Curated OER
Day Two: Generating New Questions
Pupils investigate buoyancy by participating in a lab experiment. In this density lesson, students utilize vinegar and alcohol in beakers and attempt to float different items in them. Pupils analyze which items float and do not while...
Reach Out!
Paper Clip Sailing
Young scholars explain that some things can float on top of water because of what we call "surface tension." They see that if something happens to disturb these water molecules from tugging on each other, the skin-like surface breaks up.
Curated OER
What In The World Are Swim Bladders and Why Are They Important
In this swim bladders worksheet, students use a bowl, water, and balloons to make swim bladders, and answer short answer questions about them. Students answer 7 questions and interview someone who has been scuba diving.
Curated OER
Chemistry: The Case of the Sunken Ice Cube
Students examine a density demonstration involving ice cubes and beakers of water and alcohol. After observing how one ice cube floats in water and sinks in alcohol, they determine which mixture of the two would suspend the ice cube in...
Curated OER
Diving Raisins
Students hypothesize and observe what occurs when raisins are dropped in a carbonated liquid. They examine buoyancy and how density effects ascent and descent.
Curated OER
Floating Pencil
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...
Curated OER
Day Six: Floater What Ifs
Students observe earth science by examining results from an experiment. In this buoyancy instructional activity, students practice floating different items in two different liquids and identify why certain objects will float and others...
Curated OER
Sink It
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.
Teach Engineering
Cartesian Diver
Amaze your scholars with an activity that uses a Cartesian diver to demonstrate Pascal's Law, Archimedes' Principle, and the Ideal Gas Law. Groups then repeat the process and make their own diver move up and down in a bottle.
Curated OER
How to Float an Egg
Use the scientific method to experiment with an egg. Your class can examine buoyancy and density by finding how many spoons of salt are needed to float an egg. They can predict, experiment, record data, and analyze results.
Curated OER
Archimedes' Principle
For this Archimedes' principle worksheet, learners 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 Archimedes'...
Curated OER
Salinity
Students take a provided ocean Trivia Quiz in order to start a discussion of the ocean. They then perform an experiment on how the amount of salt in the ocean affects it and varies from ocean to ocean.
Curated OER
Science: Floating and Sinking Objects
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.
Curated OER
Density Review
In this density worksheet, students review how to calculate density and how to apply Archimedes' Principle, Boyle's Law, and Charles' Law. This worksheet has 10 matching, 13 short answer, and 6 fill in the blank questions.
Curated OER
Does Soap Float?
Students form hypotheses and carry out an investigation in order to answer a central question: Does soap float? The focus of this lesson plan is on scientific inquiry, but it incorporates scientific topics such as sinking and floating.
Curated OER
Pumpkin Play
Have you ever examined a pumpkin and estimated the number of lines it has? In this math lesson, students count the actual number of lines, record and graph the results. They investigate the circumference, weight and buoyancy of the...
Newspaper Association of America
Cereal Bowl Science and Other Investigations with the Newspaper
What do cereal, fog, and space shuttles have to do with newspapers? A collection of science investigations encourage critical thinking using connections to the various parts of the newspaper. Activities range from building origami seed...
Curated OER
Rising Air
Students investigate the concept of rising air in the formation of clouds and precipitation. In this rising air lesson, students conduct an experiment with hot and cold water that shows how warm water rises due to thermal buoyancy. They...
Curated OER
Aluminum Boats
Students study buoyancy with an in-class experiment. In this water properties lesson plan, students create a boat from aluminum foil and float it in a bucket of water. Students utilize coins to change the weight of the boat and record...
Curated OER
Give Me a Tall Ship
Sixth graders develop an understanding of floating, sinking, density, and buoyancy and apply it to the design of testing of ships.
Curated OER
Week 8 - Sea Life
Using a magnifier, mini marine biologists examine the barbules of a bird feather. They swirl the it into a mixture of oil and water and then re-examine the feather. After the activity, discuss how the oily feathers pose a problem to sea...
Curated OER
Student Exploration: Density Laboratory
In this density laboratory worksheet, students complete 2 prior knowledge questions, then use the "Density Laboratory Gizmo" to complete several activities, answering short answer questions when finished.
Curated OER
Science Lesson Plans
Students conduct a variety of exploration activities on various science topics. For this science lesson outline, students design a cell encapsulation to hold a specific type of medicine. They give examples of physical and chemical...
Curated OER
Cartesian Diver Lab
In this Cartesian diver lab, students explain using text and diagrams how the Cartesian diver works. Students evaluate ways in making their lab design better. Students make predictions of how changing the variable would change the...