Third graders graph how much water is wasted while waiting for it to get warm in the spigot in the sink. In this graphing lesson plan, student first predict how much water is wasted. That night they test it out at home and the next day...

What did the sea say to the boat? Nothing, it just waved. An inquiry-based instructional activity starts with a simple concept on the Archimedes Principle and challenges pupils to make something out of clay that floats....

Students analyze the relationship between density, buoyancy, and salinity. In this chemical properties lesson, students read a background activity for the lesson and experiments to the topics. Students discuss the questions and complete...

Students write and explain why an object sinks or floats.  In this buoyancy lesson plan students demonstrate how items float or sink and graph the results. 

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!

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...

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...

Learners design, build, and test the specifications (water displacement and load line) for a model boat. The lesson focuses especially on integrating design principles with inquiry-based experimental skills.

Clay's as good a material as any to build a boat, right? An introductory lesson 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 the...

Learners predict when an object will float or sink based on comparison of density of the object to the density of the substance in which it is placed. The access a website and sketch the object in the first column of their table and then...

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...

Students investigate the states of matter. In this physics lesson, students use water and ice to demonstrate the characteristics of a solid and liquid. Students record their observations as the state of the water changes.

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...

Middle schoolers examine buoyancy.  In this density lesson students form a hypothesis, collect data and draw a conclusion using the data. 

Second graders discuss why some objects float while others sink. They examine various objects and predict whether or not they will sink or float. Students discover the properties needed for objects to float.

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...

Learners define the terms "mass," "volume," and "density." The relationship between these three terms is established. They observe the differences between Regular and Diet Coke. They develop an hypotheses about why a can of Regular Coke...

Swimmers know to float by turning their bodies horizontally rather than vertically, but why does that make a difference? In an interesting lesson plan, scholars explore buoyancy and the properties of air and water. They test cups to see...

Different substances can have different densities, but can the same substance have different densities? Lesson explores the effect of temperature on the density of water. Extension idea connects the concept of how melting ice in lakes...

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...

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...

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...

How do astronauts know how to live and work in a weightless environment? It doesn't come naturally! Junior physicists conduct experiments to examine the link between buoyancy and microgravity. Each activity illustrates a different aspect...

This particular lesson plan was written by the National Earth Science Teachers Association, but density is a concept that you can teach at the beginning of the school year in your life, physical, or earth science classes. It would be fun...