Saba 1

Susu Saba
Professor Kim
ELED 305
December 8, 2014
5-E Lesson Plan
Lesson Topic: Floating vs. Sinking - Building a Boat Experiment
Grade Level: 5th grade, 30 students

Time: 50 minutes

Next Generation of Science Standards (NGSS): 5-PS2-1. Support an argument that the
gravitational force exerted by Earth on objects is directed down. (Clarification Statement:
Down is a local description of the direction that points toward the center of the spherical
Earth.) (Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include mathematical representation of
gravitational force.)
Common Core Math Standards: CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.MD.A.1
Convert among different-sized standard measurement units within a given measurement system
(e.g., convert 5 cm to 0.05 m), and use these conversions in solving multi-step, real world
problems.
Common Core Language Arts Standards: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.2
Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details;
summarize the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.9
Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the
subject knowledgeably.
Course Objective Students will:
Science Objectives:
Infer / hypothesize what objects float and what objects sink.
Build and construct their own floating boat.
Enjoy building their boat.
Predict how many marbles their boat can carry before sinking, then test out their boats.
Explain the meaning of how boats can float through buoyancy.
Math Objectives:
Measure their boats using a scientific ruler.
Convert their boat measurements from centimeters to meters.
Langauge Arts Objectives:
Listen to the story Things That Float and Things That Dont book.
Write down six facts about the story.
Summarize what they did in writing, 5 complete sentences using at least 5 new vocabulary
words, in their Scientist Journals.

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Material List:
To build the boat: Tin foil, straws, card board, masking-tape, popsicle sticks, sponges, rubber
bands.
To test the boat: marbles
Other materials: small clear container of water, paper towels, pencils, scissors, scientific
rulers, journals, Things That Float and Things That Dont book by: David A. Adler illustrated by
Anna Raff, and Class worksheets and handouts.
Safety Precaution:
1. Hold the scissors properly when walking around and when cutting.
2. Be sure to clean after yourself.
3. Wipe any water around the desk or floor, so no one slips.
Instructional Procedures:
Engagement:
I will pass out a KWL chart. As a class we will fill in the K and W column: what we know and
what we want to know about floating vs. sinking.
Read to the students a short story, Things That Float and Things That Dont.
Students will write down at least 6 facts as they listen to the story.
Then begin to ask questions to the whole class: What properties or characteristics determine
whether an object will float or sink?
Invite students to share what they know about floating and sinking from their personal
experiences and hands-on explorations in science.
Ask them: What happens when you go swimming? What happens when you bring toys in
the bathtub? What types of toys float? What types of toys sink?

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K (What I know)

W (What I want to know)

L (What I Learned)

Then place several classroom objects (from the materials list) like pencil, scissors, rubber
band, etc. on the table where students can see them.
Ask, Which of these objects do you think will float and which one will sink?
After a short mini discussion, explain to class that they will be building their own boat to test if
it can float or not.
However, before building their boats, they need to learn a few key terms (vocabulary words).
Students will write down the new vocabulary words and its meaning, in their science journals.
Vocabulary students will learn:
1. Weight: is the amount go gravity pulling on an object, measured housing a scale.
2. Solid: have the shape of their own. They usually keep their shapes They take up a certain
amount of space. The atoms in a solid are packed together. Some solids sink in water, and
some float.

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3. Liquid: They have no shape of their own. They fit the shape of their container. They take up
certain amount of space. They flow like: water, juice, soft drinks, syrup.
4. Buoyancy: upward force of fluid that pushes an object up.
5. Gravity: the downward force that pulls objects to the Earths surface.
6. Equilibrium: when objects and forces are in a state of balance.
7. Density: the amount of some thing per unit volume, unit area, or unit length.
Exploration:
Help students brainstorm a list of different kinds of boats there are: sailboats, canoes,
rowboats, motorboats, cruise ships, and ferries.
Ask them what they all have in common and how do they differ from one another?
What materials do you think these boats are made of?
What do you notice about the shape of the boats?
After this mini discussion, I will pass out white printing paper to all the students.
In their science groups, students will collaborate their ideas to draw out how their perfect ship
would look like using the materials I will pass out. (Without touching the materialss, students
will have to predict how they would want their ship to look like)
I will give them five to eight minutes to think like
scientists.
Pictures of boats:

Explanation:
Each group has a specific roll that each student is responsible for: Leader, Clean up helper,
Note taker, and Material person.
I will pass out the slip of directions to the experiment. Students will follow along as I read.

