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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 24 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 happened to the steel paperclip?
  3. 3. What would a wooden spoon probably do?
  4. 4. What was kept the same for every object?
2.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
3.Which of these would you expect to float?
  • A.A metal spoon
  • B.A marble
  • C.A cork
4.A plastic bottle top floats. Would a whole empty plastic bottle with its top on float?
  • A.Yes, it would float
  • B.It would fly
  • C.No, it would sink at once
5.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.Sort them by color
  • C.Weigh only the biggest one
6.A sheet of foil floats, but the same foil squashed into a tight ball sinks. What changed?
  • A.It turned into a different metal
  • B.Its shape, not what it is made of
  • C.The water got heavier
7.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

LessonPrint · 2-PS1-1 · Set 24 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Float or Sink?

Set 24. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Some materials float and some sink, so floating can be used to sort them. 2. The paperclip sank. 3. Float, like the wooden block. 4. The same tub of water, and each object was dropped in the same way.
  2. 2.The log floats and the pebble sinks, even though the log is bigger and heavier
  3. 3.A cork
  4. 4.Yes, it would float
  5. 5.Put each one in the water and see what it does
  6. 6.Its shape, not what it is made of
  7. 7.Yes, you can see it by putting it in water

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