Predicting Tides Station Lab - New TEKS 6.9B

This modular, student-led activity is fully aligned with TEKS 2021 standard 6.9B and will keep your middle schoolers engaged while exploring how the positions of the Earth, Sun, and Moon cause ocean tides. With everything included, you’ll save a ton of prep time while giving your students the opportunity to direct their own learning.

In this interactive lab, students will describe and predict how gravitational forces create daily, spring, and neap cycles of tides. Designed for flexibility, this lesson is perfect for both in-class and virtual learning.

Differentiated, Modular, and Student-Centered

Each station lab includes nine differentiated activities, ensuring all learners can connect with the content in meaningful ways. Teachers guide and facilitate while students work independently or in small groups to build their understanding of tidal cycles.

All signage, resources, and task cards are included. The Explore It! station may require a few simple classroom materials you already have available.

The Stations

Input Stations – Learn the Concepts

• Explore It! – Hands-on demo or digital drag-and-drop activity in PowerPoint/Google Slides

• Watch It! – Short video with guiding questions

• Read It! – Differentiated passages (English & Spanish) with comprehension checks

• Research It! – Facts, graphs, and visuals with guided lab sheet activities

Output Stations – Show Understanding

• Organize It! – Printable or digital card sorts/manipulatives

• Illustrate It! – Sketches or diagrams of tidal models for visual reinforcement

• Write It! – Open-ended short-answer prompts

• Assess It! – Task cards + a vocabulary-in-context writing activity

Bonus Station – Challenge It!
Extension activities such as crosswords, games, and mini-projects for early finishers and advanced learners

Virtual & In-Class Flexibility

This station lab is fully compatible with Google Slides and PowerPoint, making it easy to use in both classroom and online learning environments.

Why Teachers Love It:

• Differentiated for diverse learning needs

• Multimodal to engage all learners

• Flexible in print or digital formats

• Minimal prep required

This resource is also part of the Predicting Tides 5E Lesson Plan, which expands into editable presentations, interactive notebooks, student-choice projects, assessments, and more.

This is a finished product; it will be updated with corrections as needed. Future improvements and new features will be sold as a separate product.