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An Example of a Sample Thematic Unit This was the subtopic of a theme All about Me The following integrated thematic unit is centered on the focus book Mr Archimedes Bath by Pamela Allen.

This well-loved picture book relates a legend of the Greek mathematician Archimedes. It is said that Archimedes had been studying the displacement of water. While Archimedes was turning the problem over in his head, he chanced to come to the place of bathing, and there, as he was sitting down in the tub, he noticed that the amount of water which flowed over the tub was equal to the amount by which his body was immersed. This indicated to him a method of solving the problem, and he did not delay, but in his joy leapt out of the tub, and rushing naked towards his home, he cried out with a loud voice that he had found what he sought. For as he ran he repeatedly shouted in Greek, heureka, heureka.
First, it was decided to focus on the sub theme Asking Questions because this is something young children naturally do, are able to understand, and have had experience doing. The theme relates directly to the core book because scientists and mathematicians, like Archimedes, ask questions. We want the children to learn the value of asking questions and the value of looking for answers. We will need to teach the children how to ask good relevant

questions and ways in which we can find the answers.

Other related o water, bathing, and animals are included because of the books content. In order to integrate the theme of asking questions into many different topic and intelligence areas (e.g., spatial, musical, kinesthetic, interpersonal), we created the following activities. Water Levels. Fill clear basin or bowl three-quarters full of water. Mark the water level on the outside with masking tape. Provide different size objects and have children predict how the water level will change when they place each object in the water. As

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children place objects in the water, mark the new level with tape. Guide discussions to help children infer that mass influences the water level in the container. Equivalency Measures. Use nonstandard capacity containers (e.g., plastic bowls, cups, tops from hairspray cans) and have children estimate which contains the same as the displaced water after the object is removed from the container. Bath Rituals. Ask children to share their bath rituals by asking questions such as: * Who helps with your bath? Why do you bath? * Do you have bath toys? * When do you take baths? Eureka! and Other Words. Engage children in word play by asking them to share words they use to express excitement, joy, and pleasure. Compile an experience chart of their words. Pool Play. Set up a plastic pool and let children mark the water level before they get in and after. Ask them to dictate describing words as they play in the water. List their words on an experience chart. Art. Provide wet chalk and allow children to respond to the story by creating an original picture. Try bubble art by adding food coloring to bubble mixture. Have children blow colored bubbles and catch them on paper. As the bubbles pop they leave a colored ring. Sink or Float. Provide an assortment of objects which will sink or float. Allow children to put objects in a container of water and then mark on a chart whether the objects sink or float.

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Animals. Provide a variety of books that describe the animals (i.e., goat, wombat, kangaroo) shown in Mr. Archimedes Bath. Encourage children to look at pictures, ask questions, and listen as information about the animals is read. Child care centers with technology available can encourage children to use early childhood software programs to learn more about the animals in the book. Conclusion Designing and implementing integrated thematic units for young children is a developmentally appropriate practice which is supported by both brain research and the psychology of learning. Thematic units greatly enhance learning because they integrate different intelligences and topics into a single lesson which mirrors how young children actually learn. Finally, integrated thematic units make learning and teaching a lot of fun for teachers and children! Activity Water Play To know that some objects float while others sink To know that objects displace water To plan and carry out a fair test with help To appreciate that different materials have different properties

Activity Water Play Allow the children to play with water with large and small containers. Ask questions during water-play to focus children's attention on the properties of water. (ie model this process for the parents) Does it pour? Is it wet? What happens when you drop things in it? Can you see through it? Why is it important? What do we use it for? Tell the story Make a collection of things to test. After the story use them. Do they float or sink? Don't forget to predict before you test. Highlight for the adults the importance of prediction in science Clearing up

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The way the test is carried out will depend on the initial question asked. "Which material holds (sucks up) most water?" is probably the most appropriate question to ask this age group. With younger children the difference between the materials needs to be quite marked. Some children may be able to use a measuring jug or cylinder to measure the water. Otherwise use tall thin containers which enable children to compare the amount of water easily. A little food colouring in the water will help the children to see the levels better. One method of finding out which material sucks up most is to dunk the materials in a bowl of water for a count of ten, then measure the amount of water squeezed out from each one. The children will find it easier to squeeze the water out into a large tray or bowl before pouring it into a measuring jug or cylinder. (Encourage parents to allow the children to be as independent as possible) Another method is to "spill" a known amount of water into a tray, mop up as much as possible and find out how much is left. If you use this method some children may need help to realise that the one which left most behind is not the best!

