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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 20 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 claim does this record support?
  2. 2. What did the metal things do?
  3. 3. What was kept the same for every object?
  4. 4. Why write down a prediction before testing?
2.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
3.Two blocks are the same size. One is wood and one is steel. Which floats?
  • A.The wooden block
  • B.The steel block
  • C.Both of them
4.Is "it floats" something you can observe about a material?
  • A.Only if it is shiny
  • B.Yes, you can see it by putting it in water
  • C.No, you have to guess
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.It would fly
  • C.Yes, it would float
6.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
7.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

LessonPrint · 2-PS1-1 · Set 20 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Float or Sink?

Set 20. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Some materials float and some sink, so floating can be used to sort them. 2. The coin, the metal key and the steel paperclip all sank. 3. The same tub of water, and each object was dropped in the same way. 4. So you can check what you thought against what happened.
  2. 2.Put each one in the water and see what it does
  3. 3.The wooden block
  4. 4.Yes, you can see it by putting it in water
  5. 5.Yes, it would float
  6. 6.So only the object changes between tests
  7. 7.Its shape, not what it is made of

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