What Causes Tides?

Explain the rise and fall of the ocean with this one-page worksheet on what causes tides! Students read about the Moon's gravity, then label high and low tide on a diagram.

The passage starts at the beach, where the ocean slowly moves up the sand and back down. These daily changes in sea level are called tides, and they are caused mostly by the Moon's gravity. The Moon pulls on Earth's oceans, and the water bulges out on the side facing the Moon, while a second bulge forms on the far side of Earth. Places under a bulge have high tide, and places between the bulges have low tide. As Earth spins, most beaches pass through two high tides and two low tides about every 24 hours. A Key Words note defines tide, gravity, and bulge, and a simple doodle shows a wave on the beach. In the first activity, students study a diagram of Earth, its ocean bulges, and the Moon, then write H or L in the box next to four lettered places. In the second activity, students decide if three sentences are true or false, including whether the Sun's heat causes tides. The sheet is written to Texas TEKS 6.9B and also fits NGSS MS-ESS1-1.

What's inside:

• A short passage with a doodle and a Key Words note
• A tide bulge diagram with 4 places to label
• 3 true or false sentences
• A visual answer key with the labeled diagram

How teachers use it:

• As an introduction to tides
• For bell work, stations, or an exit ticket
• As homework or sub plans, with no prep needed

It takes about 10 minutes and prints clearly in black and white. This worksheet is part of our Reading in Science series on the Sun, Earth, and Moon.