(Address these questions briefly) How well did the learners achieve the outcomes (and were they challenged)? How much progress did they make? How satisfactory and safe were the resources (room, specialist equipment, materials etc.)? How effectively did you assess the learning? How far did you meet learners interests? How effectively did you give individual guidance? How did you deal with lateness, low involvement or lack of motivation ? Sinking Boats You will need: 2 or 3 margarine tubs (or other plastic boxes) of different sizes A collection of marbles or small bricks How many marbles (or bricks) can your child put in it before it sinks? Encourage your child to put the marbles in 1 at a time and to count as each one goes in. Use a different size pot. Ask your child to predict whether it will it take more or fewer marbles to make it sink? Stones You will need:

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A tall see- through container Some small stones A marker pen or small piece of blutak Food colouring Put some water in tall, thin, see through container. Add a few drops of food colouring to help you see better. Ask your child How much space do you think a stone takes up? Mark the level of the water. What do you think will happen when you put a stone in it Look at the level of the water now Try this with other stones, ask you child to predict whether the new stone will take up more or less space

Mr Archimedes Bath by P Allen Mr Archimedes shares his bath with his friends and the water keeps overflowing. I have read the story then done the experiment straight after to illustrate the principle. Last term I made some small boats out of plastic trays and gave them differtent coloured flags. Told the children they belonged to greedy pirates, Captain Blue (blue flag etc) and that these pirates were trying to see who could carry the most treasure. We all stood around the water table and then filled the boats with different stuff, talked about what happened if we put all the stuff in the front or back, how we needed to distribute the cargo evenly and of course filled them up until they sank leaving all but one floating who was declared the winner. The more imaginative the better, wooden beads became barrels of beer, compare bears were golden statues etc.

Get the children to half fill plastic bottles or containers with a variety of mixtures, shake and watch the results. try oil and water, soil and water, sand and water, soap bar and water, a control one of plain water of course, the children can note the changes, how long it takes, what it looks like etc. They will come up with their own ideas too. Leave them for the week to see the differences. Try putting a large sultana or raisin into a bottle of lemonade and watch.!! Magnets and materials - will it pick it up? Use items in the room and bring in a few surprises, we have keys that do not work and a metal chain as well as a few plastic bits that do!!

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In a hands-on, scientific inquiry-based classroom, children engage in diverse activities as they learn to understand the natural world around them. Children mimic scientists as they investigate their world in the process of developing conceptual knowledge and understandings about the relationships and interactions of nature. Questioning, predicting, experimenting, analyzing, interpreting, and communicating ideas are crucial to students' scientific inquiry. Student-initiated inquiry requires an ability to develop multi-faceted questions to facilitate higher cognitive understanding. The teacher's role is to help students develop questions on literal, interpretive, creative, and connective levels.. Thinking critically and logically is necessary to the students' investigations.

Ultimate Goals: For students to develop questions through habits of mind, thus eliminating block use. To enhance, organize, stimulate, and focus student learning across all disciplines. To gain a deeper and richer understanding of scientific concepts and how scientists work. Water Exploration

Sink and Float: Add kosher salt to water to create a sink and float activity.

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Sieves: Have children hammer differentsize holes into disposable plastic containers or aluminum pie plates. Experiment with rates of water flow, and notice how the water cascades differently. Displacement of Water: Read Mr. Archimedes' Bath by P. Allen. Replicate bath activity with toys. Evaporation of Water: Make your own mud puddles or water painting. Observe and chart how long it takes to dry. Read Mud Puddle by R. Munch. Soluble and Insoluble Liquids: Have children mix salt, flour, and cornstarch into separate containers of water. Observe and discuss what happens. Extend the findings to cooking experiences using Jell-O, cocoa, and bouillon cubes.

