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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

What Floats Your Boat?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners 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.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Thermo and Fluid Dynamics of a Homemade "Lava Lamp"

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers construct their own lava lamp using simple substances. In this physics lesson, students explain how difference in density causes convection. They solve for forces and buoyancy using mathematical equations.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Build Your Own Submarine

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students construct their own submarine following a certain procedure. In this physics lesson, students calculate the density of objects using a mathematical formula. They explain why some object floats in water while some do not.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

I've Got That Sinking Feeling

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students design a simple boat and predict how much weight it can carry. They should also discover why objects float or sink and how this can be determined experimentally. A great lesson on buoyancy!
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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 instructional activity, students utilize freshwater, saltwater, plastic cups, hard boiled eggs and food coloring to experiment with the floating...
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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

Water Density and Stability Lab

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students observe how different water densities and salinity control the depth at which different water masses occur. Submarines are used as a case study. This is a well-designed with an excellent worksheet.
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Unit Plan
Arizona State University

Physics of Boats

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Let's go sailing! An instructive unit includes six lessons with multiple activities to teach scholars about density, center of gravity, buoyancy, and the Archimedes Principle. They can complete the final project of building a boat on a...
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Activity
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Teach Engineering

Clay Boats

For Teachers 7th - 9th Standards
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...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ships 2: What Floats Your Boat?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students 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.
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Lesson Plan
Discovery Education

Future Fleet

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Turn your pupils into engineers who are able to use scientific principals to design a ship. This long-term project expects pupils to understand concepts of density, buoyancy, displacement, and metacenter, and apply them to constructing a...
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Lesson Plan
University of Southern California

Design and Test an Air Lift Siphon

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Build an air lift siphon using your mad physics skills! Learners first investigate the importance of circulating water in aquaponics systems. They then use density to their advantage as they engineer an air lift siphon
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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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Activity
Exploratorium

Bubble Suspension

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Create a cushion of carbon dioxide gas to float some soap bubbles on. Many concepts can be demonstrated through this activity: Carbon dioxide gas is more dense than air Bubbles are semipermeable, allowing only carbon dioxide to diffuse...
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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

What Floats Your Boat?

For Teachers 4th - 6th
This open-ended boat building exercise is meant to be part of a three-lesson series on ships. Links to the other two lessons are included. This particular part is mostly a group lab activity in which they build a boat, find its load line...
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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

Physical Science- Sink or Float?

For Teachers K - 2nd
Learners investigate which objects sink and which ones float. Learners engage in an experiment, make predictions, and record results on a graphic organizer. This is a comprehensive and easy to follow resource.
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Can You Canoe?

For Teachers 3rd - 7th Standards
A neat handout immerses learners in the history of canoe making. After reading, small groups of mini engineers work to craft a canoe that will not be immersed! This is an ideal exercise in engineering design for your STEM curriculum or...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Come On Down!

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students research the implementation of a research vessel used for ocean exploration.  In buoyancy lesson students will construct a device that shows neutral buoyancy.
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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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