Does the shape of a piece of steel decide if it floats?
Open for the projector Present it step by step
Classroom mode
A question for the whole room
One story to open. A room full of ideas to test.
Ready in three steps
- Open the story.Read and try the first pages together.
- Pause for a prediction.At the story’s question, read its choices aloud. Invite a vote and ask, “What makes you think that?”
- Run it. Watch. Wonder.Choose the class’s prediction, run the experiment, and compare what happened with your guesses.
Different guesses are welcome. The experiment gives everyone something to rethink.
Something to put on paper
A one-page prediction and observation sheet. No answers included.
After the experiment: discussion notes
Talk about what happened
- Predict what happens when a leak fills the boat with water even though its steel and outside shape stay the same. Compare mass with the water the hull can push aside.
- Guess what fills the inside of a ship's hull and how that helps it float, before we reveal it.
- Predict whether adding more cargo makes a floating ship sit higher or lower in the water, then test with a foil boat.
Where it shows up in real life
- Giant steel cargo ships and ferries riding on the water.
- A foil boat or a plastic cup floating in the sink or bathtub.
- Ice cubes bobbing at the top of a glass of juice.
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