Will it SINK or Float? SECTION ONE: Identifying standards and objectives Pennsylvania Standards: 3.2.4.C. Pennsylvania's public schools shall teach, challenge, and support every student to realize her or his maximum potential and to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to recognize and use the elements of scientific inquiry to solve problems. 3.4.4.C. Pennsylvania's public schools shall teach, challenge, and support every student to realize her or his maximum potential and to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to recognize the basic concepts about the structure and properties of matter. Enduring Understandings:

Some objects sink in water while others float Density is the ration of the mass of an object to its volume Density determines if a substance sinks or floats in another substance An object will sink if its density is greater than the density of the fluid it is in; it will float if its density is less than the fluid it is in

Essential Questions:

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Why do some objects sink and others float? Does the type of liquid make a difference? What is density?

Performance Standards: To meet the standards, students will be able to:


predict whether objects will sink or float in water classify objects as sinking or floating in water consider a data table of mass, volume, and whether the object sank or floated and develop an evidence-based explanation for the results

SECTION TWO: Identifying Assessment Pre-Assessment: Discrepant event Formative Assessment: Keep asking why objects are sinking and why floating Summative Assessment: See rubric below SECTION THREE: Identifying lesson activities Materials Needed:

Large container of water (large enough to accommodate objects) Objects that will float and objects that will sink: stick, rock, clay-depends on shape, cork, cup-depends how placed, paperclip, nail, plastic button, metal button, apple, penny, grape, dime, orange, nickel, quarter, wooden block, pingpong ball, ink pen, golf ball, plastic spoon, metal spoon, metal button, other objects graduated cylinders (100 ml and up to 1 liter) beakers for water transfer four candles (two stubs and two larger) and equal amounts of water and alcohol in same size containers small beakers (100 ml), super balls, mineral oil, food coloring

ENGAGE

Use overhead transparencies of instances of sinking and floating to elicit ideas about the phenomenon; have students record their reasons in their science journals; discuss

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Demonstrate the discrepant event: two clear containers side by side; one has water and the other alcohol. Place a small candle stub in the one with water (FLOATS) and the larger candle in the alcohol (SINKS). Reverse candles and have students record observations and generate an explanation. Share in small groups then as a class.

EXPLORE - Construct a DATA / EVIDENCE table In groups, distribute a bag of objects.


Examine a set of items Record item in the table under OBJECT (teacher can record or child can draw picture) PREDICT whether the objects will sink or float TEST whether the objects will sink or float and record Measure the Mass and Volume and record

Have a class chart on the board where each table records the data for one object. Select about equal numbers of objects that sink and those that float. Data table Object Predict: Sink or Float? Actual: Sink or Float? Mass (g) Volume (ml) Density (insert later)

EXPLAIN Have students look for patterns in the data and as small groups, develop an explanation for sinking and floating. From the data, it should be apparent that objects with a mass greater than their volume will sink in water and that objects with a volume greater than their mass will float. ELABORATE

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Return to discrepant event and have students explain Return to the overhead transparencies and have students explain Provide small beakers of mineral oil, colored water; predict which will sink/float then add equal amounts of each; predict what will happen when a super ball is added then add and explain individually in a science journal Read 'Eureka! The Story of Archimedes' Discovery' and have students explain.

EVALUATE Sinking or Floating Rubric 10 Classifies objects accurately as sinking or floating using data Using the data table, develops a clear evidence based explanation of why some objects sink and others float Using the data table, develops a partial evidence based explanation of why some objects sink and others float Using the data table, develops a vague evidence based explanation of why some objects sink and others float Using the data table, develops a clear understanding of density

Classifies most objects accurately as sinking or floating using data

Using the data table, develops a partial understanding of density

Classifies few objects accurately as sinking or floating using data

Using the data table, develops a vague understanding of density

TOTAL

Water Trough Boats

Books: Who Sank the Boat? and Mr. Archimedes Bath by Pamela Allen Materials: tub of water, a variety of lids, counting bears, pieces of tin foil to create boats, items to place in buckets of water

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Students experiment with each lid to see how many bears it will hold before tipping over. After comparing boats, the child takes a piece of tin foil and creates the shape of boat he thinks will hold the most counting bears. Children compare boats and the number of bears each boat holds. Water can also be placed in a bucket. Children mark the water level as they place various objects in the water. Students explore displacement. Materials: trough with water basters, plastic flexible tubing, water wheels, siphons, hose, clamps, etc. The water trough provides opportunities for tactile enjoyment such as pouring and squirting. Students observe the flow of the water and explore how it moves through flexible tubing, and the correlation of tube height to water flow. Materials: offer a variety of objects (baby toys, wooden blocks, medicine bottles, containers, clips, rocks, oil clay, beads, spools, etc.) to experiment with the water trough

Sort objects into labeled float and sink pie tins. Predict what you think will sink. Predict what you think will float. Document results on a large chart. Who can make things that float? Who can make things that sink?

