Students perform an experiment to measure the density of tap water vs. salt water.

High schoolers explore displacement. In this displacement and density instructional activity, pupils find the volume of irregular shaped objects. Afterward, they determine the volume of containers. They compute the amount of water...

Young scholars understand the meaning of volume. In this displacement of liquid instructional activity, students experiment with various weights and a balance scale to find the liquid displaced.

Clay's as good a material as any to build a boat, right? An introductory lesson sets the stage for two activities associated with buoyancy. The first involves building boats out of clay, while the second uses these boats to measure the...

There are underwater rivers that flow on the ocean floor thanks to a difference in density. Scholars learn about the density in both liquids and solids in the second lesson of an 11-part series. They then determine the density of water,...

Swimmers know to float by turning their bodies horizontally rather than vertically, but why does that make a difference? In an interesting lesson, scholars explore buoyancy and the properties of air and water. They test cups to see which...

Scholars generate and collect pure oxygen through a decomposition reaction of hydrogen peroxide in the fourth lesson of an 11-part series. Then, they complete six investigations into the properties of oxygen.   

We have formulas for finding the volume of geometric shapes, but what if the shape is irregular? Lesson describes how to find volume through water displacement. After a demonstration, scholars practice in small groups. Then analysis...

A controversial construction project in South America, the Belo Monte dam, is endangering local cultures, ecosystems, and communities. High schoolers create a concept map based on an online article they read before engaging in...

This resource was written for the younger math learner, but finding the volume of an irregular solid is also a problem for algebra and geometry young scholars. Based on Archimedes’ Principle, one can calculate the volume of a stone by...

How do astronauts know how to live and work in a weightless environment? It doesn't come naturally! Junior physicists conduct experiments to examine the link between buoyancy and microgravity. Each activity illustrates a different aspect...

Explore various types of measurement with fourth graders. They will practice using balance pans to measure the weight of a coin and a graduated cylinder to determine the displacement volume for a bolt. The metric system will be the focus...

The devastating changes happening to the Native American inhabitants of an island off the coast of Louisiana are the topic of an informational lesson. After scholars break into groups to explore particular topics, they come back together...

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.

Students find the density of objects by finding their mass and their volume. In this density lesson plan, students determine the mass of objects, the find the volume by using formulas or by water displacement and they calculate the...

Whatever floats your boat. Young engineers learn about density by measuring the masses and volumes of boxes filled with different materials. Using their knowledge of densities, they hypothesize whether objects with given densities will...

How many pennies can an aluminum foil boat hold? That is the challenge in a collaborative activity designed to explore the concept of buoyancy. Learners use aluminum foil to build makeshift boats and test the weight they hold before...

Turn your pupils into engineers who are able to use scientific principals to design a ship. This long-term project expects pupils to understand concepts of density, buoyancy, displacement, and metacenter, and apply them to constructing a...

How can we find volume if it a shape isn't easy to measure? Investigate methods for determining this as the volume of regular and irregular objects is explored in several stations. Learners discover that when the standard formula for...

Sixth graders explore the water displacement method to determine the volume of solid objects such as rocks, nails, and marbles.

Fourth graders rank balls by size from smallest to largest and from lightest to heaviest and then by how much they made the water rise. They then discuss why certain balls make the water rise higher than do other balls.

This open-ended boat building exercise is meant to be part of a three-lesson series on ships. Links to the other two lessons are included. This particular part is mostly a group lab activity in which they build a boat, find its load line...

In this vector force worksheet, students determine the total velocity of objects, the displacement direction, and vector movement. This two-page worksheet provides a total of six multi-step problems.

What's it like to be a deep-sea explorer? Tap into the imaginations of your fifth and sixth graders with a vivid lesson, the second part of a six-part adventure. Learners close their eyes and submerge themselves in an expedition aboard...