K3L21 Water Scientists
Lesson Duration: 45 minutes
Grade: K3
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Learning Objectives:
- Analyze how shape affects floating ability
- Design and modify clay boats to hold more weight
- Evaluate which boat designs are most successful and explain why
Materials Needed:
- Clear water bins (1 per group of 3 children)
- Apples (1 per child)
- Various sail materials:
• Different shaped paper
• Different sized paper
• Plastic sheets
- Pre-folded paper boat templates
- Modeling clay (enough for 2 attempts per child)
- Counting bears (30 per group)
- Scientific observation sheets
- Measuring tools (simple rulers)
- Pencils and markers
- Paper towels
- Waterproof aprons
- Safety note: All materials child-safe
Lesson Procedure
3 mins - Welcome Time
• Sing "Hello Song"
• Show experiment materials: "Today we are boat scientists!"
• Discuss scientific method simply
7 mins - Discovery Chat
• Introduce scientific vocabulary: experiment, test, measure, compare
• Show different boat shapes and materials
• Discuss why some boats might work better
• Create hypothesis: "What makes a good boat?"
12 mins - Hands-On Challenge 1: Sail Science
• Part 1 (6 mins):
- Design different sail shapes
- Measure sail sizes
- Record predictions
- Test sails on apple boats
• Part 2 (6 mins):
- Use fans to test sail effectiveness
- Record results
- Compare different designs
- Use phrases: "This sail moves faster because..."
12 mins - Hands-On Challenge 2: Paper Boat Engineering
• Part 1 (6 mins):
- Examine pre-folded boat structure
- Test initial floating ability
- Add counting bears systematically
- Record weight capacity
• Part 2 (6 mins):
- Compare results with classmates
- Discuss why some boats held more
- Use phrases: "My boat holds more because..."
13 mins - Hands-On Challenge 3: Clay Boat Design
• Part 1 (7 mins):
- Demonstrate clay boat building techniques
- Students design and build boats
- Test initial designs
- Record observations
• Part 2 (6 mins):
- Modify designs based on results
- Conduct final weight tests
- Compare with paper boats
- Present findings: "My best design was..."
3 mins - Wrap-Up
• Share discoveries
• Review successful design features
• Sing "Goodbye Song"