/15/08	Tue	1:42 AM	Low	8:07 AM	High	2:24 PM	Low	8:48 PM	High
4/16/08	Wed	2:46 AM	Low	9:09 AM	High	3:19 PM	Low	9:41 PM	High

Approximately how much time passes between each high tide and low tide?

How many high and low tides occur during a 24 – hour period?

Do the high and low tides happen at the same time every day? Explain.

Why are there only three tides on Sunday, April 13, 2008?

Part 3: Predicting The Tides

Directions: Predict the times for the high and low tides for the next 5 days for the same location.

Date	Day	Time	Tide	Time	Tide	Time	Tide	Time	Tide
4/17/08	Thur
4/18/08	Fri
4/19/08	Sat
4/20/08	Sun
4/21/08	Mon

Evaluation

Evaluation Rubric
A	B	C	D
All questions answered correctly, in complete sentences, and is legible / typed. Tide Prediction table must be complete, 100 % accurate, and labeled. Must be turned in on time.	Most questions are answered correctly, in complete sentences, and is legible / typed. Tide Prediction table is completed, Mostly accurate, and labeled. Must be turned in on time.	Some questions are inaccurate or incomplete Tide prediction table is completed but contains some inaccuracies. Work may have been turned in late.	Many questions are inaccurate or incomplete. Tide Prediction table is inaccurate, not labeled, and only not completed. Work is turned in more than one day late.

Online Resources

Tides: What causes tides to change in the ocean?

Fitzgerald Marine Reserve: Why Tides?

Maine Harbors