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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 11 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 steel paperclip?
  2. 2. What would a wooden spoon probably do?
  3. 3. Which predictions did the class get wrong?
  4. 4. What happened to the apple?
2.Which of these would you expect to float?
  • A.A metal spoon
  • B.A marble
  • C.A cork
3.A big log and a small pebble are put in a pond. What happens?
  • A.The pebble floats because it is small
  • B.The log floats and the pebble sinks, even though the log is bigger and heavier
  • C.Both sink, because they are hard
4.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
5.A plastic bottle top floats. Would a whole empty plastic bottle with its top on float?
  • A.No, it would sink at once
  • B.Yes, it would float
  • C.It would fly
6.Two blocks are the same size. One is wood and one is steel. Which floats?
  • A.Both of them
  • B.The wooden block
  • C.The steel block
7.A toy boat needs to float. Which material would you choose for it?
  • A.Wood or plastic
  • B.Stone
  • C.A bag of coins

LessonPrint · 2-PS1-1 · Set 11 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Float or Sink?

Set 11. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. The paperclip sank. 2. Float, like the wooden block. 3. The apple and the candle, which floated, and the paperclip, which sank. 4. The apple floated.
  2. 2.A cork
  3. 3.The log floats and the pebble sinks, even though the log is bigger and heavier
  4. 4.So only the object changes between tests
  5. 5.Yes, it would float
  6. 6.The wooden block
  7. 7.Wood or plastic

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