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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 10 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

Float or Sink?

2-PS1-1

NameDate

Read the record, then answer the questions.

1.Read the record, then answer the questions.

Float or Sink?

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. 1. What happened to the apple?
  2. 2. What happened to the steel paperclip?
  3. 3. Which predictions did the class get wrong?
  4. 4. What claim does this record support?
2.A sheet of foil floats, but the same foil squashed into a tight ball sinks. What changed?
  • A.Its shape, not what it is made of
  • B.The water got heavier
  • C.It turned into a different metal
3.A toy boat needs to float. Which material would you choose for it?
  • A.A bag of coins
  • B.Stone
  • C.Wood or plastic
4.A plastic bottle top floats. Would a whole empty plastic bottle with its top on float?
  • A.It would fly
  • B.Yes, it would float
  • C.No, it would sink at once
5.Which of these would you expect to float?
  • A.A cork
  • B.A metal spoon
  • C.A marble
6.Two blocks are the same size. One is wood and one is steel. Which floats?
  • A.The steel block
  • B.Both of them
  • C.The wooden block
7.Why test each object in the same tub of water?
  • A.So it is quicker
  • B.So the water stays clean
  • C.So only the object changes between tests

LessonPrint · 2-PS1-1 · Set 10 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Float or Sink?

Set 10. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. The apple floated. 2. The paperclip sank. 3. The apple and the candle, which floated, and the paperclip, which sank. 4. Some materials float and some sink, so floating can be used to sort them.
  2. 2.Its shape, not what it is made of
  3. 3.Wood or plastic
  4. 4.Yes, it would float
  5. 5.A cork
  6. 6.The wooden block
  7. 7.So only the object changes between tests

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 2-PS1-1 of the Next Generation Science Standards.