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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 4 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 apple?
  2. 2. What did the metal things do?
  3. 3. What does this record not tell you?
  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.Is "it floats" something you can observe about a material?
  • A.No, you have to guess
  • B.Only if it is shiny
  • C.Yes, you can see it by putting it in water
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 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
6.Which of these would you expect to sink?
  • A.A ping-pong ball
  • B.A stone
  • C.A leaf
7.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

LessonPrint · 2-PS1-1 · Set 4 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Float or Sink?

Set 4. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. The apple floated. 2. The coin, the metal key and the steel paperclip all sank. 3. It does not tell you what the objects would do in salty water. 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.Yes, you can see it by putting it in water
  4. 4.The wooden block
  5. 5.The log floats and the pebble sinks, even though the log is bigger and heavier
  6. 6.A stone
  7. 7.So only the object changes between tests

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