Buoyancy Stem Unit

Buoyancy STEM Unit:
Grade: 3rd
Duration: Approximately 2 weeks (10 school days)
Lesson 1: Ships and Boats Introduction
Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to use reading strategies and
comprehension skills to better understand informational
text.
Students will build on their prior knowledge about boats
and ships
Students will be able to identify the main idea and
supporting details of an informational text.
Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.1
Before the students arrive in the morning set up 3 covered signs
on white board/bulletin board: strategy, skill, and purpose (with the
specific strategy, skill and purpose written in I Can statements
underneath).
When students arrive pass out the Reading A-Z book Ships and
Boats level R*. Allow students to examine the books front cover, back
cover, illustrations, and title and ask them what clues these text
features give us about what the book will be about. Once the students
have concluded that the book will be about boats, introduce the
reading strategy.
Uncover the strategy sign to reveal a sign beneath it that reads,
I can build on prior knowledge as I read. Explain what this entails and
model this strategy by talking about what they know about boats i.e;
When I looked at the cover and realized the book was about boats it
reminded me of the time I went sailing in Texas. I remember that the
boat gets its power by catching wind in its sails. Next allow students a
couple minutes to discuss some things they know about boats. After a
few minutes let the students share their prior knowledge about boats.
Student answers will be recorded on the smart board.
Before starting to read, introduce the comprehension skill by
uncovering the skill sign to reveal another sign that reads, I can find
the main idea and its supporting details. To model this write different
bodies of water on the board such as river, stream, lake, ocean, pond
etc. Ask what all of these words refer to (bodies of water). The teacher
will explain that the definition of each word helps to tell us what the
main idea is. Each word on the board is a supporting detail and bodies
of water is the main idea.
At this point ask the students to open their books to page 4 and
read the introductory page out loud using a projectable copy on the
smart board. The teacher will read and think aloud to model
identifying supporting details and help guide students to identify the
main idea. After this, reveal the purpose, I can build on prior
knowledge and learn more about ships and boats. The teacher will
now let students popcorn read or partner read the text while
supervising student reading.
After reading, moderate student discussion to help them identify
the main idea. Record the main idea and student examples of
supporting details on the smart board.
Materials: Smart board, skill, strategy, and purpose signs and I can
statements, Ships and Boats books, Ships and Boats projectable, white
board, pencils, dry-erase markers.
Duration: 1hr 30 minutes.
*Ships and Boats also comes in a version fit for 1st and 2nd grade
reading levels.
Lesson 2: How Do Boats Float?
Students will be able to form predictions about the
outcome of an experiment
Students will be able to accurately collect data resulting
from an experiment
Students will be able to analyze and draw conclusions
from an experiments results.
Standards:
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.MD.A.2
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.MD.C.5
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.1
*35-ETS1-1:Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or
a want that includes specified criteria for success and
constraints on materials, time, or cost.
Begin the lesson by reviewing what we worked on the day

before, the strategy and skills we used as well as the purpose. The
teacher will steer the discussion towards the heavy materials and
enormous size of some ships. Ask students if anyone was wondering
how such big, heavy, boats are able to stay afloat. Explain to students
that we will be exploring that question further by first, conducting an

