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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 25 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 happened to the steel paperclip?
  2. 2. What does this record not tell you?
  3. 3. What would a wooden spoon probably do?
  4. 4. What was kept the same for every object?
2.Two blocks are the same size. One is wood and one is steel. Which floats?
  • A.The steel block
  • B.The wooden block
  • C.Both of them
3.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
4.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.Both sink, because they are hard
  • C.The pebble floats because it is small
5.Which of these would you expect to sink?
  • A.A leaf
  • B.A stone
  • C.A ping-pong ball
6.A toy boat needs to float. Which material would you choose for it?
  • A.A bag of coins
  • B.Wood or plastic
  • C.Stone
7.A sheet of foil floats, but the same foil squashed into a tight ball sinks. What changed?
  • A.The water got heavier
  • B.It turned into a different metal
  • C.Its shape, not what it is made of

LessonPrint · 2-PS1-1 · Set 25 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Float or Sink?

Set 25. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. The paperclip sank. 2. It does not tell you what the objects would do in salty water. 3. Float, like the wooden block. 4. The same tub of water, and each object was dropped in the same way.
  2. 2.The wooden block
  3. 3.Yes, it would float
  4. 4.The log floats and the pebble sinks, even though the log is bigger and heavier
  5. 5.A stone
  6. 6.Wood or plastic
  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.