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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 8 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 does this record not tell you?
  3. 3. Which predictions did the class get wrong?
  4. 4. What would a wooden spoon probably do?
2.A toy boat needs to float. Which material would you choose for it?
  • A.A bag of coins
  • B.Wood or plastic
  • C.Stone
3.Is "it floats" something you can observe about a material?
  • A.Yes, you can see it by putting it in water
  • B.Only if it is shiny
  • C.No, you have to guess
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.Which of these would you expect to sink?
  • A.A stone
  • B.A ping-pong ball
  • C.A leaf
7.Which of these would you expect to float?
  • A.A cork
  • B.A metal spoon
  • C.A marble

LessonPrint · 2-PS1-1 · Set 8 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Float or Sink?

Set 8. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. The apple floated. 2. It does not tell you what the objects would do in salty water. 3. The apple and the candle, which floated, and the paperclip, which sank. 4. Float, like the wooden block.
  2. 2.Wood or plastic
  3. 3.Yes, you can see it by putting it in water
  4. 4.Yes, it would float
  5. 5.Put each one in the water and see what it does
  6. 6.A stone
  7. 7.A cork

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