Winter Squash: Sink or Float?
Provided by: Center for Ecoliteracy|Published on: November 1, 2022|Last updated: September 26, 2026
Grades: 3, 4, 5
Type: Lesson Plans
Subjects: Science, English Language Arts, Health
Authors: Center for Ecoliteracy
Location: Earth, North America, North America > United States, North America > United States > California
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This hands-on lesson about California-grown squash includes directions for a squash taste test, a squash buoyancy test, a vocabulary list, and worksheets to print for your students.
- Students will enjoy this fun lesson, which can span one or two 50-minute periods.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- This lesson will provide students with lasting impressions.
- Students will get to test their hypotheses about squash buoyancy, taste several varieties of winter squash, and learn about these vegetables.
Additional Prerequisites
- Several materials are required to complete all the components of this lesson, including copies of worksheets, baking and kitchen supplies, several varieties of squash, and plastic containers filled with water.
Differentiation
- This activity would work well in a health class discussing nutrition, a science class working on density or biodiversity, and language arts classes reading non-fiction.
- It would work well as station work or lab work, where students complete a portion of the lesson and rotate through each of the stations.
- As an extension, have students complete the density test with other produce.
This resource is an in depth lesson on Californian grown varieties of winter squash. It dives into its history and uses as well as its cultivation. All information within is accurate and verifiable. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
