Will it SINK or Float

Will it SINK or Float?

National Standards:
K-4: Content Standard A: As a result of activities in grades K-4, all students should develop abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry
K-4: Content Standard B: As a result of activities in grades K-4, all students should develop an understanding of properties of objects and materials.

Pennsylvania Standards:
3.2.4.C. Pennsylvania's public schools shall teach, challenge, and support every student to realize her or his maximum potential and to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to recognize and use the elements of scientific inquiry to solve problems.
3.4.4.C. Pennsylvania's public schools shall teach, challenge, and support every student to realize her or his maximum potential and to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to recognize the basic concepts about the structure and properties of matter.

Objectives for the lesson:

Children will:

predict whether objects will sink or float in water
classify objects as sinking or floating in water
identify and explain similarities between objects that sink and float

Materials Needed:

Large container of water (large enough to accommodate objects)

Towels for cleaning up spills and drying off hands

Objects that will float and objects that will sink: stick, rock, clay-depends on shape, cork, cup-depends how placed, paperclip, nail, plastic button, metal button, apple, penny, grape, dime, orange, nickel, quarter, wooden block, ping-pong ball, ink pen, golf ball, plastic spoon, metal spoon, metal button, other objects

ENGAGE

Demonstrate by dropping a marble into water (SINK) and then a cork (FLOAT)

Ask questions:

What is happening here?
What is the difference between what is happening with the marble and the cork?
What does SINK mean?
What does FLOAT mean? (Don't give definitions; have the class decide on their own definitions of the words)

EXPLORE - Construct a DATA / EVIDENCE table

In SIX groups of 2-3, children will do the following:

Examine a set of items
Record item in the table under OBJECT (teacher can record or child can draw picture)
PREDICT whether the objects will sink or float
Record in column entitled, PREDICTION, either by letter (F for FLOAT or S for SINK), YES/NO, +/-, or ?

OBJECT PREDICTION ACTUAL RESULT

Float	Sink	Float	Sink

Next, test each item and record in column entitled, ACTUAL RESULT

EXPLAIN

Ask questions:

What's happening with the objects?
Why do you think the _____floated/sank?

Have the children sort objects into two groups: those that SANK and those that FLOAT
Ask children to describe the similarities and differences between these two groups of objects

ELABORATE

Provide balances and ask children to weigh objects and put them into an order from lightest to heaviest

Ask children to describe the objects in this sequence

How does this sequence compare to the sorting of objects into two categories of SINK and FLOAT

Extensions:

What would happen if you changed the shape of an object?

Take a flat piece of aluminum foil, and ask:
What would happen if we changed its shape into a boat?
A cup?
A tight ball?

EVALUATE

Each child will predict objects as sinking or floating in water

Each child will classify objects as sinking or floating in water with 100% accuracy

Each child will identify and explain similarities between objects that sink and float

Sinking or Floating Rubric

	5	3	1	Sub Total
Classification of objects as sinking or floating in water	Classifies objects accurately using data	Classifies 60% items accurately using data	Does not classify terms accurately, but makes the attempt
Identify similarities of objects that sink or float	Identifies similarities with 100% accuracy	Identifies similarities with 60% accuracy	Does not identify similarities, but makes the attempt
Explains similarities of objects that sink or float	Explains similarities articulately	Explains similarities to some extent	Does not explain similarities, but makes the attempt
TOTAL				(Score)

Children’s Literature

Floating and Sinking by Franklyn M. Branley

Keep it Afloat! By Julian Rowe and Molly Perham

Mike Swan, Sink or Swim by Deborah Heilgman

Mr. Gumpy’s Outing by John Burningham

The Magic School Bus: Ups and Downs by Jane Mason, Bruce Degen, and Joanna Cole

Christopher Columbus by Stephen Krensky

Mr. Archimedes’ Bath

Links:

Science Kids: http://www.science-kids.com

Vicki Cobbs Science for Kids: http://www.vickicobb.com

Beakmans World: http://www.beakman.com

The Science Spot: http://theramp.net/sciencespot

Bill Nye the Science Guy: http://wwwlbillnye.com/