Curated OER
Exploring the Physical and Chemical Properties of Polymers
Students determine the physical and chemical properties of polymers. In this chemistry lesson plan, students test them for biodegradability. They collect data and compare their results.
Curated OER
From Polymers to Bioplastics: Looking Toward Finding Renewable Resources
Students investigate the properties of polymers. For this chemistry lesson, students explain the importance of energy sources. They produce a bioplastic from the lab and evaluate its structural integrity.
Curated OER
Playing With Polymers
Students explore the world of polymers. In this chemistry instructional activity, students make polymers and observe their properties. Follow-up questions and extension activities are included.
Curated OER
Fun Polymer Activity
Students add borax to a latex polymer and play with it to see the characteristics it now contains. In this polymer lesson plan, students see if it stretches, if it's durable, if the molecules break easily, and more.
Curated OER
Polymer Rockets
Students examine polymer rockets and complete an activity. In this rockets lesson students design, create and test a polymer rocket and have a blast off competition.
Curated OER
Cross-Linked Polymer Lab
Students use short-chain polymers and borate ions to produce cross-linked polymers in the lab. In this cross-linked polymer lesson plan, students produce polyvinyl acetate slime and polyvinyl alcohol slime and test their physical...
American Chemical Society
Man and Materials Through History
From the start of the Industrial Revolution, it only took 147 years for someone to invent plastic. This may seem like a long time, but in the history of inventing or discovering new materials, this is incredibly fast. An informative and...
Curated OER
Mystery Polymers
Students examine how some natural substances are polymers. In this polymer lesson students complete a lab and give examples of a physical change.
Curated OER
The Polymer Schoolhouse
Pupils study various objects and determine plastic and non-plastic. In this creative lesson plan students get into groups and create a diorama to show the different properties they discovered.
Curated OER
Exploring the Physical and Chemical Properties of Polymers
Learners identify the physical and chemical properties and explore the differences. In physical and chemical property lesson students test polymers for the differences between the physical and chemical properties, record their...
Curated OER
Polymers, Where Are You?
Learners study polymers and what they are used for. In this investigative lesson students view a video on ploymers, and research on the Internet specific polymers and processes.
Curated OER
Making Plastic
Students experiment to create a plastic solution. In this science activity, students use sodium borax and polyvinyl alcohol to create their solution, then identify, discuss, and chart observations on the end product.
Curated OER
Properties and Perfectly Polymeric Sodas
Students examine physical and chemical properties of plastics, interfaces of plastics, and forms of plastics. In three lab activities, students discover the two characteristic responses of plastics to heating, thermoplastic or...
Concord Consortium
Tire Forces
No need to tread lightly on this piece of tire rubber! Polymer science pupils observe the behavior of rubber with an interesting interactive. Users apply three different levels of force to a sample, then watch how they affect the polymer...
Curated OER
The Influence of Initiator Concentration on the Molecular Weight of Polystyrene
This in-depth organic chemistry lab walks learners through an investigation of the effect of initiator concentration on the resulting molecular weight of polystyrene. It is important that you use this lesson with experienced chemistry...
Curated OER
Sports Helmets and Impact Testing of Polymers
Students examine the importance of good quality safety gear. In this investigative lesson, students will tests various polymers, collect data, and analyze the data to determine which polymer is best for safety helmets. They will design a...
Curated OER
Egg Walk Challenge
Students design plastic shoes to walk on eggs without breaking them. In this pressure lesson, students consider all the factors needed to design shoes to walk on eggs without breaking them. Students calculate the PSI pressure, the force...
Curated OER
Plastics and Rubber: What's the Difference?
Learners classify household items into either plastic or rubber. In this chemistry lesson, students justify their classification system. They explain the difference between observation and inference.
Cornell University
Math Is Malleable?
Learn about polymers while playing with shrinky dinks. Young scholars create a shrinky dink design, bake it, and then record the area, volume, and thickness over time. They model the data using a graph and highlight the key features of...
Curated OER
Activity: Polymer Clay Millefiori Cane Beads
Students show an understanding of how millefiori beads are constructed by making some in several styles in polymer clay. They view images and techniques on a website imbedded in this plan and then attempt to make their own.
Curated OER
Polystyrene Containers
Students conduct experiments to determine the effectiveness of polystyrene containers at preventing heat loss. For this polymers lesson, students design an experiment to determine how effective Styrofoam burger containers are at...
Curated OER
Slime and Intermolecular Attractions
Learners explore the strength of intermolecular attractions. They make slime and compare the difference in the physical properties of sheet and powdered polyvinyl alcohol with polyvinyl acetate.
Curated OER
Bouncing Balls
Students create a polymer ball in the lab. In this chemistry lesson, students identify the different properties of the polymer they created. They explain what type of chemical reaction took place.
Curated OER
Superballs
Pupils mix two different solutions to become more familiar with molecules and polymers. In this chemistry lesson, students decide whether or not the reaction between two solutions is chemical or physical. Pupils then observe the newly...