experiment to see what things float and what things sink.
Students should be divided into groups of four or five. Each
group will receive a clear tub full of water, four-five items some that
sink, some that float (pom-poms, marble, pencil, coin etc.) and a
recording sheet to record the results of the experiment.
Before the experiment allow students time to handle and feel the
weight of each object. After that have students make and record
predictions about what items will sink and what items will float.
During the experiments students should take turns dropping
each object into the water. Students are responsible for recording what
items sunk and what items stayed afloat.
After the experiment students and teacher will come back
together as a group and share the results of their experiment. Ask if
any of the students were surprised by what they observed and discuss
what the sinking items had in common and what the floating items had
in common. The teacher will ask that students write a conclusion for
the experiment. For the conclusion students will write why they think
certain items floated and others did not.
At the end of the lesson students will have the opportunity to
share their conclusions out loud.
Materials: 4-5 plastic tubs, water, towels in case of spills, five sets of
objects to sink or float, experiment recording sheets.
Duration: 1 hr.
Lesson 3: What Puts the Float in a Boat?
Students will know the definitions to the words force,
buoyancy, gravity, density, float, and sink.
Students will understand the relationship between
gravitational force, buoyant force, and density
Students understand why some objects are buoyant and
others are not buoyant.
Standards:
Begin the lesson by reflecting on yesterdays findings. The
teacher will explain that the reason some objects float and some sink
goes deeper than just how much the object weighs (refer back to the
giant cruise ships and steam liners from the A-Z books). Explain that
there are two major forces at work, gravity and something called
buoyant force. Explain that gravity is pushing down on an object, just
like it pushes down on us when we are not in water. Drop an object to
illustrate this point. Explain that the buoyant force is pushing up on the
same object. Drop the same object in a glass of water to further
illustrate this point. The teacher will explain that the students will
watch a short video on the smart board that helps describe why things
float or have buoyancy, but first they need to define some important
vocabulary.
Each student will receive a vocabulary list (float, sink, gravity,
buoyancy, force) with room to fill in definitions. Students can use their
laptops/Ipads to find the definitions independently or work in their
small groups from yesterday and share a laptop or use a hard copy
dictionary. Once students have found the definitions, they will come
back together as a whole group and discuss the definitions to clear up
any confusion or possible errors.
Students will then watch the How Things Work video about
buoyancy. After the video reiterate the main point. Gravity is working
to push object down, and buoyancy is working to push the object up. If
the density of the object is less than the density of the water the
buoyant force will win and that object will float or is buoyant. Tie the
steam liner back into the conversation. Ask students if they think the
stream liner would float in a tiny puddle of water? Why not?
Students will write their responses to this question on an exit
ticket after discussing it as a whole group. This will allow the teacher
to check for understanding of each individual student.
*Create an anchor chart that explains and illustrates Buoyant
Force to be used as a visual aid for tomorrows experiment.
Materials: smart board, How Stuff Works video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xniW3_afO-0, laptops, buoyant
object, glass of water, exit tickets.
Duration: 1 hr.
Lesson 4: Buoyant or non Buoyant Lab
Students will be able to make predictions about the
results of an experiment.
Students will be able to accurately collect data from an
experiment
Students will be able to draw conclusions based on their
prior knowledge and data from an experiment
Students will be able to explain their thinking about the
results of an experiment.
Standards:
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.MD.B.3
3-5-ETS1-1:Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or
a want that includes specified criteria for success and
Students will conduct an experiment similar to the Will it Float?

Experiment earlier in the unit. Students will work in their same groups.
Each group will receive a tub of water, a bag of 4-5 objects, some that
are buoyant and some that are not buoyant, as well as a recording
sheet.
Before the experiment review the principles of buoyant force
using an anchor chart that displays the findings of the previous days
lesson. The key vocabulary words will also be posted on the subject
area word wall. The students will again, make predictions about what
objects will be buoyant and what objects will be non-buoyant.
During the experiment students should take turns dropping their
objects into the water. Each student is responsible for recording the
results of the experiment.
After the experiment the group will come back together.
Moderate a student discussion about the results of the experiment. Ask
students what do we know about the density of the objects that were
buoyant compared to the density of the water? What about the nonbuoyant objects? Students will discuss this and take a few moments to
jot down their thoughts in the conclusion section of their recording
sheet.
Materials: 4-5 tubs, water, objects that are buoyant and non-buoyant,
smart board, anchor charts, vocab cards, and experiment recording
sheets.
Duration: 1 hr.
Lesson 5: Reviewing Buoyancy
Students will be able to express their understanding of a
topic in writing
Students will be able to take data and turn it in to a table
or graph
Students will be able to read and interpret data in a table

and graph
Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.1.B
Students will begin the lesson by graphing what objects were
buoyant and what objects were not buoyant using a color coded bar
graph. We will review the results of yesterdays experiment as a
group. Students will discuss their conclusions with an elbow buddy
and then share out to the class.
Students will take a short buoyancy quiz to assess their
understanding. They will be asked to explain how buoyancy works and
then draw a quick illustration in their science journals or on a separate
piece of paper. The teacher will read over student responses and
assess if a re-teach of the concept is necessary.
Materials: graph paper, experiment-recording sheets, science
journals/quiz forms.
Duration: 45 minutes
Lesson 6: Boat Construction Lab
Students will be able to apply their knowledge and
construct a model boat.
Students will be able to make predictions about the
results of an experiment
Students will be able to accurately collect data
Students will be able to write a conclusion by interpreting
data from an experiment.
Standards:
*3-5-ETS1-1:Define a simple design problem reflecting a
need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and
Tell students that they are quickly becoming expert scientists and
today they will dabble in becoming engineers as well. Briefly explain
the array of jobs an engineer can hold and explain how their job
involves knowing a lot about both math and science to create
technology that helps us live.
Explain that each student will be making their own boat out of
1X1 piece of tinfoil. They must build a boat that will be strong enough
to float on its own. The boat should also be able to hold multiple
pennies.
Before the experiment each student will receive an experimentrecording sheet. They will create their boats and then predict how
many pennies their boat will be able to hold while still remaining
buoyant.
Once the boats have been constructed and the predictions made,
the students will test out their creations. They will work in the same
groups and share a tub of water. Each student is responsible for placing
pennies in their boat one by one and keeping a tally of how many
pennies their boat holds.
When the last boat finally sinks, the class will come back
together as a group to discuss the results. They will share their best
penny records and examine the construction differences between
highly effective boats and less effective boats. In their conclusion
students will write about why they believe their boat was able to hold
the amount of pennies it did and how they would change their
construction if they repeated the experiment.
Materials: tin foil, pennies or other small weights, tubs, water,
recording sheets.
Duration: 1 hr.
Lesson 7: Just Add Salt
Learning objectives:
Students will understand how waters density can be
changed when an ingredient is dissolved in water
Students will understand how variables can change the
outcome of an experiment.
Students can make predictions about how changing a
variable will change the outcome of an experiment.
Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.1.D
Begin the lesson by having students take turns explaining what
buoyancy is and why certain things float and others do not.
Pose the question, how might the buoyancy of an object change

