WV State Standards: Math: M.O.A1.2.21, M.O.CM.5.5 Science: AP.1.1, AP.2.1, AP.2.2, AP.2.4, AP.2.6, AP.3.1, AP.3.3, AP.4.13, AP4.14, AP.5.5, PTC.2.1, PTC.2.2, PTC.2.4, PTC.2.6, PTC.2.7, PTC.3.1, PTC.3.3, PTC.4.18, PTC.4.19, PTC.5.5 Technology: TEC.9-12.1.1, TEC.9-12.1.2, TEC.9-12.2.1, TEC.9-12.3.1, TEC.9-12.3.2 National Standards:  Math: Science: 9 Technology: 2 Blooms Taxonomy: Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Evaluation 21st Century Skills: Creativity and intellectual curiosity, Critical thinking and systems thinking, Information and media literacy skills, Interpersonal and collaborative skills, Social responsibility, Self-direction

Objective(s)

Students will:

• review wave basics and examine motion of particles in liquid/solid when waves travel through the medium
• use an Internet based simulation to construct waves of differing sizes and examine the motion of particles at and below the surface
• record their observations in a spreadsheet and draw conclusions about the relationship among different variables by examining charts created with their observed data 
• draw conclusions about the nature of waves and the medium particles

Time Required

Two 45 minute class periods

Pre-Requisite Skills

Students should have finished lesson one about wave basics.  Students should know how to open/edit/save/print files and enter data into spreadsheet cells.

Students should have access to a computer with Internet, Microsoft Word and Excel, and should know the basics of file management like opening/saving/printing files. If you do not have MS Office, Sun Microsystems distributes a free Open Office suite that is very similar to Microsoft Office.  The teacher should be able to project the presentation so the entire class can see it.

Handout needed for every team is Lesson 2 - Waves in Liquid and the spreadsheet L2Waves.  The presentation for the teacher to show is Lesson 2 Presentation.  For students to download the spreadsheet file, they can visit Ted's Physics Page and download the file from that page.

Show Lesson 2 Presentation to the students while adding your own knowledge and science skills to the discussion.  Have students partner into teams (2 per team.)  Give each team a copy of Lesson 2 - Waves in Liquid and one (or two if available) computers.  Have one partner visit  Velocities Under Water Waves and enter the data into the simulator while the other team member enters the data into the spreadsheet (either provided ahead of time or downloaded from Ted's Physics Page).  The team will then observe the relationships among the variables and make conclusions regarding the motion of ocean particles and how velocity, wavelength, and frequency are related.

For a student who needs extra help, group them selectively with a partner willing to assist in the learning experience.  Consult your students' IEPs for further modifications.

This lesson could go into further detail with the mathematics of the wave speed calculation if desired.

Feel free to edit this lesson in any way you see fit.  Just be sure to credit TIME as a source.

Check the worksheets for the correct answers, and use more interesting questions to spur discussion.  If a student can logically justify their answer, consider giving partial credit for an incorrect answer.