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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 21 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. Why write down a prediction before testing?
  2. 2. Which predictions did the class get wrong?
  3. 3. What was kept the same for every object?
  4. 4. What does this record not tell you?
2.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
3.Why test each object in the same tub of water?
  • A.So the water stays clean
  • B.So only the object changes between tests
  • C.So it is quicker
4.Which of these would you expect to sink?
  • A.A stone
  • B.A ping-pong ball
  • C.A leaf
5.A big log and a small pebble are put in a pond. What happens?
  • A.Both sink, because they are hard
  • B.The log floats and the pebble sinks, even though the log is bigger and heavier
  • C.The pebble floats because it is small
6.Is "it floats" something you can observe about a material?
  • A.Yes, you can see it by putting it in water
  • B.Only if it is shiny
  • C.No, you have to guess
7.Which of these would you expect to float?
  • A.A marble
  • B.A metal spoon
  • C.A cork

LessonPrint · 2-PS1-1 · Set 21 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Float or Sink?

Set 21. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. So you can check what you thought against what happened. 2. The apple and the candle, which floated, and the paperclip, which sank. 3. The same tub of water, and each object was dropped in the same way. 4. It does not tell you what the objects would do in salty water.
  2. 2.The wooden block
  3. 3.So only the object changes between tests
  4. 4.A stone
  5. 5.The log floats and the pebble sinks, even though the log is bigger and heavier
  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.