Ocean Tides

Summary
A lesson on the physical science of ocean tides. The reading is accompanied by true/false questions.

Objectives
• To introduce students to the physical science associated with ocean tides.

Suggested Grades
6th Grade
7th Grade
8th Grade

Excerpt
There are many poems and songs that allude to the mystery and romance of the waves crashing against a sandy beach or a rocky cliff and the ebb and flow of ocean tides. Most waves on the ocean are simply called wind waves because they are caused by the wind.

Another major factor in the amount of water that reaches the shore is the tide. The tide or tides is the name given to the daily rise and fall of the ocean level at a particular spot on the coastline of an ocean. High tide is the time when the water at a coastline reaches the furthest inland on a beach or is the deepest at a rocky cliff. Conversely, low tide is the time when the water has receded to its lowest point on a beach or is the shallowest at a cliff. Most coastal areas, except the Gulf of Mexico, experience two high and two low tides each day.

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