8th Grade Physical Science Curriculum Unit 1: Density and Buoyancy Overview: This lesson is a structured introduction to scientific investigation, focused on the concepts of density and buoyancy. The lessons follow the Inquiry Cycle, and this cycle can be seen within each lesson, as well as in the sequence as a whole. Density is a difficult concept for middle school students to grasp. They begin with the idea that things are heavy or light. They have not really thought about weight in relationship to the volume of an object. Our task in this sequence is to build their understanding through a series of experiments and investigations, driven by the students' curiousity. Density is an concept fundamental to much of physical science. This unit in particular leads directly to activities in the following unit, which show how density is a property of elements and is related to their position on the Periodic Table. Density Learning Cycle Graphic (PDF) Unit Overview in Table (PDF) State and District Standards Density Concepts and Misconcepts (Important Background) Lesson 1: a. Heavy Ice? b. New Questions c. Magic Time! Lesson 2: a. Liquids of Different Densities b. Graphing Mass and Volume Lesson 3 a. What is Volume? b. Objects of Different Densities Lesson 4 Fluffy Vs. Not Fluffy Lesson 5 Cartesian Diver Inquiry Lesson 6: Cumulative Assessment: Density Poster Back to Grade 8 Units