Floating and Sinking Adventure

Curriculum Area

Subject: Science
Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) Level: First Level
Specific Outcome:
"Through exploring properties and sources of materials, I can choose appropriate materials to solve practical challenges." (SCN 1-15a)

Lesson Duration

75 Minutes

Learning Intentions

• Understand the concepts of floating and sinking.
• Explore how different materials interact with water.
• Develop predictions and reasoning skills.
• Engage in hands-on, exploratory learning.

Success Criteria

• I can describe what makes objects float or sink.
• I can make predictions and explain why I think an object will float or sink.
• I can record observations and discuss my findings.

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Lesson Structure

1. Engaging Introduction (15 minutes)

Setting the Scene – The Mermaid’s Challenge

• Begin by telling an exciting story:
  “Mermaids need to collect lost treasure from the bottom of the sea! But some objects sink too quickly, and others float away. Can we help them figure out which objects will sink and which will float?”
• Show different objects (e.g. wooden spoon, cork, metal spoon, plastic lid, stone) and ask:
  “What do you think will happen when we put these into the water?”
• Record students’ predictions on a class chart.
• Introduce key vocabulary: float, sink, heavy, light, material, surface tension.

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2. Hands-On Exploration (40 minutes)

The Sink or Float Experiment

Resources (per small group):

• Clear plastic tub filled with water
• Selection of objects (wooden block, rubber ball, paperclip, coin, sponge, plastic bottle cap, shell, feather, Lego brick, foil ball, small toy, cotton ball, etc.)
• Mini whiteboards and markers

Activity:

1. Divide students into small groups (4-5 per group).
2. Each group takes turns choosing an object from the collection.
3. Before placing it in the water, each student writes or draws their prediction on their mini whiteboard.
4. Drop the object into the water and observe.
5. Discuss what happened and compare predictions with results.
6. Record results in a simple tick-chart (✔️ for floating, ❌ for sinking).

Questioning:

• Why do you think that object floated/sank?
• Do heavier objects always sink?
• What do you notice about materials that float?
• Can we change how something floats? (e.g., scrunching up foil into a ball vs. flattening it out)

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3. Creative Challenge (15 minutes)

Mermaid Boat Rescue

• “Mermaids need a floating raft to carry their treasures. Can you design one using what we’ve learnt?”
• Provide children with materials (cork, foil, plastic lids, lolly sticks, string).
• In pairs, they create a small ‘raft’ to float a small figure (e.g., a Lego mini-figure representing the mermaid).
• Test their designs in the water and adjust if necessary.

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4. Reflect and Wrap-Up (5 minutes)

• Gather students for a class discussion:
  • What surprised you the most?
  • What have you learned about floating and sinking?
  • Is there anything else we could test?
• Revisit the initial story and discuss how knowing about floating and sinking helps in real life (e.g., boats, swimming).

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Extension & Differentiation

• For Early Finishers: Ask students to investigate whether they can make something that usually sinks float (e.g., putting a metal coin on a cork).
• For Additional Challenge: Encourage children to think about density – Why do big ships float even though they are heavy?

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Assessment Opportunities

• Observing predictions vs. results.
• Listening to reasoning during discussions.
• Examining the success of their raft-building challenge.
• Informal questioning to check understanding.

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Resources & Preparation

✅ Plastic tubs with water
✅ Selection of materials (wood, metal, plastic, cork, foil, etc.)
✅ Mini whiteboards & markers
✅ Raft-building materials

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Teacher’s Wow Factor 🎉

🌊 Theme-Driven Learning: Tied into the magical world of mermaids for engagement.
💡 Hands-On & Interactive: Practical testing and exploration.
🚢 STEM Creativity: Applying learning to a real-world challenge.
🙌 Collaborative Thinking: Encourages teamwork and reasoning.

This lesson immerses students (metaphorically and literally!) in a fascinating, playful Science experience while aligning with the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to see their reactions when they discover that some heavy things float and some small things sink? 🌟