Using a SOLO Taxonomy approach each student was asked to write down what they knew about sinking and floating. Results: a)heavy things sink b)light things float c)ships can float d)lots of things can float e)air helps things to float
Naturally, 'why and how' questions formed the next part of the journey. One of our students wanted to discuss the journey of the 'Titanic', a supposedly unsinkable ship. Mohit knew that the Titanic had hit an iceberg and sank. They shared two books and video footage relating to this disaster. All students wanted to understand the science behind how such a large ship had managed to float in the first place. A lot of scientific study would open the way for the development and understanding of academic language that would then be tested in a final design process. What a wonderful term of study. There was a lot of discussion, many experiments enabled students to predict, observe and make conclusions. Technology including video footage and a full design process helped to unlock understanding and therefore application of the concepts being studied. Finally the students presented their research and explanation of floating and sinking to a peer group that had a strong interest in science.
Arsh wrote: This explanation is based on an experiment we did. Our group made boats that we were allowed to float in the school pool. When we put our boats in the water my boat sank. Do you know why? It was because my sail was too tall and top heavy. My boat tipped onto its side and filled up with water. The water was too heavy and my boat did not occupy enough space on the surface of the water. Aaron’s boat won. His boat was upside down in the water, but it floated. When it capsized, some air trapped itself between the boat and the water. It made the boat more buoyant than mine. I did not trap any air in my boat so it was much heavier even though it took up the same space on the water as Aarons. So what we learned was that when you think of buoyancy, you have to know that it has something to do with the weight of something (how light or heavy it is) and how well the buoyancy force of the water allows it to float.
Sakshi’s Explanation of Floating and Sinking At ESOL we have been doing a lot of experiments to find out whether things are buoyant or not. I am going to tell you why some things float, while others sink. If you are to float on water, you need to have lots of air in your lungs. You also need to take up more space on the water. There are two forces that have to be equal. If the buoyancy force (the upward force) is equal to the gravitational force (downward force) you can float. If the gravitational force is greater on the water, you will sink. Now I will talk about the experiment we did to find out what helped something to float. We made our own boat to see if it would float or sink. Nishita’s and my boat floated really well. The things that made my boat float better than the boys was that it took up more space on the water and it was made out of lighter things, like polystyrene, foil and icecream sticks. My boat had a cabin that was covered in foil, so air was trapped inside it. That made it even lighter on the water. So to float we have to think about the space we take up on the water and the weight pushing down on it. If the weight of the boat is greater than the water, it will sink.
