Float or Sink? is a free printable Grade 2 science worksheet on testing and recording whether materials float or sink, aligned to NGSS performance expectation 2-PS1-1. It prints 7 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.
Set 1 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.
Our predictions and results for eight objects put in the water tub one at a time.
WHAT WE THOUGHT, AND WHAT HAPPENED
Apple ............. we said sink, it floated
Coin .............. we said sink, it sank
Wooden block ...... we said float, it floated
Metal key ......... we said sink, it sank
Plastic bottle top we said float, it floated
Pebble ............ we said sink, it sank
Candle ............ we said sink, it floated
Steel paperclip ... we said float, it sank
Same tub of water, and each object was dropped in the same way.
1. What happened to the steel paperclip?
2. What does this record not tell you?
3. What did the metal things do?
4. What was kept the same for every object?
2.A big log and a small pebble are put in a pond. What happens?
A.Both sink, because they are hard
B.The log floats and the pebble sinks, even though the log is bigger and heavier
C.The pebble floats because it is small
3.Which of these would you expect to float?
A.A cork
B.A metal spoon
C.A marble
4.A toy boat needs to float. Which material would you choose for it?
A.Stone
B.Wood or plastic
C.A bag of coins
5.Why test each object in the same tub of water?
A.So only the object changes between tests
B.So it is quicker
C.So the water stays clean
6.Two blocks are the same size. One is wood and one is steel. Which floats?
A.The wooden block
B.Both of them
C.The steel block
7.You want to sort a box of objects into floaters and sinkers. What do you do?
A.Weigh only the biggest one
B.Sort them by color
C.Put each one in the water and see what it does
LessonPrint · 2-PS1-1 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Float or Sink?
Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. The paperclip sank. 2. It does not tell you what the objects would do in salty water. 3. The coin, the metal key and the steel paperclip all sank. 4. The same tub of water, and each object was dropped in the same way.
2.The log floats and the pebble sinks, even though the log is bigger and heavier
3.A cork
4.Wood or plastic
5.So only the object changes between tests
6.The wooden block
7.Put each one in the water and see what it does
Questions about Float or Sink?
What does the Float or Sink? worksheet cover?
It practices testing and recording whether materials float or sink — 7 questions for Grade 2, all on NGSS 2-PS1-1: Sort materials by what you can observe about them. The instruction to students is “Read the record, then answer the questions”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.
Which NGSS performance expectation does Float or Sink? practice?
2-PS1-1, under Physical Science for Grade 2. The published performance expectation reads: “Plan and conduct an investigation to describe and classify different kinds of materials by their observable properties.” The worksheet assesses that performance expectation rather than a paraphrase of it.
What age or grade is this worksheet for?
Float or Sink? is written for Grade 2, typically ages 7-8. It is one of the sheets on 2-PS1-1, so it suits any student working at that standard — including older students revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.
Does Float or Sink? come with an answer key?
Yes. All 7 answers are generated from the same problems as the questions, so the key cannot drift out of step with the sheet. It starts on a fresh sheet of paper, after the questions, so it is not handed out with the class by accident.
How many different versions of Float or Sink? can I print?
25 — one per student, and all 25 ask different questions. Set 1 downloads the whole class as a single PDF. Every version is fixed to its own address, so a sheet printed today holds the same problems when you reopen it next week.
Is Float or Sink? free to print and photocopy?
Yes. Float or Sink?, its answer key and its 25 versions are free to print and photocopy for your own class, with no account, no email capture and no subscription at the download step. Please do not resell them or republish them as your own.
More practice for 2-PS1-1
Sort materials by what you can observe about them.