Science Lesson: Engineering Boats
In this lesson, students take on the role of engineers to design and build their own boats with limited materials that floats holding 50 pieces of cargo. They test multiple iterations of their prototype and discuss which design works best based on the evidence they gather.
Science Big Ideas
- Engineers use what they know about what makes an object float or sink to design boats that can carry different amounts of cargo.
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Science Essential Questions
- How are boats different from other vehicles, including student propeller cars from the last unit?
- Why is it important for boats to float well?
- What can affect a boat’s ability to float?
- What kinds of things do engineers who design boats need to think about when planning their design?
- How does density affect a boat’s ability to float?
Common Science Misconceptions
Misconception: All big objects sink, while little objects float.
Fact: The most important factor in whether an object floats or sinks is its density. An object’s density is determined by the materials that make it up and its volume.
Misconception: The shape of a boat is unrelated to how well it can stay afloat.
Fact: A boat’s shape plays a major role in how buoyant the boat will be. Other factors that influence buoyancy include size and the materials of the boat..
Science Vocabulary
Density : a property of matter; the amount of matter packed in a certain amount of space
Float : to stay above the surface of water or another fluid such as air
sink : to drop down in water or another fluid such as air
Lexile(R) Certified Non-Fiction Science Reading (Excerpt)
Density and Shape
The shape of an object also affects how well it floats. Boats are a good example of this. Boats carry people and cargo on the water. There are many kinds of boats.
Some boats are large. Cruise ships carry thousands of people. Some boats are small. A canoe carries one or two people.
Shape of a Boat
The body of the boat is called the hull. The hull includes the part of the boat that goes underwater. It also includes the part in the middle that is hollowed out. This is where people and cargo go.
There are different hull shapes. One shape is a flat-bottom hull. Another shape is a round-bottom hull.
Even though the hull can be different shapes, all boats have a large surface that touches the water
Gravity pulls down on objects in the water. This is the weight of an object. It pushes some of the water out of the way. In response, the water pushes back.
The more of the boat that touches the water, the more water it pushes out of the way and the more the water pushes back. This helps the boat float.
Hands-on Science Activity
For the hands-on activity in this lesson, students are presented with a scenario and pick out information from it to help them define a problem that they will create a prototype to solve. Students then review the solution criteria and constraints before using the engineering design process to prototype a solution. Once students build their prototype, they test it to determine how well it solved the problem. Students use the data they gather from their first prototype solution to improve their second prototype so that it better solves the problem. They repeat this process with their third prototype. Students then evaluate their prototypes to explain which prototype best solved the engineering problem given the criteria and constraints from the scenario.
Science Assessments
KnowAtom incorporates formative and summative assessments designed to make students thinking visible for deeper student-centered learning.
- Vocabulary Check
- Lab Checkpoints
- Concept Check Assessment
- Concept Map Assessment
- And More...
See How KnowAtom Aligns to NGSS Science Standards
Discover hands-on screens-off core science curriculum for student centered K-8 classrooms. KnowAtom supports classrooms with all hands-on materials, curriculum, and professional development to support mastery of the standards.
