Sink it
http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/lessons.cfm?DocID=125
A lesson plan for grade K Science
Learn more
Help
Please read our disclaimer for lesson plans.
Legal
This catalog record is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License. This license applies to the content of this page only and does not apply to the referenced website.
In this lesson, students conduct experiments to further explore density of solids and liquids. Students also learn more about scientific inquiry, which includes experimental design, testing simply hypotheses, and grouping objects by common characteristics. First, students classify common objects according to whether they think they will float or sink. After students discuss why they think certain objects might float, the teacher demonstrates that weight may not be a factor in whether an object floats or sinks. Then, once students re-sort their piles, they make hypotheses and determine how they will conduct their experiment. After performing their tests, students discuss how their initial hypotheses actually developed. Finally, students present their findings to the class. Science NetLinks provides student handouts, educational research references for teachers, a link to other online lessons on flotation and sinking, and detailed instructions for completing the activity.
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
Science (2005)
Kindergarten
- Goal 3: The learner will make observations and build an understanding of the properties of common objects.
- Objective 3.04: Observe that objects can be described and sorted by their properties.
