Boats and Buoyancy Assessment Task

You are at Keho Lake one fall afternoon with your cousins. You see one of
your cousins has built their own watercraft. You decide that you want to
build one too. You tell your cousin that you are going to build a watercraft
and want to challenge them to a competition. The competition is to see
whose watercraft can hold the most washers before it sinks.

To get ready for the competition you need to:

 Decide what materials you will use

 Draw and label a plan that you will use to build the watercraft
 Build a watercraft out of the materials provided.
 Use the scientific method to test and modify your watercraft to make
sure it can float and hold washers.
You must use the scientific method to create your watercraft and record the
results after the competition. The scientific method requires that you begin
by planning (draw and labelling materials that will be used on your
watercraft) then make a hypothesis about how many washers your
watercraft will hold. After you have done these two things, you can build
your watercraft with the materials provided then test it and make changes
to your watercraft to make it hold more marbles.

Your final report should include a description of:

 why you chose the materials you did

 how many washers your watercraft held
 how you built and modified your watercraft

Good luck, and have fun!

© AAC… everyday assessment to support student

learning Nove
mber 2017
Grade Two Science: Watercraft
Challenge Stude
nt Materials
Please note: This document may have been modified. To view the most recent AAC version, please visit www.aac.ab.ca.
© AAC… everyday assessment to support student
learning Nove
mber 2017
Grade Two Science: Watercraft
Challenge Stude
nt Materials
Please note: This document may have been modified. To view the most recent AAC version, please visit www.aac.ab.ca.
Student:___________________

Criteria Description of Yes A good Not Yet Teachers Comments

Criteria start
Select and  The student
evaluate selected
materials materials that
(2-3.5, 2-7.6) float and are
waterproof to
build their
watercraft.

Adapt  The student

watercraft identifies
(2-7.7, 2-7.4) appropriate
modifications to
their watercraft
to make it hold
a heavier load.

Watercraft can  The watercraft

hold a load can hold a load
(2-7.3) before it sinks.

Watercraft is  The student

Stable built a wide
( 2.7.5) boat that is
stable.

© AAC… everyday assessment to support student

learning Nove
mber 2017
Grade Two Science: Watercraft
Challenge Stude
nt Materials
Please note: This document may have been modified. To view the most recent AAC version, please visit www.aac.ab.ca.