Summary: Students will investigate objects that float and sink in water and describe what they discover by making representations of their findings. Main Curriculum Tie: Investigate water and interactions with water. Materials:

tubs of water objects to place in water cards for labeling sorting trays chart paper various size lids aluminum foil

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counting bears or similar objects to place on "boats" Who Sank the Boat? by Pamela Allen

Student Prior Knowledge: Students should know the words "float" and "sink". Intended Learning Outcomes:

Share ideas using communication skills. Observe, sort, and classify objects. Make and interpret representations and graphs. Make connections from content areas to application in real life.

Instructional Procedures: 1. Ask students to describe going swimming. How does the water feel? How do they feel in the water? Has anyone ever taken swimming lessons? Has anyone ever been able to float on the water? What helps you to float on the water? What things have you seen floating on water? 2. Divide students into small groups of 3 or 4. Give each group a tub of water and several objects. Invite students to discover which objects will float. As students begin to explore, watch for students who naturally begin to sort objects into two categories of things that float and things that sink. Ask the students to describe their thinking as they make two piles. Invite other groups of children to see the two piles. Ask the class what each pile might be named. Provide cards for students to write the words "float" and "sink". (Write both words on the blackboard for them to see.) Distribute trays for each category to the groups. Have the groups finish sorting their objects. 3. Ask students to discuss the attributes of objects that float and of those that sink. Make a Venn diagram of descriptive words for objects that float and objects that sink. Are there objects that can do both? 4. Invite students to return to their tubs and see if they can make something that floats sink or something that sinks float. Distribute various lids (labeled with a letter of the alphabet) to each group and ask them to investigate making objects that sink, float on the lids. Which lids make the best boats? Distribute counting bears. Invite children to see how many bears can float on each boat. Ask students to record the results by writing the letter labeling each boat, and writing how many bears it can hold before it sinks or tips over.

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5. Ask each group to share with the class the boat that holds the most, and the boat that holds the least number of counting bears. Make a Venn diagram describing attributes of boats that hold the most counting bears and those that hold the least. Encourage comments about the exploration. 6. Provide each student with a sheet of aluminum foil. Ask each child to make a boat that they think will hold the most counting bears. Show them how to mold and shape the foil. Students make boats, and return to the water tub to test their boats. Classmates in group will count together as each child places a counting bear on their boat. When the boat tips over, students place their boat on the large sheet of chart paper and record the number of bears it held. Compare the boats in each group. 7. Read the book "Who Sank the Boat" by Pamela Allen. Invite students to reenact the story, with each student in the group adding a plastic animal to a larger tin foil boat created by the group. Which animal will be the one to sink the boat? Strategies For Diverse Learners: On the blackboard draw a picture of an object on the surface of water and write float. Draw an object below the surface and write sink. Assessment Plan: Be equipped with a clipboard to take data during the students' investigations. Watch for students who know how to classify, students who have a rich descriptive vocabulary and students who make predictions. Ask students to bring 3 items from home that sink and 3 that float. Test their items to see if they have correctly identified floaters and sinkers. Fill it up In this activity we pour water (or beans) between containers and guess how high up the water will go. 1. Show the class a cup full of beans and an empty ice-cream container.

2. Check and discuss

What do you think will happen if I pour the beans into the ice-cream container? How far will it fill up? Did you guess correctly? Is the container full? Is it empty?

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3. Give each child a cup full of beans. Put several containers of varying sizes around the room. Ask the children to pour their beans into the containers, first guessing how high up they think the beans will go.

Volume

Objective Estimate the number of quarts in a gallon.

Materials Per group of four Quart-sized container Gallon-sized container A funnel Bucket or large pan

Suggested Books Allen, Pamela. Mr. Archimedes' Bath. .

