Crystal

Burns
Seamless Assessment Lesson Plan

Title:
Will It Float?

Grade Level:
8

Essential Questions:
What is density?
How do you find the density of an object?

Enduring Understandings:
Density is a qualitative comparison of whether an object will float or sink in water; a
comparison of the mass of an object with its volume; and is the mass-to-volume ratio of a
substance.
Divide the mass of an object by its volume: if the answer is less than or equal to one then
it will float; if it greater than one the object will sink a property of matter.

NGSS:
Core Ideas
o PS1.A Structure and Properties of Matter
Practices
o 3. Carrying out Investigations, 4. Analyzing and Interpreting Data & 5. Using
Mathematics and Computational Thinking
Concept
o 1. Patterns

5E Lesson:
Engage:
o Teacher demonstrated that two different sized (one small and one large) pumice
rock floats, contrary to what the students predicted
o Has students make a prediction/observation sheet
Explore:
o Student groups experimented with tin foil - some floated some didnt
o Student groups experimented with solid blocks cleared up students thinking
about the contribution of air to floating objects
Explain:
o Relative density mass versus volume
o Denser the item the farther it is from the density line of the water
o More dense/less dense will make it either float or sink
Elaborate:
o Calculating Density dividing mass by the volume less than one it floats &
more than one it sinks
o Bowling ball challenge
Applying the density formula
Preforming calculations

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 Crystal Burns
Seamless Assessment Lesson Plan

Deciding which balls would sink or float
Evaluate:
o Constructive Response
Writing a memo to their boss about their individual piece of material by
calculating its density and whether or not it would be a good material to
purchase to make floating toys

Level of Inquiry:
Structured

Literacy Connections:
Creating prediction/observation charts
Letter to the teacher
Memo to the boss
Notebook entries
Charting the density of many objects

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