High and Dry: Protecting Objects on a Floating Platform

Aimed at primary level, this resource provides a cross-curricular design and technology project which links to work on the properties and uses of materials and in particular floating and sinking. Throughout the lessons children design and make a floating island and discover more about the work of engineers throughout the lessons. The first lesson introduces the context for the lessons in the form of a story in which two children want to find a solution to the problem of carrying items with them to an island without them getting wet. In the second lesson children carry out an investigation about sinking and floating through setting and answering questions, defining variables, making predictions and conducting experiments. They consider concepts such as force, volume, weight throughout the lesson. They then apply their knowledge of floating and sinking to design and construct a small floating platform to carry objects that should not get wet. The final lesson provides an opportunity to present their work and reflect on processes they used throughout.

This resource was produced by The European project ENGINEER,  under the funding of the 7th framework programme, as part of ENGINEER project, contract № 288989. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.