Curated OER
Investigating Density: Heavy Ice
Students end up learning the formula for density and calculate the densities of various materials, and predict if they sink or float.
Curated OER
Health Issues Related to Space Experiments
Students participate in a science lesson that integrates connections between health issues on Earth and how those issues are related to studies conducted on the International Space Station. T
Virginia Department of Education
The Colligative Properties of Solutions
How can you relate colligative properties of solutions to everyday situations? Pupils first discuss the concepts of density, boiling and freezing points, then demonstrate how to accurately determine the boiling and freezing point of...
Space Awareness
The Engine of Life
There is a specific zone, or distance from a star, that a planet must be in order to have water in a liquid form. The activity demonstrates how flux density depends on its distance from the source. A photovoltaic cell gets power to...
Curated OER
Will It Sink or Float?
Learners conduct a science experiment to determine whether a variety of objects will sink or float. They discuss the concept of density, and then make predictions about whether the objects will sink or float. They then conduct the...
Curated OER
Water Currents
Learners demonstrate how ocean currents are influenced by changes in density. They discover that temperature and salintiy affect density as well. They participate in a short experiment to end the instructional activity.
NOAA
Come on Down!
What do we do when a dive is too dangerous for humans to accomplish? Send in the robots! Middle school scientists get acquainted with several different models of submersible robots in the second lesson of six from NOAA. Lab groups then...
Curated OER
Sink or Float?
Students analyze the relationship between density, buoyancy, and salinity. For this chemical properties lesson, students read a background activity for the lesson and experiments to the topics. Students discuss the questions and complete...
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Salinity
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.
Curated OER
Heavy Ice: Day Five
Students explore physics by conducting a class experiment. In this density lesson, students examine a list of items and discuss whether they will sink or float and then determine their density. Students examine the objects over five days...
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Make An Egg Float!
Students analyze density. In this density activity, students experiment with floating an egg. Students discover that salt added to water changes the density of the water allowing an egg to float.
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The Floating Golf Ball
Students 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...
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Color Splash
Students investigate density. In this density lesson, students conduct an experiment using food coloring. Students observe the differences in mixing food coloring in water and oil.
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Day Two: Generating New Questions
Students 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. Students analyze which items float and do not while...
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Icebergs Ahead!
Learners examine icebergs and how they are suspended in water, why ice floats, the melting process of an iceberg, and the floating behavior of ice compared to that of a cork through a lab activity.
Curated OER
Why Could the Hindenburg Float?
Tenth graders experiment with floating and sinking objects and heavy and light liquids, using correct terms, like density, to explain what happens. In this Hindenburg lesson, 10th graders watch a demonstration called the invisible...
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Salt Water Wedge
Students conduct an experiment to observe the properties of both salt and freshwater. They explain why freshwater will stay at the surface while salt water will travel up a river bottom because of density. Students also research the...
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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
Pumpkin Properties are a Smash!
Students receive a miniature pumpkin and proceed through several stations to measure a variety of physical properties. The data is entered into a data sheet and the mass and volume measurements are used to calculate density. They also...
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How Does the USS Alabama Float?
Students investigate buoyancy. In this buoyancy instructional activity, students apply the Archimedes Principle of Buoyancy to the experiment conducted in class to determine how battleships float.
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Day Six: Floater What Ifs
Young scholars observe earth science by examining results from an experiment. In this buoyancy lesson, students practice floating different items in two different liquids and identify why certain objects will float and others sink. Young...
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Soda Bottle Boat
Learners explore chemical reactions. In this chemical reaction lesson, students conduct an experiment observing chemical reactions.
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...
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.