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Lesson Plan
American Chemical Society

Comparing the Density of an Object to the Density of Water

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Investigators construct a makeshift balance and compare equal volumes of wax and water. They do the same for clay and water. Then they discover whether the wax and clay will float or sink in water. Ultimately this is a comparison of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring Buoyancy

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Learners use materials found at a resource table to design simple devices that will house instruments to take water samples from a tub of water. They design 3 instruments, each varying in density so that one will float, one will hover...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Density and Buoyancy Experimental Design

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Learners must plan, design, and conduct an experiment that answers the scientific question: "Come up with a question that addresses the factors (variables) of the water and its effect on whether an object floats or sinks."
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Big Enough?

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students explore the concept of density and buoyancy. In this physics lesson, students discover the different factors that affect an object's density and buoyancy in water. Students conduct several investigations to further understand...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ice Floats

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young scholars explore the changing density of water. In this physics instructional activity, students investigate how an object's density determines whether it will float or sink in water. They explain why this unique property of is...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Freshwater/Saltwater "Eggs-Periment"

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students explore water properties by conducting a class experiment. In this buoyancy lesson plan, students utilize freshwater, saltwater, plastic cups, hard boiled eggs and food coloring to experiment with the floating capabilities of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sink or Swim

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Students explore sinking and floating.  In this buoyancy lesson, students conduct an investigation dealing with regular and diet soda. Students drop various soda cans into water and then discuss why some float and some sink. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Activity: Float a Clay Boat

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Written to introduce pupils to buoyancy, this activity has collaborative groups work to design a floatable clay boat. They first observe that a stick of clay sinks in water and then are given their own stick to reshape into a floating...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Buoyancy

For Teachers 3rd - 7th
Pupils look at clippings of boats. They are able to define the following terms displacement, and density. Students construct a clay boat. After they complete their clay boat pupils answer questions about their clay boats.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Immiscible Liquids and Density

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Young scholars will make a lava lamp. In this density lesson, 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.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sink or Float?

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students analyze the relationship between density, buoyancy, and salinity. In this chemical properties instructional activity, students read a background activity for the instructional activity and experiments to the topics. Students...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sink It

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Introduce your class to the concept of sinking and floating. In groups, they classify objects after making predictions about which materials will sink or float. They record their results and create graphs and charts to share with the class.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Does the USS Alabama Float?

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students investigate buoyancy. For this buoyancy lesson, students apply the Archimedes Principle of Buoyancy to the experiment conducted in class to determine how battleships float.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Diving Raisins

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students hypothesize and observe what occurs when raisins are dropped in a carbonated liquid. They examine buoyancy and how density effects ascent and descent.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fishy Physics

For Teachers 4th - 9th
Students explore how fish are able to move easily from one depth to another in water.  In this fish lesson students create their own balloon fish. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Does Soap Float?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students form hypotheses and carry out an investigation in order to answer a central question: Does soap float? The focus of this instructional activity is on scientific inquiry, but it incorporates scientific topics such as sinking and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Boat Designs Float the Best?

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders investigate buoyancy by conducting a science experiment.  In this water properties lesson, 5th graders predict which of their different paper boat designs will float for the longest period.  Students conduct the experiment...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Float Your Boat

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students design an experiment to find density using Archimedes' Principle. In this physics lesson, students calculate density using mass and volume. They share their findings in class.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Floating Pencil

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students discover how salt water makes a pencil float better than freshwater by measuring and comparing the lengths of the portion of the pencil that floats above the water surface. They then determine if an unknown water sample is...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hitler's Lost Sub

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students watch a video clip about German submarines lost during World War II. They work together to create their own submarine out of a plastic bottle. They test the buoyancy of the submarine in different activities.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Week 8 - Sea Life

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Using a magnifier, mini marine biologists examine the barbules of a bird feather. They swirl the it into a mixture of oil and water and then re-examine the feather. After the activity, discuss how the oily feathers pose a problem to sea...

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