Curated OER
Floating Soap
Students use the Scientific Method steps to complete an experiment on various brands of soap to determine their floating capabilities. In this scientific method lesson, students write a hypothesis about the ability of various soap bars...
Curated OER
Buoyant Behavior
Combine science and literature with this lesson on buoyancy. Read There's an Ant in Anthony by Bernard Most to examine words containing the letters a, n, and t. Then introduce your class to the word "buoyant." Demonstrate how an egg...
Curated OER
Grand Designs And Great Failures
Students 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 destroyers.
Arizona State University
Physics of Boats
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...
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
Sink or Float?
Students examine how weight and balance can effect if an item sinks or floats. They listen to the book "Who Sank the Boat?" by Pamela Allen, and discuss how the smallest animal sank the boat. Students then conduct an experiment in...
Curated OER
Sink or Float
First graders explore items that sink or float. They cut and glue pictures of objects that they predict will sink or float. Students place thir pictures on a picture of a bucket of water. Students then color the objects that they had...
Curated OER
Will it SINK or Float?
Students predict whether objects will sink or float in water. They classify objects as sinking or floating in water. Students identify and explain similarities between objects that sink and float.
Curated OER
The Floating Golf Ball
Pupils explore density by floating golf balls. They explore having their golf balls float halfway in a container of water and discuss density and its realtionship to where the golf balls are floating. After adding food coloring, they...
Curated OER
Move that Tower
Students investigate ways to find the density of irregular shaped objects. For this physics lesson, students calculate density using its mass and volume. They explain why some objects float or sink in water.
Curated OER
Leaky Seal
Junior high schoolers explore possible theories for the cause of the Hunley submarine sinking. Through hands on activities, they investigate how to create a waterproof seal. Afterwards, they discuss how seals work and various...
American Chemical Society
Changing the Density of an Object - Changing Shape
Continuing with the concept of volume and its effect on density, learners now work with a piece of clay to see if they can get it to float in water. This is a memorable end to a seven-part investigation of density. Make sure to check out...
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...
Curated OER
Water Olympics
A fascinating and engaging lesson on the properties of water awaits you. In it, learners engage in four activities that are designed to teach about the properties of water. This exciting plan has worksheets embedded in it which make the...
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...
California Academy of Science
Buoyancy Bulls-Eye
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...
Curated OER
Investigating the Effect of Salinity on the Density and Stability of Water
Water with varying amounts of dissolved salt are dyed and then used to compare densities. The objective is to discover the effect of salinity, and therefore density, on ocean water on the stability of the ocean. Many branches of science...
Center for Learning in Action
Properties of Balls
Enhance your states of matter lessons with a hands-on science investigation that compares six different balls' color, texture, size, weight, ability to bounce, and buoyancy.
Curated OER
Density
Second graders watch a demonstration and complete an experiment to determine how an objects' density allows it to float or sink. They work in small groups to assimilate the characteristics of items that float as opposed to simply...
Curated OER
What is Density?
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...
Curated OER
Lesson tow
Students study the ocean and its characteristics. In this oceans instructional activity students complete a lab activity and are able to predict temperature of certain depths.
Curated OER
My Science Box: Seafloor Spreading
Students examine the movement of plate tectonics. In this lesson plan on the spreading of the seafloor, students use maps and models to observe how the sea floor spreads.
Curated OER
Lesson Plan of a Thematic Project - Water
Sixth graders investigate the properties of water. In this life science lesson, 6th graders create a concept map of water. They share their work with the class.
Curated OER
Sink or Float
Students construct clay boats and predict whether the boats will sink or float. Students will hypothesize what caused the boats to sink or float.