Sink or Float?

Start with something students can look at or think about: a photo, a short video, a jar on the windowsill, or a question like "what do you already know about sink or float?" Then let them work through the first item together as a class, then finish the rest independently or with a partner, keeping a word bank or anchor chart in view so the vocabulary stays available. When you review, ask students how they knew, and let them point to the part of the diagram or reading that told them. These sink or float worksheets work well as a lead in before an investigation, as a way to capture what students noticed afterward, or as review before an assessment.

These sink or float worksheets for 1st grade give students a clear, visual way to work through one of the big ideas in material properties. Students label diagrams, sort and classify examples, read short explanations, and answer questions that ask them to say why, not just what. Each page keeps the science vocabulary front and center so students leave with the words they need to talk about sink or float accurately. Working through sink or float on paper gives 1st grade students something concrete to hold onto before, during, or after the hands on part of a lesson.

Yes, both. We made it for 1st Grade material properties, and the page works the same whether it lands on a kitchen table or a center rotation. At home, most families go through it together and talk the answers out loud, and that talking is where most of the learning happens with sink or float. In class it runs well as independent work while you pull a small group. Print one copy or thirty, whichever the day needs.

First graders learn to make predictions based on an object's properties and test those predictions through hands-on investigation. They discover that whether an object sinks or floats is related to its density compared to water, though at this grade level the focus is on patterns in observations.

The sink or float investigation is typically conducted in Grade 1 during a properties of materials unit. It is one of the most beloved science activities of the early grades because it is simple, hands-on, and full of surprising results.

Fill a large bowl or bin with water and gather a variety of household items. Ask your child to predict whether each will sink or float before testing and record the results on the worksheet.

4 printable worksheets, all free to preview. Downloads are included with a ClassWeekly free trial, and every page prints on standard 8.5 x 11 paper.

These are written for 1st Grade students, roughly ages 6-7. Many teachers also use them a grade up for review or a grade down as an extension, so use the preview to judge the fit for a particular child.

Yes. Each one shows the NGSS code it covers on its own page, so you can check the alignment yourself rather than taking our word for it.

Yes. Nothing here assumes a classroom of 25, so they work the same one-to-one at the kitchen table as they do in a 1st Grade classroom, a literacy centre, or a tutoring session.