Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Water Cycle/States of Matter

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers engage in a lesson that is concerned with the water cycle and different states of matter. They conduct research using a variety of resources in preparation for taking a quiz. Then students take the quiz in correlation to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Weight of Water

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students examine how salt water is more dense than fresh water through experimentation with eggs.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Buoyant Boats

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students design and construct a boat out of aluminum foil and a few other simple materials. The boats then be tested by floating them in water, then adding mass until they sink. They explore the various shapes of boat construction.
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.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Seashore Explorers

For Teachers 1st - 5th
There are three separate lessons within this resource that can be used together, or that can each stand alone. In the first, five simple activities allow junior scientists to examine the amazing properties of water. In the second, they...
Lesson Plan
California Academy of Science

Buoyancy Bulls-Eye

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Why does a seastar sink, but a jellyfish float? Through a fun investigation, learners examine the concept of buoyancy using simple household items. The challenge: create neutral buoyancy for an action figure in water. With ample...
Activity
1
1
Teach Engineering

Rock and Boat

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Activity # 13 Float or Sink?

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students have seen that solids, which are more dense than a liquid, that sinks in that liquid and solids, which are less dense than a liquid, that floats on that liquid. They use a metal boat to float in water. Pupils comprehend that...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Floating

For Teachers 1st
First graders discuss with the teacher if everything will float in water. They observe a marble and determine whether it will float making predictions as a class. After observing the results, they discover that liquids exert an upward...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Salinity

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Learners define and discuss salinity, conduct classroom experiment to determine salinity of water sample by using hydrometer, record predictions, and demonstrate understanding of how salinity influences object's ability to float in water.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Density: Float or Sink

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students discover density.  In this density lesson, students discover the properties of objects that allow them to float or sink in water.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sink or Float

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders sort objects into those they think will float and those that will sink and test their predictions. They experiment with clay molding it into shapes that float. They place pennies in them until they sink. They test other...
Organizer
Curated OER

Deducing Density

For Students 3rd - 4th
In this deducing density learning exercise, students follow the procedures to set up an experiment about objects floating in water and liquids of different densities, answer questions, collect data and complete charts.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring Marine Objects

For Teachers 1st - 7th
Students identify the sources of water on Earth. In this life science lesson, students list the different plants and animals that live in the ocean. They explore marine objects in the lab and draw them.
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Incredible Iceboats

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students explore the concept of floating objects (ice).  In this floating lesson, students conduct an investigation in which they hypothesize about the time that an ice boat will last floating in water.  Students record their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Float or Sink?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students 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 plotting...
Organizer
Curated OER

Buoyancy

For Students 7th - 12th
In this buoyancy worksheet, students read about why objects float or sink. Students apply the Archimedes' Principle in a buoyancy lab. Students complete 1 graphic organizer.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

To Float or Not to Float, That is the Question?

For Teachers 9th
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What is Density?

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Young scholars explore physical science by conducting an in-class experiment. In this density lesson plan, students define vocabulary terms dealing with physics and discuss their knowledge of density. Young scholars conduct several "sink...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fun with Surface Tension!

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Students explore physical science by participating in a water properties experiment. In this surface tension lesson, students utilize pennies, water, a dropper and soapy water to test the different surface tensions with numerous objects....
Interactive
CK-12 Foundation

Going Fishing

For Students 6th - 12th
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.
Organizer
Curated OER

Floating and Sinking

For Students K - 2nd
In this early physics activity, students cut out pictures of 16 everyday objects. Students determine whether each of the objects will float or sink and then paste the pictures in the appropriate boxes.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Technology of the Deep: Experiments with Buoyant Forces

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students conduct a series of experiments to study the effects of temperature and salinity on the buoyancy of an object in water. They devise ways to make floating and sinking objects neutrally buoyant.