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 worksheet on their own 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.

This worksheet is designed for 1st Grade students (Ages 6-7), aligned to NGSS standard 2-PS1-1. That standard sits in the 2nd grade band, so treat this worksheet as an early introduction rather than standards practice for this grade. Material properties are a Grade 2 standard (2-PS1-1); this Grade 1 worksheet introduces it early. It can also be used as review for early students at the next grade level or as an introduction for advanced students.

Yes. This worksheet works for homeschool, classroom, and tutoring settings. Print individual pages for targeted practice, or print the full set as a packet. Works great as a morning warm-up, independent center activity, or fast-finisher task.

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.