Procedure Show the children a container that is a quart and a container that is a gallon. Ask the children which container would hold more and which would hold less. Explain to the children that just as an inch is used as a standard unit of measurement for length, a quart is used to measure the volume of something. Volume measures how much space something takes up. Have the children get into groups of four. Give each group of four children an empty quart-sized container, a gallon-sized container filled with water, and a funnel. Ask: Can each group predict how many times the quart-sized container can

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be filled with the water from the gallon-sized container? Write each group's predictions on the board. Have the children count how many quarts are in a gallon. Tell the children to place a funnel in the opening of the quart-sized container. Each group should then pour water from the gallon into the quart, making sure to fill the quart-sized container to the top. Empty the quart-sized container into a large pan or bucket and fill again. Count how many times you fill the quart to empty the gallon. Have each group report the number at which they arrived. Each group should have about 4 quarts. Tell the children that there are in fact four quarts in a gallon. First Grade - Science - Lesson 25 - Temperature Adapted from STARS--"The Weather Report" Lesson 3 - What Goes Up and Down?

Objectives Identify and describe the function of a thermometer. Observe and compare temperature differences using a thermometer.

Materials Cups, thermometer (can be found in STARS kit) Ice cubes, very warm water, paper towels

Procedure Tell the children that the next thing we are going to measure is called temperature. Write the word temperature on the board. Ask: What is temperature? (How hot or cold something is.) When have you heard the word temperature? (weather reports on TV or radio, when they have a fever, when a parent is baking in the oven) Explain to the children that temperature is measured using something called a thermometer. Write the word thermometer on the board. Say: Knowing how to accurately read a thermometer and understanding that it measures temperature is a useful skill. For instance, before we get dressed each day it helps us to know what the temperature is outside. If it is cold outside, we should wear warm clothes; if it is warm outside, we should wear lighter clothes. Tell the children to listen to the

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way a weather person expresses how warm or cold it is outside. Say: You will notice that the weather person will tell you how many degrees it is outside. For instance, in Baltimore during the month of January it is likely that there may be a day that is 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Have the children work in pairs of two. Before distributing the thermometers to the students, discuss the care of the thermometers. Explain to the students that the equipment is made of glass and they must be very careful. Model for the students how to handle the thermometers and where to place them on the desks. Distribute materials: thermometers, a cup of ice water, and a cup of very warm water. Ask: What do you see inside the thermometer? (red liquid) Ask students to place a finger in the cup of ice and describe how it feels. Then have them place a finger in the cup of very warm water and describe how it feels. Tell the students to pick up their thermometers and look at the red liquid inside the thermometer. Next, have the children place the thermometer in the cup of ice water. Ask: What happened to the red liquid in the thermometer? (It goes down.) Why do you think it went down? Next have them place the thermometer in the cup of very warm water. Ask: What happened to the red liquid in the thermometer now? (It goes up.) Why do you think it went up? Tell the students that when the temperature is hot or warm, the red liquid will go up and when it is cold, it will go down.

First Grade - Science - Temperature

Additional Activity If possible at your school, students can place an outdoor thermometer outside the school building and check for changes each day. Keep a record of the temperature on a calendar. At the end of the month you can take notice of which day was the warmest and which was the coldest

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Process Skills of Learning: Observing Problem Solving Communicating Interpreting Data Predicting Measuring Why (Purpose/Objective of the lesson):

To demonstrate, observe, collect data, predict, and communicate that matter occupies space and has weight.

How (Procedure of the lesson): I. Read Mr. Archimedes' Bath by Pamela Allen. 2. Students work in small groups to predict and explore the rising of water using a variety of objects. 3. Experiment by placing various objects into a graduated cylinder or beaker filled with water. 4. Collect data during exploration. Record data. 5. Predict the object's mass. 6. Use a balance scale and weights to explore and compare weight, volume, and size of the objects. 7. Collect and record data. 8. Graph results with mass on vertical axis and volume on horizontal axis. For Your Information (Background information for the lesson): 1. Flexible plastic cylinders are better than glass or hard plastic because they are less likely to crack or break. 2. If graduated cylinders are not available, use a clear plastic cup and establish marks using a non-standard "unit." Objects should be large enough to raise water at least 1 unit. 3. The amount of water displaced will be the volume of the object. The difference between the weight of the object in the air and the weight in the water will be close to the volume of the object. 4. Younger students may be more successful if beakers are used instead of graduated cylinders.

