Curated OER
Construct a Buoyant Scuba Diver
Groups of young oceanographers get to use action figures to experiment with the property of buoyancy! This memorable lesson plan provides detailed background information, a link to the laboratory worksheet, and thorough instruction...
Curated OER
Will It Sink or Float?
Learners conduct a science experiment to determine whether a variety of objects will sink or float. They discuss the concept of density, and then make predictions about whether the objects will sink or float. They then conduct the...
Curated OER
Anthony's sink or float game
Students explore the concepts of float and sink by playing a game where they build things on mud, water, rock and jelly. In this Anthony's sink or float game lesson, students discover what materials remain strong in various conditions....
Curated OER
Dragon Boats
Students create a model boat. In this art lesson, students identify what makes a boat float and use milk cartons to create their own boat.
American Chemical Society
Temperature Affects Density
Different substances can have different densities, but can the same substance have different densities? Lesson explores the effect of temperature on the density of water. Extension idea connects the concept of how melting ice in lakes...
Curated OER
Sink or Float
Students explore water properties by conducting a class experiment. In this buoyancy instructional activity, students make predictions as to whether or not specific objects will sink or float in water. Students conduct the experiment and...
Concord Consortium
Molecular Sorting
Can scientists sort molecules based on their interaction with oil and water? The simulation demonstrates how this is possible. Pupils decide when to insert a molecule and observe how they sort themselves based on polarity.
Curated OER
Investigating the Effect of Salinity on the Density and Stability of Water
Water with varying amounts of dissolved salt are dyed and then used to compare densities. The objective is to discover the effect of salinity, and therefore density, on ocean water on the stability of the ocean. Many branches of science...
Curated OER
What Objects Sink and What Objects Float
Special needs young scholars explore why certain objects sink or float. They will make predictions on what objects will sink or float. Students conduct an experiment using a large bowl of water and several objects and test their...
Curated OER
Water Exploration Station
Students explore the characteristics of water. In this water exploration lesson, students participate in various learning centers to inquire how water drains and how to increase the flow of water. Students use estimation and measurement...
Curated OER
Buoyancy: What will float and what will sink
Students write and explain why an object sinks or floats. In this buoyancy lesson plan students demonstrate how items float or sink and graph the results.
Curated OER
Sink or Float
Third graders sort objects into those they think will float and those that will sink and test their predictions. They experiment with clay molding it into shapes that float. They place pennies in them until they sink. They test other...
Curated OER
Buoyant Behavior
Combine science and literature with this lesson on buoyancy. Read There's an Ant in Anthony by Bernard Most to examine words containing the letters a, n, and t. Then introduce your class to the word "buoyant." Demonstrate how an egg...
Curated OER
Ships 2: What Floats Your Boat?
Young scholars design, build, and test the specifications (water displacement and load line) for a model boat. The instructional activity focuses especially on integrating design principles with inquiry-based experimental skills.
It's About Time
Mass and Volume
Don't be so dense that light bends around you; study the relationship between mass and volume instead. Young chemists measure the density of a variety of liquids and solids. A reading passage and analysis questions introduce pupils to...
Curated OER
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,...
Curated OER
A Weighty Issue
Want to get your students motivated in science class? Given only a piece of aluminum foil, assign groups the task of designing a "barge" that will support the weight of a bunch of pennies. The group who is able to put the most...
Curated OER
Hot and Cold Air
In this hot and cold water worksheet, students use hot and cold water to experiment and see what happens when the two mix together. Students also answer 7 questions.
Curated OER
Prime and Composite Numbers - Kenwood Academy
Learners investigate prime and composite numbers. They use a number chart and cross out multiples of 2,3,5 etc. up to 100. Pupils fold pieces of masking tape around pennies and label them with composite numbers, then fold masking tape...
Curated OER
Note Taking And Skills And Lab Reports
Students perform simple and fun experiments to use the scientific method, take careful notes, and write a lab report. They first make and test a hypothesis about how many drops of water they can fit on the face of a penny and then test...
Curated OER
Density and Buoyancy Experimental Design
Students must plan, design, and conduct an experiment that answers the scientific question: "Come up with a question that addresses the factors (variables) of the water and its effect on whether an object floats or sinks."
Curated OER
Floating Soap
Pupils use the Scientific Method steps to complete an experiment on various brands of soap to determine their floating capabilities. For this scientific method lesson, students write a hypothesis about the ability of various soap bars to...
Curated OER
Soap, Wood, and Water
Students measure the properties of two different types of soap and wood and calculate their densities. Then they predict whether or not whether or not each object would float or sink in fresh or salt water.
Curated OER
Liquid Rainbow
Learners develop their own techniques for drawing a small sample of solutions into a straw. They hypothesize ways to increase the density of water, and discuss how salt-free rainwater tends to float on top of salty seawater.