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FLOAT vs. SINK EXPERIMENT

Directions: Ms. Saba was challenged by the principal to
make the greatest, sturdiest boat!! However, in order to make
these great boats, we could only use a limited amount of
material that the principal has suggested. Ms. Saba was not
worried because she knew her class is creative and can all
think like Scientists!! BUTnot only did Ms. Sabas class
have to build a boat, they needed to test their boat using marbles. One student from each group
will test out their ship. The boat that carries the most marbles before sinking wins and can show
their boat to the principle!
The materials are: 24 inches of foil, half cut out card-board, 10 straws, 2 pencils, 1 rubber
band, 36 inches of masking tape, 1 sponge, and 3 popsicle sticks.
Steps:
1. Draw out your boat.
2. Build your boatBE CREATIVE!
3. Predict how many marbles it can hold before sinking.
4. Test out your boat!
After reading the instructions, I will go over everything once more the vocabulary terms and
what we read in the book, using a concept map. Students will help me fill in the blanks.
Then I will call the tool person from each group to come up and collect their materials needed
to build the boat. Material person will bring with them a checklist to check off each material
they get.
Students will begin to build their boats!
Checklist:
Materials
24 inches of foil

half cut out

cardboard
10 straws

2 pencils

Check

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Materials
1 rubber bands

36 inches of
masking tape
1 sponge

3 popsicle sticks

Content Map:

Check

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Extension:
Students must come up with a name for their boat.
As they build their boats, the notetakers are working with their group to help answer the
questions on the worksheet. Every student must complete the worksheet, notetakers are the
leaders reading each question step by step.
Students will also measure their boats and convert their
measurements from centimeter to meter.

Name: ____________________
Date: _____________________

Lets build a boat!

Boat name:___________________________________________

Instructions: Use the drawing of your boat to help you build your boat.
Predict how many marbles your boat can hold before sinking. Then, after
testing out your boat,in a complete sentence, write how many actual
marbles your boat was able to hold. Measure your boat in centimeters and
convert to meters. Show me the steps you take to solve this.

Hypothesis

Actual results

Measure your boat using the scientific ruler, then convert the measurement
of your boat from cm to m.

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The actual measurement of your boat in centimeters:

________________________
Measurement in meters:_______________________
Show your work in the box below.

Evaluation:
Each group will present their boats to the class. The group leader will explain the materials
they used and how they built their boat.
Each group will say what their hypothesis was. How many marbles their boat can hold before
sinking.
Each group will explain what their boat measurement was and what their new measurement
became when they converted it from centimeters to meters.
Students will then test out their boats to see which boat can float the longest while adding
additional weight on their boat, marbles.

After the experiment, discuss again what they learned about todays lesson.
Go over the vocabulary terms once more.
Let the students tell you what they learned.
Have students write in their scientist journals a summary of todays lesson.

Scientific Journal Response

1) What would you change about your boat to make it float longer?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

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2) In one paragraph (5 sentences) summarize what you did and learned in todays

lesson about floating vs. sinking. Must use at least 5 new vocabulary words in
your sentences.
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

Differentiated Instruction:
EL: During the lesson, students will have to write down 5 facts about the book instead of six, and
try to write in complete sentences. I will also print out and pass out a copy of the vocabulary
words that we will go over to the EL students. They can read along the terms as I go over the
words and write in additional notes to help them remember the words. During group work, I will
assign the EL students to be the note taker, so they can continue practicing in their writing and
speaking skills.
LD: During the lesson, I will pass out a copy of the vocabulary words that we will go over;
however, students will write down the meaning of the words as we go along, that way students
can follow along and keep track which word is next. During the group work, I will assign the LD
students as material manager, so they learn to become responsible when collecting and
checking off materials for the experiments.
Gifted: During the lesson students will be challenged to think critically. Instead of writing down
six facts about the book they will write eight facts. During the group work, I will assign the gifted
students to be the leaders that way they are able to help guide their group and keep them all on
task to complete the assignments. They will also have to show me how they can convert that
meter measurement they got into kilometer on the back of the worksheet.
Homework: Students will complete the KWL chart by filling in the L column (What I learned)
and adding on to the chart by writing what they would like to explore more!
Integrate other subjects:

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Mathematics: Students are measuring the lengths of their boats, once they finish building it, and
converting their measurements from centimeters to meters. This is extra practice that they will
do as they learned about converting measurements in their math class.
Language Arts: Students will listen to a story and answer questions about the story as I read the
book. Students will also write down six facts about floating vs. sinking. In addition, in the end
students will write down a paragraph summary (5 complete sentences using at least 5
vocabulary words) of what they learned today in the lesson about what floats vs. what sinks.

Floating vs. Sinking Lesson Rubric

Student Name: _________________________________________
Category
Infer/ Hypothesis
what objects float
and what objects
sink.
Predict how many
marbles their
boat can carry
before sinking.
Explain how
boats can float
through the term
buoyancy.
Measure their
boats using a
scientific ruler
and convert from
cm to m.
Write down 6
facts about the
story.

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Category

Summarize what
they did in
writing, 5
complete
sentences using
at least 5 new
vocabulary
words.

Resources/References:
Adler, David A., and Anna Raff. Things That Float and Things That Don't. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.
Created my own KWL chart, worksheets, and rubric.
Google images
Tretter, R. (2000). Sink or float? Nursing Management (Springhouse), 31(10), 113-121. doi:
10.1097/00006247-200010000-00005