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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 18 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. Which predictions did the class get wrong?
  2. 2. What happened to the apple?
  3. 3. Why write down a prediction before testing?
  4. 4. What claim does this record support?
2.Is "it floats" something you can observe about a material?
  • A.Only if it is shiny
  • B.No, you have to guess
  • C.Yes, you can see it by putting it in water
3.Which of these would you expect to sink?
  • A.A stone
  • B.A ping-pong ball
  • C.A leaf
4.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
5.A big log and a small pebble are put in a pond. What happens?
  • A.The log floats and the pebble sinks, even though the log is bigger and heavier
  • B.The pebble floats because it is small
  • C.Both sink, because they are hard
6.You want to sort a box of objects into floaters and sinkers. What do you do?
  • A.Sort them by color
  • B.Put each one in the water and see what it does
  • C.Weigh only the biggest one
7.A toy boat needs to float. Which material would you choose for it?
  • A.Stone
  • B.Wood or plastic
  • C.A bag of coins

LessonPrint · 2-PS1-1 · Set 18 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Float or Sink?

Set 18. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. The apple and the candle, which floated, and the paperclip, which sank. 2. The apple floated. 3. So you can check what you thought against what happened. 4. Some materials float and some sink, so floating can be used to sort them.
  2. 2.Yes, you can see it by putting it in water
  3. 3.A stone
  4. 4.So only the object changes between tests
  5. 5.The log floats and the pebble sinks, even though the log is bigger and heavier
  6. 6.Put each one in the water and see what it does
  7. 7.Wood or plastic

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