Curated OER
Sink or Float
Students explore water properties by conducting a class experiment. In this buoyancy lesson, students make predictions as to whether or not specific objects will sink or float in water. Students conduct the experiment and record their...
Curated OER
Heavy Ice: Day Five
Learners explore physics by conducting a class experiment. In this density lesson plan, students examine a list of items and discuss whether they will sink or float and then determine their density. Learners examine the objects over five...
Curated OER
WHY DO SOME THINGS FLOAT WHILE OTHERS SINK
Young scholars explore how density can cause things to sink or float by experimenting with a jar, oil and corn syrup.
Mr. Hill's Science Website
Density Workbook
It's all about density! Here's a dense workbook for young scientists; they solve (and show work for) 29 density word problems, including a problem where they solve for the density of Godzilla. They complete labs analyzing metal...
Curated OER
Day Six: Floater What Ifs
Young scholars observe earth science by examining results from an experiment. In this buoyancy lesson, students practice floating different items in two different liquids and identify why certain objects will float and others sink. Young...
Teach Engineering
Clay Boats
Clay itself sinks, but clay boats float. Why? Young engineers build clay boats to learn about buoyancy. They test the weight the boats can hold using washers and then tweak their designs to make improvements, following the engineering...
Curated OER
Chemistry: The Case of the Sunken Ice Cube
Students examine a density demonstration involving ice cubes and beakers of water and alcohol. After observing how one ice cube floats in water and sinks in alcohol, they determine which mixture of the two would suspend the ice cube in...
Illinois Valley Community College
STEM Activities for Middle School Students
Use STEM activities within the class to provide connections to concepts. The resource includes activities that range from working with buoyancy to building rockets and launching them. Other activities involve the engineering design...
Teach Engineering
Buoyant Boats
Eureka! Using the clay boats made in the previous lesson, learners investigate the idea of buoyancy and water displacement to finish the last installment of five in a Floaters and Sinkers unit. Their observations during the activity...
Curated OER
Pumpkin Circuit
Learners complete a variety of activities using pumpkins. They visit various stations with various pumpkin activities.
Curated OER
Buoyant Force
Students illustrate Archimedes' Principle of Buoyant Force. In this graphing activity, students will observe that the buoyant force on an object is equal to the weight of the fluid it displaces. Students will then create a graph showing...
Curated OER
Pumpkin Science
Students investigate how plants grow by analyzing pumpkins. In this agricultural lesson, students read The Biggest Pumpkin Ever by Steven Kroll, and draw pictures of a pumpkin in each of its growing stages. Students measure and dissect...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: Teaching Measurement: Literature and Manipulatives
The tradebook, Who Sank the Boat? by Pamela Allen, is an excellent tool in teaching measurement. Young scholars will engage in activities involving different types of measurement. In the story, five animal friends decide to take a boat...