Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Bowling Balls: Will They Sink or Will They Float?

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students will investigate what determines whether a material will sink or float. They will be given a bowling ball and have to make measurements and conclusions on whether their bowling ball will float, hover, or sink when placed in an...
Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Investigating Density in Solutions: How Can You Make an Egg Float?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
For this activity, learners will learn about density by determining how to make an egg float in water. By the end of the lesson, students will understand that density and weight are different and that density matters in floatation. They...
Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Mn Step: Sink or Float: All Liquids Do Not Have the Same Density

For Teachers K - 1st
An experiment in density. After a review of floating and sinking of different materials, students test four bottles, all holding four ounces of water, to see if they will float or sink. They each contain a different density of sugar...
Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Mn Step: Sink or Float? Inquiry Investigation

For Teachers K - 1st
For this activity, students make predictions about whether different objects float or sink, then test them. They are asked to record their observations and results for each, and compare their results to others'.
Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Water Activity

For Teachers K - 1st
Students investigate water by estimating how long it takes to freeze, then see if the ice cube will float in water, and eventually work with other items to see if they sink or float in water.
Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Investigating Floating and Sinking: Density

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
This investigation introduces the concepts of volume, mass, and density and how they interact. Students will make predictions of whether an object will float or sink after finding mass and volume of an object.
Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Mn Step: Sinking Water: Glaciers, Ocean Currents and Weather Patterns

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
A instructional activity where students learn how warm water is less dense than cold water, and what this means for global climate change as ice from the polar regions melts. Students will do experiments in buoyancy and water density...
Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Density of Solid Objects

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In this science inquiry, students investigate whether volume or density of objects determine the floating or sinking in water. Using a rock and a block of wood teachers engage students in the discussion of density, mass and volume.
Lesson Plan
Google

The Engineering Place: Balloon Flinking [Pdf]

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
A lesson and activity sheet on buoyancy. Students add weight to a helium-filled balloon to keep it suspended so that it won't float or sink, but instead will 'flink.'
Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Mn Step: Solid and Liquid Density Investigation

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
For this activity, students investigate whether objects and liquids float or sink when placed in water. As they proceed, they will develop an understanding of what density is. Student handouts are provided.