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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 3 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 was kept the same for every object?
  3. 3. What claim does this record support?
  4. 4. What would a wooden spoon probably do?
2.A big log and a small pebble are put in a pond. What happens?
  • A.The pebble floats because it is small
  • B.Both sink, because they are hard
  • C.The log floats and the pebble sinks, even though the log is bigger and heavier
3.Why test each object in the same tub of water?
  • A.So only the object changes between tests
  • B.So the water stays clean
  • C.So it is quicker
4.Two blocks are the same size. One is wood and one is steel. Which floats?
  • A.Both of them
  • B.The steel block
  • C.The wooden block
5.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
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.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

LessonPrint · 2-PS1-1 · Set 3 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Float or Sink?

Set 3. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. The apple and the candle, which floated, and the paperclip, which sank. 2. The same tub of water, and each object was dropped in the same way. 3. Some materials float and some sink, so floating can be used to sort them. 4. Float, like the wooden block.
  2. 2.The log floats and the pebble sinks, even though the log is bigger and heavier
  3. 3.So only the object changes between tests
  4. 4.The wooden block
  5. 5.Its shape, not what it is made of
  6. 6.Wood or plastic
  7. 7.Put each one in the water and see what it does

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