Tides and the Intertidal: Interdisciplinary Curriculum Unit for the Second Grade

This curriculum uses hands-on experiences in science, technology and art to explore the topic of tides and the three intertidal zones of the seashore. Students will learn about these topics through, interactive experiments, reading, research on the Internet, and by completing an art project in their choice of materials. They will also go to a Maritime Museum or Aquarium, and take a trip to the beach at low tide so they can see the three different intertidal zones and explore their features and creatures.

Lesson 1- Gravity, the Moon, and the Tides. (Oreo Cookie Moon) Sample Lesson Plan:
Objectives: Young students will learn why there are tides by exploring the idea of gravity and then looking at how the moon affects the water on the surface of the Earth. Students will participate in acting out scenarios that mimic the principle of gravity and the Moon’s relationship to Earth. Note:
Developmentally, second graders don’t have the cognitive ability to grasp complicated concepts related to the Earth, Moon, and tides.
However, based on their experience they will be able to understand this simple model. Students will learn that land is still and water is free to move on the Earth’s surface. 71% of the surface of the
Earth is covered by water (show a globe).
Materials: Kids, an apple, a skirt, and Oreo Cookies. A globe might come in handy too.
Vocabulary:
Gravity
High tide
Low tide
Moon
Centrifugal force
Center of gravity

Procedure: Engage the students in a discussion about the gravity, the moon, and the tides. Then use the students to simulate these forces and relationships.
Inquiry Pattern:
· What happens when you throw an apple into the air?
· How come it doesn’t go on forever? Why does it fall back to
the ground?
· What is this called?
· Has anyone ever seen an astronaut walk in space? (Ground it
in their experience.)
· Does the ground move?
· Does water move?
· Does water move on the surface of he Earth?
· Has anyone ever been to the beach and seen it go from high
tide to low tide?
· What causes tides? Do the moon and gravity have something to
do with it?

Model Development I:
1. Explore the rotation of a system of two people coupled together by holding each other’s hands. Try two people of dissimilar size.
· Where does the axis of rotation lie for these different
coupled systems?
· Which one of these people is like the Earth?
· Which one is like the Moon?
· Which is bigger, the Earth or the Moon?
· What is the name of the force that keeps the Earth and Moon
connected?


2. Earth is a person wearing a skirt. The person rotates:
What happens to the skirt? (Simulates centrifugal force and the
skirt is representative of the water on the surface of the earth)
3. Now add the smaller person to the rotation (the moon).
What happens to the skirt? (The skirt bulges out opposite from
the “moon” and the smaller person and the skirt bulge represent the
two tidal bulges)

Model Development II:
1. Line students up from one end of the room to the other. Make
sure that they are lined up shoulder to shoulder and that they are
clasping hands. They represent water on the earth’s surface. Attach
the ends of the lines to fixed points. Tell the kids that this
represents where the water meets the shoreline.
2. Bring out a box of Oreo cookies. Tell the students that the
cookies represent the moon.
3. Ask them if they like Oreos and tell them when you say “go”
they are allowed to move towards the cookies but they are not allowed
to unclasp their hands or become detached from the “shoreline”.
4. The teacher positions herself at one end of the line and
says “go”. The line bulges towards her but she does not remain
still. She moves across the room towards the other shoreline. The
bulge follows her. This demonstrates the effect that the moon has on
the tides by equating it with the effect Oreos have on children. If
all goes off well, children will understand that it is the attraction
(gravitational and centrifugal forces) between the earth and moon
that cause the tides.
Assessment:
· In the model, where was the high tide and where was the low?
· Where was the moon when it was high tide, where was it when
it was low?
· Do you think that the tides follow the moon?
· Does the Moon revolve around the Earth or vice-versa?

Hopefully this demonstration gives them a basic understanding of why
we have tides. Now you can go on with the rest of the unit and
explore the world between the tides, the Intertidal Zone.
The intertidal zone is the marine zone between the highest high tide
point on a shoreline and the lowest low tide point. It is one of the
Earth’s most densely populated areas. Hundreds of marine animals as
well as human beings crowd this area where the land meets the sea.
(Garrison, Tom. Oceanography: An invitation to Marine Science. 4th
Ed. pp.419-427)

Lesson 2- Introduction to the intertidal and the creatures of the
beach; read them a book about the intertidal zones.
Lesson 3- Field Trip to Aquarium/Maritime Center. This is where
students are introduced to all the different life forms and they can
experience it hands-on.
Lesson 4- Selecting topics for research and beginning the research
process. Students come back and reflect on their trip. They choose
an animal that they want to explore further. Make sure that the
class is divided into three groups to cover the main intertidal zones
and then they can choose from those areas.
Lesson 5- Technology component: Kids combine what they have learned
in the classroom with information they have gathered on the Internet
and put it into a kid-version Power Point slide show. The teacher or
technology specialist has put together a “hot-list” of Internet sites
for students to visit to gather information on their subject.

