Teach Engineering
What Floats Your Boat?
Clay's as good a material as any to build a boat, right? An introductory lesson plan sets the stage for two activities associated with buoyancy. The first involves building boats out of clay, while the second uses these boats to measure...
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...
CK-12 Foundation
Going Fishing
Why do some things float and others sink? A creative simulation allows learners to adjust mass and volume of an object to affect its buoyancy in water. A graph records the effect of each manipulation.
Curated OER
Density: Floating, Sinking, and Suspending
Students observe teacher demonstrations that illustrate density. In this density lesson, the teacher demonstrates how air bubbles in a carbonated drink can cause a raisin to float and how an egg sinks in fresh water, but floats in salt...
American Chemical Society
Changing the Density of an Object - Adding Material
In this sixth of seven activities revolving around the concept of density, physical science fans figure out if anything can be done to change the density of an object. Demonstrate by placing a can of regular and a can of diet soda into a...
Exploratorium
Descartes' Diver
Pique interest in water pressure, demonstrate buoyancy, and explore water displacement concepts with a homemade Cartesian diver. You may want to change the name of the toy, however, as is is not documented the Rene Descartes...
Curated OER
Why Could the Hindenburg Float?
Tenth graders experiment with floating and sinking objects and heavy and light liquids, using correct terms, like density, to explain what happens. In this Hindenburg instructional activity, 10th graders watch a demonstration...
Curated OER
Investigating Density: Heavy Ice
Students end up learning the formula for density and calculate the densities of various materials, and predict if they sink or float.
DiscoverE
Foil Boats
How many pennies can an aluminum foil boat hold? That is the challenge in a collaborative activity designed to explore the concept of buoyancy. Learners use aluminum foil to build makeshift boats and test the weight they hold before...
Curated OER
How Wet Can You Get?
Students visit a swimming pool and brainstorm different water sports and what benefits swimming has over other types of exercise. They then discuss buoyancy and water pressure and when how objects sink or float before playing a game of...
Curated OER
Water Exploration Station
Learners 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. Learners use estimation and measurement...
Curated OER
You Are What You Eat: Plastics and Marine Life
Students study the different types of plastics and see which ones sink or remain buoyant. For this ocean environmental lesson students complete several handouts, and view a film on PBS.
Center for Precollegiate Education and Training
Buoyancy Boats
What did the sea say to the boat? Nothing, it just waved. An inquiry-based lesson starts with a simple concept on the Archimedes Principle and challenges pupils to make something out of clay that floats. Then, they design...
American Chemical Society
Changing the Density of a Liquid - Adding Salt
Fourth in a set of several little lessons on density, this one compares the density of fresh and salt water. First by demonstration, and then by a hands-on activity, learners find that adding salt increases the density, as is evidenced...
American Chemical Society
Changing the Density of a Liquid - Heating and Cooling
During a unit on density, pupils ponder whether or not temperature affects this property. By carefully inserting blue cold water and yellow hot water into a room-temperature sample, they will see the answer. Make sure to have done the...
Curated OER
Water Displacement
Students formulate a hypothesis using critical thinking skills. They use an orange to examine the displacement of water as the orange sinks or floats.
Curated OER
Come On Down!
Begin with an introduction to famous deep-sea submersibles. Learners work in groups to gather information on different vessels and then share with the class. Each group then uses water displacement to help calculate the density of...
Curated OER
Interactive Writing
First graders write about vehicles that float using the interactive writing procedure.
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 lesson, preschool students work at discovery tables to see how simple machines work, what happens when items are put...
Curated OER
Immiscible Liquids and Density
Students will make a lava lamp. In this density lesson plan, students will combine water and oil and make observations, then add salt to the oil and observe the oil sink, then float again when the salt dissolves in the water.
Curated OER
Float or Sink?
Middle schoolers examine why some objects float while others do not. They place various objects in water to observe their floating capability. Students record the object, its weight, and if the object floated. They construct a graph...
Curated OER
To Float or Not to Float - A Lesson on Density
Students define density in their own words. In this physics lesson, students calculate density using mass and volume. They explain why some objects sink and some float.
Curated OER
Grand Designs And Great Failures
Middle schoolers extend their understanding of floating, sinking, density, and buoyancy and apply it to the design and testing of ships. students discover that most ships are constructed very similarly-whether they are schooners or...
Curated OER
Ships 3: Grand Designs And Great Failures
Students engage in this, the third in a three-part series on ships. The overall lesson series is designed to allow students to extend their understanding of floating, sinking, density, and buoyancy and apply it to the design and testing...