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Main Subject Area: Science
Additional Subjects: Science
Duration of Lesson:
45 minutes
Keywords:
Brief Description:
Students will explore the concept of density by trying to make a penny and other materials float.
National Standard(s):
Additional Subject Area Standard(s):
Objectives:
Materials (online):
Materials (offline):
Bowl or small pail
Water
Circulating U.S. cent
Ball of clay
Other objects that will sink or float, such as a paper clip, cork, ping-pong ball, or button
Paper towels
Science lab notebook
Coins Used in Lesson:
Grade Level(s):
3-5
Procedures (online):
Procedures (offline):
1. Introduce this activity by holding a discussion about sinking and floating.
2. As a class, develop a definition for sinking and floating.
3. Hold up all of the objects and ask students to predict if think they would sink or float.
4. Divide the students into groups of 3-4.
5. Distribute materials to each group.
6. Have each group conduct experiments to see if the different objects sink or float.
7. Have each student record his or her results in their science lab notebooks. Also, ask each student to write qualities of objects that sink and qualities of objects that float in their notebook.
8. Lastly, challenge the students to see if they can make their penny float. They can use the objects they have, but nothing else. (They need to flatten the clay ball into a boat, and then put the penny into the boat.)
Assessment / Evaluation:
You can evaluate students by having them identify objects that sink and objects that float.
Differentiated Learning Options:
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