Lesson 6- Field Trip to the Seashore at low tide. Pick a beach that
has a Nature Guide who can help you tour the shoreline. Here is
where students have a chance to investigate what they have learned.
They can now experience, hands on, the different intertidal zones and
maybe see a tide pool. They can look for the animals that they are
studying, gather information, take pictures for their Power Point
presentations, and collect samples of sand, shells and seaweed to use
in their art projects.

Lesson 7- Art component:
Collaborating with the art teacher: Here are the important
components to a successful collaboration with the art teacher.
Children must have full knowledge of their animal. They have already
done all of the research and they are very familiar with the unique
characteristics of their creature. It is very important that they
come with this knowledge because a good art teacher never tells the
students what to do rather; it is the job of the art teacher to set
up the circumstances so that the children can make a connection
between the materials and their ideas. Students can also use collage
and assemblage in their projects. This means they can incorporate
found objects and things from nature in their work. (I.e. Sand,
shells, dried seaweed, things that they have collected from the
seashore.)

Children will depict their sea creature in a medium of their
choice. They can choose from either paint or clay. This choice of
medium allows them to work to their strength. They will also be
responsible for creating an environment for their sea creature that
correctly depicts their habitat and what they eat. The environment
can be done in two ways depending on how you want to present the
project. Students can create individual environments for their
creatures or the environment can be a group mural where each child
fits their animal into the appropriate niche. The mural should mimic
the intertidal zones, can be labeled, and hung in succession. The
mural has more of a dramatic presentation effect but students may
have more personal investment in the individual projects so these
would be better learning opportunities. You still can group and
label the zones. Really, it just comes down to the best learning
experience for the kids. I think that making it personal makes it
better. Also, the students will be able to do all of it on their own
if you go the individual project route. They also have something
that is easy to take home.

Sample Lesson Plan:
Creatures of the Intertidal Zones
Age: Second Grade
Medium: Painting/Collage, Sculpture/Assemblage
Artistic Objective: Students will use their knowledge of paint,
clay, various materials, and the elements of design to compose a work
of art that conveys their knowledge of the animal that they are
studying.
Curricular Objective: Students will use their knowledge of the
unique characteristics of their animal and their experience of the
inter-tidal zone to accurately depict their animal in its correct
habitat.
Materials: Art materials: paint, clay, paper, tissue paper,
cardboard, glue, felt, etc. And all materials found at the beach.
Motivational Dialog:

Topic Question: (engage and interest them, focus attention):

T: I know that you have been studying and learning very hard about
the seashore and all of its wonderful creatures. Who can raise their
hand and tell me what animal they are studying and a little bit about
their animal?
S: I am studying the mussel.
T: Great what part of the inter-tidal zone does it live in? What
does it like to eat?
S: It lives attached to the rocks in the middle zone and it is a
filter feeder.


Association: (embed their thinking in experience,
explore/clarify ideas):

T: Excellent! I can tell that you know a lot about mussels. Did you
see one at the seashore? If you were going to describe them what
would you say? What shape and size and color are they?
S: They are kind of purplish/black, they live in groups and they fit
in the palm of my hand.


Visualization: (help them think in material, relate idea to what the
material does best):
T: Excellent. Since you know so much about your animal, I think you
are ready to make some choices about how you want to show it. Are
you going to make a painting or a sculpture? What colors will you
choose? What materials will you choose to show its habitat?
S: I am going to make a painting and use blue for the water and gray
for the rocks. The mussels will be purple.
T: Those are very good choices. Will you use any other collage
materials in your painting?
S: Oh yeah, I gathered sand and some real mussel shells at the beach
to put in my painting. I could use green tissue paper for grasses
and seaweed too.
T: That sounds wonderful.


Transition: (help them get started)

T: You sound like you have a plan. What will you do first in this
paining/collage? Will you sketch all the forms out on to the paper
first? Will your animal be in the middle of the paper or on the
bottom? Will you draw it small or large? Will you arrange your
collage materials before you glue them down? Remember, you have to
think about your animal in its habitat.
S: Yes. I think I want my mussels to be…
T: O-kay let’s get started!


Summary/ Critique: Students will set up all of their work in
displays, categorized by tidal zone. Invite parents and friends to
come to the “art opening” and the students will present their art and
technology projects. Students can do the “Oreo Cookie Moon”
demonstration and then serve the Oreo Cookies and milk at the
reception.


Extensions: Students can reflect on what they learned by doing a
journal entry. Some might want to do a play about the moon and the
tides. Let them explore it even further in poetry or music.