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I've Got That Sinking Feeling
Students design a simple boat and predict how much weight it can carry. They should also discover why objects float or sink and how this can be determined experimentally. A great lesson on buoyancy!
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What Floats Your Boat?
Learners are introduced to the concept of buoyancy. The Video used in this lesson demonstrates and explains the characteristics of objects that sink and float. It presents the concepts of displacement, weight, and buoyancy.
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Cold Hard Facts...What Inquiring Minds Will Know
Learners work with "ice" in order to gain a practical application of math concepts that evolve into an inquiry-based study. They determine if the dimensions of the ice make a difference in the way the ice floats in the water.
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What Floats Your Boat?
Students explore the principles of buoyancy and Archimedes' Principle and design their own flotation device. They compare the dimensions of a model to the real object to determine scale and analyze the models to suggest improvements.
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Barge Building: What Floats Your Boat?
Students construct aluminum foil boats that float while holding the greatest number of pennies. They investigate the concept of water displacement, record their results, and watch a Bill Nye video on buoyancy.
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Buoyant Boats
Learners design and construct a boat out of aluminum foil and a few other simple materials. The boats then be tested by floating them in water, then adding mass until they sink. They explore the various shapes of boat construction.
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Does Soap Float?
Students form hypotheses and carry out an investigation in order to answer a central question: Does soap float? The focus of this lesson is on scientific inquiry, but it incorporates scientific topics such as sinking and floating.
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Floating Fishes: Boat Sinking Lab
Cut milk cartons in half to make boats and let investigators attempt to sink them. They add dividing walls and observe what happens if marbles are put into only one of the newly formed compartments. Vocabulary is provided: buoyant force,...
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Activity: Float a Clay Boat
Written to introduce pupils to buoyancy, this activity has collaborative groups work to design a floatable clay boat. They first observe that a stick of clay sinks in water and then are given their own stick to reshape into a floating...
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Day Two: Generating New Questions
Students investigate buoyancy by participating in a lab experiment. In this density lesson, students utilize vinegar and alcohol in beakers and attempt to float different items in them. Students analyze which items float and do not while...
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Day Six: Floater What Ifs
Students observe earth science by examining results from an experiment. In this buoyancy lesson, students practice floating different items in two different liquids and identify why certain objects will float and others sink. Students...
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Density and Buoyancy Lesson Plan
Students investigate why some objects float or sink in water. In this physics lesson, students calculate the density of clay ball using a mathematical equation. They write a complete lab report about the experiment.
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Science Lesson Plans
Students conduct a variety of exploration activities on various science topics. In this science instructional activity outline, students design a cell encapsulation to hold a specific type of medicine. They give examples of physical and...
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Archimedes' Principle
Students examine the relationship between density and buoyancy. In this physics lesson students use Archimedes' Principle to complete calculations on buoyancy and a lab activity.
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Sink or Float
Students explore water properties by conducting a class experiment. In this buoyancy lesson, students make predictions as to whether or not specific objects will sink or float in water. Students conduct the experiment and record their...
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Condiment Diver: The World's Simplest Cartesian Diver
Middle schoolers examine buoyancy. In this density instructional activity students form a hypothesis, collect data and draw a conclusion using the data.
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Dive In
Students study how buoyancy, pressure, and light can effect the work of underwater scientists. In this marine science lesson students complete a lab that allows them to better understand how pressure varies with altitude and depth.
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Come On Down!
Learners research the implementation of a research vessel used for ocean exploration. In buoyancy lesson students will construct a device that shows neutral buoyancy.
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Beneath the Sea
Students build a model of a submersible that will allow them to explore ballasts and how they operate. In this hands on instructional activity students participate in an activity that shows them how to control buoyancy.
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Ballast Systems in Submarines
High schoolers investigate Ballast systems in submarines. In this ballast lesson, students conduct experiments that show how a Ballast system works. High schoolers will then create a model of a submarine's ballast system.
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Sink or Float?
Students analyze the relationship between density, buoyancy, and salinity. In this chemical properties lesson, students read a background activity for the lesson and experiments to the topics. Students discuss the questions and complete...
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Buoyancy
In this buoyancy worksheet, students use clay, water, newspaper, and more to create buoyant objects. Students follow 5 directions, and answer 4 questions.
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Student Exploration: Density Laboratory
In this density laboratory worksheet, learners complete 2 prior knowledge questions, then use the "Density Laboratory Gizmo" to complete several activities, answering short answer questions when finished.
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How Does the USS Alabama Float?
Young scholars investigate buoyancy. In this buoyancy instructional activity, students apply the Archimedes Principle of Buoyancy to the experiment conducted in class to determine how battleships float.