PBS
Watercraft
Whatever floats your boat—with some additional weight. The first activity in a five-part series challenges pupils to design a boat to hold pennies. Using the design process, learners design, build, and test their boats, making sure they...
Curated OER
Float or Sink?
Middle schoolers 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...
Curated OER
Atoms, Kinetic Theory, Solids and Fluids
Students identify and describe the building blocks that make up an atom. They also compare the ages of atoms to the ages of the materials they compose,as well as, give examples that illustrate the small size of atoms.
Curated OER
The Floating Golf Ball
Fourth graders discuss density. In this floating golf ball lesson plan students complete a lab activity on density while working in groups.
Curated OER
#24 Rotating Frames of Reference in Space and on Earth
Students explore rotating frames of reference, focusing on the weightless environment in space and the Coriolis force.
Curated OER
Marine Debris
Students perform experiments to examine if debris float, or blow in the wind. The effects of these characteristics on the marine debris are then discussed. They determine how a material can influence what becomes marine debris.
Curated OER
Marine Debris
Now is the time to educate tomorrow's citizens to care for the planet, and here is a lesson to help facilitate the process. Collect some marine debris and bring it into class. Have your class separate it into types and then test each...
Curated OER
What Floats Your Boat?
Students discover the Archimedes principle through a buoyancy experiment. They measure the water displacement of a lump a clay which is denser than water then reshape the clay into a bowl which floats but displaces more water.
Curated OER
Floaters and Sinkers
Fifth graders define density as the amount of mass per volume a material contains, compare the densities of several types of materials, especially those that sink in water compared to those that float. They use two different methods to...
Curated OER
Water Density and Stability Lab
Learners 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.
Curated OER
Density - An Introduction
Students experiment with objects of different densities. In this density lesson, students examine same-sized objects with different weights, then look at a teacher explanation of density. Students make wave bottles and a density jar to...
Curated OER
Build Your Own Submarine
Students construct their own submarine following a certain procedure. For 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.
Curated OER
How Wet Can You Get?
Students visit a swimming pool and brainstorm different water sports and what benefits swimming has over other types of exercise. They then discuss buoyancy and water pressure and when how objects sink or float before playing a game of...
Curated OER
Introduction to Density
Seventh graders discover the definition of density through a demonstration using ethanol and ice cubes and a class discussion using a SMART Board to illustrate formulas and calculations. Students finish the instructional activity by...
Curated OER
Student Exploration: Density Experiment: Slice and Dice
In this density worksheet, students explore an internet program called Gizmo where they do an experiment with density. Students complete 18 questions.
Curated OER
Investigating Density: Heavy Ice
Learners end up learning the formula for density and calculate the densities of various materials, and predict if they sink or float.
Curated OER
Water Displacement
Students formulate a hypothesis using critical thinking skills. They use an orange to examine the displacement of water as the orange sinks or floats.
Curated OER
Archimedes' Principle
In this Archimedes' principle activity, high schoolers answer 13 questions about the concepts of Archimedes' principle such as water displacement, buoyancy and force. The answer questions from a lab they did in class to simulate...
Curated OER
Move that Tower
Young scholars 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
Big Enough?
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...
Curated OER
Density Determination
Students observe 2 demonstrations of density. In this density lesson plan, students observe a vial with various substances of different densities. Students then observe the differences between a diet coke and a regular coke can when on a...
Curated OER
The Buoyancy Factor
Students examine why some objects float in water while others sink and the ability of something to float does not depend entirely on its weight. Archimedes' principle is introduced and buoyant force is discussed. Practice calculations...
Curated OER
Science Lesson #2
Fourth graders explore and experiment with objects that float to see if they float differently in salt water or fresh water. After the experiment, they write a paragraph in their science journal explaining how fresh water and ocean water...
Curated OER
Inventions 2: The Impact
Learners research inventors and inventions and their impacts. In this invention lesson plan, students research inventions and their affects in good and bad ways.