Teachers, save “Which Materials Make the Best Pirate Ship?” to assign it to your class.

PLAN: • Sketch and label your design ideas on a piece of paper. • What materials will you use? (Suggested Materials: aluminum foil, play doh, elastic bands, lolly sticks, sponge, cork, cardboard , polystyrene ,pennies or other small weighted objects, a container or a sink filled with water) • Label your sketch with the materials that you will need. DESIGN: • Build your first boat. • Test your design. - Does it float? - Make improvements if needed. PLAY: • Try adding one penny at a time to your boat. • Can you think of a way to improve your design so that it might hold more weight? Additional Challenge Idea: try creating a boat using different types of materials (cardboard, styrofoam, etc). What design features work best? • Upload a of your boat • Record answers to the following questions - Which materials worked best in your design? - What improvements did you need to make? - How many pennies was your boat able to hold without sinking?