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5. Clay is essential to have available as one of the various objects for the comparison of size and mass. Use clay to create similar-shaped objects with different masses or similar-massed objects with different shapes to lead students to discover that it is not mass that displaces water but the volume of the objects. 6. A reference book is AIMS Floaters and Sinkers. Additional Activities (Extensions): 1. Use various-sized, marshmallow-filled containers to experiment with volume. 2. Substitute various liquids such as oil, soap, or salt water. for the water. 3. Experiment with larger objects such as fruits and vegetables, regular soda and diet soda to see what will sink and float. 4. Use three film canisters containing 14,7, and O pennies, respectively. Predict whether they will sink or float. Experiment and record observations. Explain results. 5. Make a clay boat. Estimate the number of paper clips the boat will carry before sinking. Test prediction. 6. Research history of water transportation and how it is used in other cultures. Suggested Instructional Strategies: 1. Students work cooperatively in small groups of 3-4. 2. All students will be involved in exploration. 3. Teacher acts as a facilitator using questioning strategies to enhance mqulry .

FLOTATION FASCINATION

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PROJECT GOAL:
FOR STUDENTS TO INVESTIGATE THE SCIENTIFIC CONCEPT OF FLOTATI0N

PROJECT OUTCOME:

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCT A BOAT FLOAT THEIR BOAT EXPLAIN THE PHYSICS OF FLOTATION AS IT APPLIES TO THEIR PROJECT.

CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS

SCIENCE: Students will keep a science log of all activity investigations, data, and results. This log and all lab reports will be kept in their portfolio . 1. Flotation Experiment 1 What do you think makes an object float? Pre-assess. Make predictions about buoyancy of a variety of items. Test predictions by "floating" items. Record and chart results. Cross-reference results with predictions. Mr. Archimedes & Bath Read children's book of same title. Perform experiment: Science Center Home Page, Floating and Sinking. Floating Wood Perform experiment: Floaters and Sinkers, Aims Education Foundation. A super source of hands on activities to help build the concept of density as the ratio of mass to volume. Students investigate the densities and volumes of a variety of objects as well as the floats line and relationship between surface area and cargo capacity. $14.95 ISBN 1-88-143109-6

2.

3.

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4. bends or refracts the rays of light from the penny to their eyes. The coin now seems placed in an entirely different position, but it has not moved. 5. What Do We Know About Sinking and Floating Students will brainstorm why they think things float and sink. They will observe an object that both floats and sinks (clay, aluminum foil), then record their observations in a science journal which they will keep through-out the unit. 6. Making and Testing Predictions Students will make predictions and explain reasoning about whether objects float or sink. They will test their predictions and record results in their journals. Group discussion will follow their investigations. *EXTENSION, LESSONS 10 AND 11: CREATE A BULLETIN BOARD ON WHICH PICTURES ARE ARRANGED FROM LIGHTEST TO HEAVIEST ACCORDING TO THE SINK/FLOAT INVESTIGATIONS. GRAPH THE RESULTS IN A NUMBER OF WAYS (LINE, BAR, CIRCLE). 7.

Will it Float or Sink? Cover table with newspaper and give pairs of children a plastic container half filled with water. Also give each pair 2 plastic plates. Use permanent marker and label on "FLOAT" with boat above water and the other "SINK" with boat under water. Give each pair of children an assortment of objects: crayon, pencil, rubber band, marbles, cotton ball, cork, plastic spoon, rock, a paper, coin, sponge. Have each pair choose one object and predict whether it will float or sink. Then have children drop object into water and observe it for a minute. Then have children remove object from water and place it on appropriate plate. Children then test the other objects in the same way. Discuss which objects floated and which sank How can water help you separate objects?

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Display mixture of paper clips and toothpicks. Have volunteer separate them as quickly as possible. Record time to complete task. In a clear bowl filled with water put in 1 clip and 1 toothpick. Elicit that clip sinks but toothpick floats. Ask child if they can think of an easier way to separate clips and toothpicks. Ask for volunteer. Put clips and toothpicks in bowl. Have volunteer gather toothpicks as quickly as possible. Record time. Compare times with and without water 8.

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