Floating and sinking/Lesson Document: Difference between revisions

Test some things to see if they float or sink. Use a forcemeter to measure their weight in air and their weight in water – the floaters should weigh nothing in water. Record the results in a spreadsheet table – do not graph the weights.

This activity can easily be adapted for foundation stage children in that they can find different objects and can test whether they float or sink themselves. More able children might then talk about the materials that each object is made from and may be able to draw some conclusions. This is an opportunity for some basic recording using a simple table. For KS1 children exploring the relationship between the weight (mass) of an object and its volume is a key concept and the outlined activities would allow that as they stand.  For KS2 children an investigation in to the way in which upthrust works on objects in water can be easily extrapolated from this activity. Given the same weight/mass of plasticine can the children design a shape of object that either floats for he longest or sinks the fastest. As with the parachute drop the issue here is one of successfully timing how long it takes for some shapes to sink – it can be less than a second if the water tank is not deep enough.

* How would you support less able children?

* What curriculum guidelines does this resource address?