Curated OER
Heavy Ice: Day Five
Students explore physics by conducting a class experiment. For this density lesson, students examine a list of items and discuss whether they will sink or float and then determine their density. Students examine the objects over five...
Curated OER
What Floats Your Boat?
Students are introduced to the concept of buoyancy. The Video used in this lesson demonstrates and explains the characteristics of objects that sink and float. It presents the concepts of displacement, weight, and buoyancy.
Center for Learning in Action
Density
Explore the concept of density within states of matter—gases, liquids, and solids—through a group experiment in which young scientists test objects' texture, color, weight, size, and ability to sink or float.
Teach Engineering
Determining Densities
Don't be dense—use a robust resource. The second installment of a five-part Floaters and Sinkers unit has learners determine the densities of several objects. As part of the activity, they learn the displacement method for finding...
Curated OER
Floating Fishes: How do Fishes Control Buoyancy?
Playing with balloons, water, oil, and bottles help put this lesson over the top! Participants use air-filled balloons in water tanks to experience gas compression. They also use oil-filled bottles to experiment with buoyancy. Included...
Curated OER
Water: Float and Sink
First graders work in small groups to observe the tendency to float or sink for a variety of objects in water. They sort the objects and discuss their observations. They use aluminum foil to construct a boat and test it for weight capacity.
Curated OER
Density in Relation to Float and Sink
Students explore the concept of density. In this density activity, students determine the density of various objects. Students use the density of the various objects to predict the density of various unknown solutions.
Curated OER
WHY DO SOME THINGS FLOAT WHILE OTHERS SINK
Students explore how density can cause things to sink or float by experimenting with a jar, oil and corn syrup.
Teach Engineering
Floaters and Sinkers
Whatever floats your boat. Young engineers learn about density by measuring the masses and volumes of boxes filled with different materials. Using their knowledge of densities, they hypothesize whether objects with given densities will...
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
Rock and Boat
Present the class with a question on whether the water level of a pond will rise they take a large rock out of a boat and drop it into the pond. Groups come down on all sides of the question and try to justify their answers. The activity...
Curated OER
What's The Matter: A Sinker or Floater?
Students conduct an experiment. In this water lesson, students watch the lesson "Float and Sink" on an interactive website. Students learn how to test items in water and then work in groups to test their items. Students discuss their...
Curated OER
Science - "Why does it float?" - Exploring the Concept of Density
In this density worksheet, students read about density, volume and mass. They then use what they learned to answer the 8 questions on the page. The answers are on the last page.
Curated OER
Sink or Float Experiment
Students participate in an experiment to determine which objects float or sink. They use different amounts of salt for the objects and discover as the salt content increases, objects will float. They record their predictions and what...
Curated OER
The Magical Diving Sub
Students use their background knowledge of how scientists work to discuss and predict if a given object will sink or float. They record their predictions on a data sheet. Students test the objects and organize them into floating or...
Curated OER
Sink or Float?
Students analyze the relationship between density, buoyancy, and salinity. In this chemical properties lesson plan, students read a background activity for the lesson plan and experiments to the topics. Students discuss the questions and...
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
To Float or Not to Float, That is the Question?
Ninth graders develop operational definition of density, do computations using density equation, categorize pieces of matter as being able to float on
water or not, based on density, explain why some objects sink or float based on...
Curated OER
Density
Learners predict when an object will float or sink based on comparison of density of the object to the density of the substance in which it is placed. The access a website and sketch the object in the first column of their table and then...
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.
DiscoverE
Design a Flotation Device
Save the soup! Scholars devise a flotation device using straws, balloons, foam, corks, and other objects. A can of soup must stay afloat for at least a minute with this device—your dinner might depend on it!
Curated OER
Water and Ice
Students investigate the states of matter. In this physics lesson, students use water and ice to demonstrate the characteristics of a solid and liquid. Students record their observations as the state of the water changes.
Curated OER
Exploring the Properties of Matter in the Preschool
Students study the properties of the physical and natural world. In this properties of the physical and natural world instructional activity, preschool students work at discovery tables to see how simple machines work, what happens when...
Curated OER
Science: Floating and Sinking Objects
Second graders discuss why some objects float while others sink. They examine various objects and predict whether or not they will sink or float. Students discover the properties needed for objects to float.