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Floating and Falling Flows
Students discover fluid dynamics related to buoyancy through experimentation and optional photography. Using one set of fluids, they make light fluids rise through denser fluids. Using another set, they make dense fluids sink through a...
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Salinity
Students take a provided ocean Trivia Quiz in order to start a discussion of the ocean. They then perform an experiment on how the amount of salt in the ocean affects it and varies from ocean to ocean.
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I've Got That Sinking Feeling
Students design a simple boat and predict how much weight it can carry. They should also discover why objects float or sink and how this can be determined experimentally. A great lesson on buoyancy!
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What Floats Your Boat?
Students are introduced to the concept of buoyancy. The Video used in this lesson demonstrates and explains the characteristics of objects that sink and float. It presents the concepts of displacement, weight, and buoyancy.
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Cold Hard Facts...What Inquiring Minds Will Know
Students work with "ice" in order to gain a practical application of math concepts that evolve into an inquiry-based study. They determine if the dimensions of the ice make a difference in the way the ice floats in the water.
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What Floats Your Boat?
Students explore the principles of buoyancy and Archimedes' Principle and design their own flotation device. They compare the dimensions of a model to the real object to determine scale and analyze the models to suggest improvements.
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Barge Building: What Floats Your Boat?
Learners construct aluminum foil boats that float while holding the greatest number of pennies. They investigate the concept of water displacement, record their results, and watch a Bill Nye video on buoyancy.
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Buoyant Boats
Students design and construct a boat out of aluminum foil and a few other simple materials. The boats then be tested by floating them in water, then adding mass until they sink. They explore the various shapes of boat construction.
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Does Soap Float?
Students form hypotheses and carry out an investigation in order to answer a central question: Does soap float? The focus of this lesson is on scientific inquiry, but it incorporates scientific topics such as sinking and floating.
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Floating Fishes: Boat Sinking Lab
Cut milk cartons in half to make boats and let investigators attempt to sink them. They add dividing walls and observe what happens if marbles are put into only one of the newly formed compartments. Vocabulary is provided: buoyant force,...
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Activity: Float a Clay Boat
Written to introduce pupils to buoyancy, this activity has collaborative groups work to design a floatable clay boat. They first observe that a stick of clay sinks in water and then are given their own stick to reshape into a floating...
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Day Two: Generating New Questions
Students investigate buoyancy by participating in a lab experiment. In this density activity, students utilize vinegar and alcohol in beakers and attempt to float different items in them. Students analyze which items float and do not...
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Density and Buoyancy Lesson Plan
High schoolers investigate why some objects float or sink in water. For this physics lesson, students calculate the density of clay ball using a mathematical equation. They write a complete lab report about the experiment.
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Science Lesson Plans
Students conduct a variety of exploration activities on various science topics. In this science lesson plan outline, students design a cell encapsulation to hold a specific type of medicine. They give examples of physical and chemical...
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Archimedes' Principle
Young scholars examine the relationship between density and buoyancy. In this physics lesson students use Archimedes' Principle to complete calculations on buoyancy and a lab activity.
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Sink or Float
Students explore water properties by conducting a class experiment. In this buoyancy instructional activity, students make predictions as to whether or not specific objects will sink or float in water. Students conduct the experiment and...
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Condiment Diver: The World's Simplest Cartesian Diver
Students examine buoyancy. In this density lesson students form a hypothesis, collect data and draw a conclusion using the data.
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Dive In
Students study how buoyancy, pressure, and light can effect the work of underwater scientists. In this marine science lesson students complete a lab that allows them to better understand how pressure varies with altitude and depth.
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Come On Down!
Students research the implementation of a research vessel used for ocean exploration. In buoyancy lesson students will construct a device that shows neutral buoyancy.
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Beneath the Sea
Students build a model of a submersible that will allow them to explore ballasts and how they operate. In this hands on lesson students participate in an activity that shows them how to control buoyancy.
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Ballast Systems in Submarines
Students investigate Ballast systems in submarines. In this ballast activity, students conduct experiments that show how a Ballast system works. Students will then create a model of a submarine's ballast system.
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Sink or Float?
Students analyze the relationship between density, buoyancy, and salinity. In this chemical properties lesson plan, students read a background activity for the lesson plan and experiments to the topics. Students discuss the questions and...
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Buoyancy
In this buoyancy activity, students use clay, water, newspaper, and more to create buoyant objects. Students follow 5 directions, and answer 4 questions.
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Student Exploration: Density Laboratory
In this density laboratory instructional activity, learners complete 2 prior knowledge questions, then use the "Density Laboratory Gizmo" to complete several activities, answering short answer questions when finished.