Curated OER
Radical Raisins!
Students explore the concept of buoyancy through experimentation. Given materials of various weights and composition, they drop them in club soda and determine which substances sink or float. Students discuss their results in terms of...
Curated OER
Why Cheerios Don't Sink
Students investigate Archimedes' Principle and show how it relates to density. In this Archimedes' Principle lesson plan, students experiment with a beaker of water, a Styrofoam "boat" and a weight. They predict what will happen when the...
Curated OER
To Float or Not to Float - A Lesson on Density
Students define density in their own words. In this physics lesson, students calculate density using mass and volume. They explain why some objects sink and some float.
Curated OER
Designing and Floating Boats
Students participate in an experiment to determine if a toy boat will sink or float. They make the boats out of different materials and determine its carrying capacity by adding pennies. They graph their findings on a classroom graph.
Curated OER
What Floats Your Boat?
Students discover the Archimedes principle through a buoyancy experiment. They measure the water displacement of a lump a clay which is denser than water then reshape the clay into a bowl which floats but displaces more water.
Curated OER
The Floating Golf Ball
Fourth graders discuss density. In this floating golf ball lesson students complete a lab activity on density while working in groups.
CK-12 Foundation
Going Fishing
Why do some things float and others sink? A creative simulation allows learners to adjust mass and volume of an object to affect its buoyancy in water. A graph records the effect of each manipulation.
Curated OER
Buoyancy: Who Sank the Boat?
Students examine whether objects will sink or float. For this buoyancy lesson students bring in objects and experiment to see if they sink or float.
Curated OER
Solve a Problem: Build a Boat
Students build a boat that float and hold as many pennies as possible, then discuss the process of building the boat and relate the experience to experiences they encounter in life.
Curated OER
Marine Debris
Students perform experiments to examine if debris float, or blow in the wind. The effects of these characteristics on the marine debris are then discussed. They determine how a material can influence what becomes marine debris.
Curated OER
Marine Debris
Now is the time to educate tomorrow's citizens to care for the planet, and here is a lesson to help facilitate the process. Collect some marine debris and bring it into class. Have your class separate it into types and then test each...
Curated OER
The Weight of Water
Students participate in an experiment about the weight of water. They work together to discover that seawater is more dense than fresh water. They also determine which objects float and sink.
Curated OER
i-Density Crisis
Eighth graders determine the density using mass and volume. In this science lesson, 8th graders explain why some materials float or sink. They estimate the density of objects based on whether it floats or sinks in a liquid of known...
Curated OER
Build Your Own Submarine
Students construct their own submarine following a certain procedure. In this physics lesson, students calculate the density of objects using a mathematical formula. They explain why some object floats in water while some do not.
Discovery Science Center
Kindergarten Observing, Comparing and Contrasting
Although this is a science instructional activity, it can be adapted to help meet Common Core standards in math as well. Starting scientists describe physical properties of objects and explore three forms of water. To address the Common...
Curated OER
Float Your Boat
Students investigate buoyancy, displacement and density. In this flotation lesson students study the Archimedes' Principle, analyze data and draw conclusions.
Anglophone School District
Fluids: Force in Fluids
Discuss Archimedes' Principle and fluid forces with your young scientists as they describe the relationship between mass, volume, and density during a series of engaging activities. They use the Participle Theory of Matter to explore the...
Center for Learning in Action
Properties of Balls
Enhance your states of matter lessons with a hands-on science investigation that compares six different balls' color, texture, size, weight, ability to bounce, and buoyancy.
University of Southern Indiana
Manifest Density
There's a lot content packed into the four lessons of this physical science unit on density. From salad dressing to the water cycle and hot air balloons, these lessons engage students in hands-on activities that explore real-world...
Curated OER
Science Lesson #2
Fourth graders explore and experiment with objects that float to see if they float differently in salt water or fresh water. After the experiment, they write a paragraph in their science journal explaining how fresh water and ocean water...
Curated OER
Density - An Introduction
Students experiment with objects of different densities. In this density instructional activity, students examine same-sized objects with different weights, then look at a teacher explanation of density. Students make wave bottles and...
Curated OER
Density and Mass
Students experiment to find which liquids are more dense. In this density and mass instructional activity, students predict and then test objects to observe and measure their density. students observe which items sink and float....
Curated OER
Buoyant Boats
Students 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.
Curated OER
Big Enough?
Learners explore the concept of density and buoyancy. In this physics lesson, students discover the different factors that affect an object's density and buoyancy in water. Learners conduct several investigations to further...