if something was mixed into the water? Let students discuss some
possibilities with an elbow buddy and share their thoughts with the
whole group. The teacher tells students about the Dead Sea and will
share photos and a map of where it is located on the smart board.
Explain that it is almost 1/3 salt and is called the Dead Sea because it
is too salty for most animals to live. Next, show a quick video Will a
Bowling Ball Float in the Dead Sea?
Write Why Can Bowling Balls Float in The Dead Sea on a piece
of chart paper. Students will write down their predictions on a post-it
note and stick it to the chart paper. Share some of the student
predictions.
Explain that the salt changes the density of the water, it makes
water denser than it would be normally. Illustrate this concept by
pulling out two glasses of water, two eggs, and a container of salt.
Drop one egg into the water so students can see it sink. Then pour a
generous amount of salt into the second glass and drop the second
egg in so students can watch it float. The class will discuss why this
result occurs.
Students will write down their observations and the reason why
the first egg was not buoyant and the second egg was buoyant on an
exit ticket.
Materials: exit tickets, 2 glasses of water, 2 eggs, salt, smart board,
map of Israel, photographs of the Dead Sea, Will a Bowling Ball Float
in the Dead Sea? video http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=ZhL68D9BPiw.
Duration: 1 hr.
Lesson 8: Salty Sea Boat Lab
Students will understand how changing a variable in an
experiment changes the outcome
Students will understand that salt changes the density of
the water
Students understand that by increasing the waters
density it increases an objects buoyancy.
Standards:
*3-5-ETS1-1:Define a simple design problem reflecting a
need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and
Explain that now that students understand that salt makes water
more buoyant, they are going to test their boats buoyancy on the
open sea. Explain that today their tubs are full of salt water instead of
regular water. Students will make predictions about whether their
boats will be able to hold more or less pennies than when they were
floating in freshwater.
During the experiment students will share tubs with their groups
and place pennies into their boats one at a time. Students will be
careful to tally how many pennies their boat will hold.
Students will compare the salty sea results with the results of
the freshwater experiment. Students will write a conclusion
explaining why the results are different.
Materials: Saltwater, tubs, tin foil boats, pennies, experimentrecording sheet
Duration: 1 hr.
Lesson 9: Graphing the Data
Students will be able to use data to create a bar graph
Students will be able to draw conclusions from data
Students will be able to express their conclusions orally
and in written form
Standards:
Students will graph the results of their salty sea boat experiment and
the freshwater experiment using a line graph. They will graph the
freshwater results in blue and the salt water results in red.
Students will explain why the results are different in their science
notebooks. Students will draw pictures to illustrate their thinking.
Students responses will be used to assess student understanding.
Materials: graph paper, science journals, experiment-recording sheet
Lesson 10: Putting it All Together

Learning Objectives;
Students will be able to explain the relationship between

density, gravity, and buoyant force.
Students will be able to explain why salt effects buoyancy
Students will be able to explain why a variable can
change the outcomes of an experiment.
Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.1.A
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.2
As a conclusion to the unit, students will be evaluated using a
paper-pencil test.
Students will be shown a video of the egg in unsalted and salted
water again. The students must observe what happens in the video
and write a written response: What force was pushing down on the egg
and what force was pushing the egg up? Why did the egg in unsalted
water sink? Why did the egg in the salted water float?
Materials: Egg experiment video http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=ggNI76hF6HQ, paper test form
*3-5-ETS1-1 is an engineering standard from Next Generaltion
Science Standards: http://www.nextgenscience.org/searchperformance-expectations?tid_2%5B%5D=10

Buoyancy Stem Unit

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Buoyancy Stem Unit

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Buoyancy STEM Unit:

Begin the lesson by reviewing what we worked on the day

that we will be exploring that question further by first, conducting an

Students will conduct an experiment similar to the Will it Float?

Students will be able to read and interpret data in a table

Pose the question, how might the buoyancy of an object change

Lesson 10: Putting it All Together

Students will be able to explain the relationship between

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