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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 6 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 does this record not tell you?
  4. 4. What did the metal things do?
2.Two blocks are the same size. One is wood and one is steel. Which floats?
  • A.The wooden block
  • B.Both of them
  • C.The steel block
3.You want to sort a box of objects into floaters and sinkers. What do you do?
  • A.Sort them by color
  • B.Weigh only the biggest one
  • C.Put each one in the water and see what it does
4.A plastic bottle top floats. Would a whole empty plastic bottle with its top on float?
  • A.No, it would sink at once
  • B.It would fly
  • C.Yes, it would float
5.Which of these would you expect to float?
  • A.A cork
  • B.A metal spoon
  • C.A marble
6.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
7.Which of these would you expect to sink?
  • A.A ping-pong ball
  • B.A stone
  • C.A leaf

LessonPrint · 2-PS1-1 · Set 6 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Float or Sink?

Set 6. 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. It does not tell you what the objects would do in salty water. 4. The coin, the metal key and the steel paperclip all sank.
  2. 2.The wooden block
  3. 3.Put each one in the water and see what it does
  4. 4.Yes, it would float
  5. 5.A cork
  6. 6.So only the object changes between tests
  7. 7.A stone

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