Lesson Plan

Sink or Float

Introduce your students to the scientific concept of sink or float. This hands-on experiment allows them to see which objects sink and which float. The concepts taught will be solidified with the completion of worksheets.
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Learning Objectives

  • Students will work in small groups to test whether objects sink or float and describe their findings orally.

Introduction

(5 minutes)
Floating and SinkingWhat is Buoyancy?
  • Gather students in a group and tell them that they will be learning about sinking and floating.
  • Show them a tub filled with water and the objects that will be tested.
  • Define sink as the action of an object when it becomes submerged in a liquid. Define float as the action of an object when it sits on the surface of a liquid.