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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 15 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 did the metal things do?
  2. 2. What was kept the same for every object?
  3. 3. What does this record not tell you?
  4. 4. What happened to the apple?
2.A sheet of foil floats, but the same foil squashed into a tight ball sinks. What changed?
  • A.The water got heavier
  • B.Its shape, not what it is made of
  • C.It turned into a different metal
3.You want to sort a box of objects into floaters and sinkers. What do you do?
  • A.Put each one in the water and see what it does
  • B.Weigh only the biggest one
  • C.Sort them by color
4.A toy boat needs to float. Which material would you choose for it?
  • A.A bag of coins
  • B.Stone
  • C.Wood or plastic
5.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
6.Is "it floats" something you can observe about a material?
  • A.No, you have to guess
  • B.Only if it is shiny
  • C.Yes, you can see it by putting it in water
7.Which of these would you expect to float?
  • A.A marble
  • B.A metal spoon
  • C.A cork

LessonPrint · 2-PS1-1 · Set 15 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Float or Sink?

Set 15. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. The coin, the metal key and the steel paperclip all sank. 2. The same tub of water, and each object was dropped in the same way. 3. It does not tell you what the objects would do in salty water. 4. The apple floated.
  2. 2.Its shape, not what it is made of
  3. 3.Put each one in the water and see what it does
  4. 4.Wood or plastic
  5. 5.Yes, it would float
  6. 6.Yes, you can see it by putting it in water
  7. 7.A cork

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