This is an educator's guide for a unit on things that sink or float. It includes lesson plans, experiments, and activities. Students apply the scientific method as they investigate whether objects sink or float.

In this activity, students will learn about density by determining how to make an egg float in water. By the end of the activity, students will understand that density and weight are different and that density matters in floatation. They...

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...

For this activity, young scholars 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'.

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.

Students find the densities of objects based on sinking or floating in this activity that demonstrates Archimedes Principle.

Students investigate with common objects to see if they can make something that neither floats nor sinks, but rather "flinks" in the middle.

Students will explore matter that sinks or floats when submerged in water and that matter is categorized as either a sinker or a floater. Students will work actively in small, cooperative learning groups as well as gather in a whole...

Throughout the activities in this investigation, students may have wondered how a boat made out of steel, which is more dense than water, can float. This activity addresses that question. Students will see that changing the shape of an...

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.

A 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 when hot or cold,...

The tradebook, Who Sank the Boat? by Pamela Allen, is an excellent tool in teaching measurement. Learners will engage in activities involving different types of measurement. In the story, five animal friends decide to take a boat ride....

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.

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.'

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.