Curated OER
Chemical Resistance and Synthetic Polymers
Students participate in lab activities in which they examine immersion, stain resistance, and stress cracking of synthetic polymers. Students use their collected data to discuss service applications and possible performance of materials.
Cornell University
Radical Reactions
The radical reactions of polymers seems abstract to many pupils, but this lesson turns them into a fun building game. Scholars use dice and building pieces to build polymers. Then, they determine the theoretical and experimental weight...
Teach Engineering
Fun Look at Material Science
Introduce materials science with a class demonstration. After showing a PowerPoint presentation on materials and their properties, instructors provide a ceramic tile, a Popsicle stick, a paper clip, and a plastic bag as examples of...
Curated OER
Polymers Lab: Bouncy Ball and Slime
Eighth graders investigate chemical reactions to produce polymers. In this polymers lesson plan, 8th graders experiment with sodium silicate and ethyl alcohol to make a polymer. They also experiment with borax and glue to make a polymer....
Curated OER
Sorting Plastics For Recycling
First, young chemists practice polymer identification by density and flame tests. With the data collected, they propose a method of separating polyethylene from other plastics and determine what property makes it desirable for recycling....
Curated OER
Condensation Polymerization: Preparation of Thiokoll® (Polysulfide Rubber)
This lab activity is geared toward experienced chemistry learners, in particular, those who are familiar with organic chemistry. They will create a synthetic elastomer and then make observations and measurements of its different...
Curated OER
Cross-Linked Polymer Lab
High schoolers 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...
Curated OER
The Wonderful World of Polymers
Seventh graders investigate the concept of polymers. They discover unique properties and how polymers are natural. The lesson contains sufficient background information for the teacher. Students examine different types of materials and...
Curated OER
EGG-cellent POLYMER PACKAGING DESIGN
Students investigate the concept of a polymer using an experimental design of protecting an egg in a bookbag. They test the properties of polymers and form an educated solution to the proposed problem. Then they describe the steps used...
Curated OER
Playing With Polymers
Students explore the world of polymers. In this chemistry lesson, students make polymers and observe their properties. Follow-up questions and extension activities are included.
Curated OER
Polymer Basics
In this polymer worksheet, learners use an on line site to complete sentences about plastics, their chemical make-up, their uses, their history and information about recycling plastics.
Curated OER
Polymers: The Discovery
Students examine various polymers. In this polymers lesson, students perform three experiments with polymers to identify them and observe their interesting properties.
Curated OER
Investigating the Effect Of Successive Heat and Cool Cycles on a Thermoplastic material.
Students investigate hot melt glue using a hot melt glue gun as an an injection molding simulator and a melt index viscometer. They evaluate the effect of heating and cooling by weighing the glue extruded over a constant time period.
Curated OER
Carbon Bonds in Chemistry
Venture into the world of macromolecules with three exciting, distinct laboratory activities. Young chemists examine the forms of carbon and discover how they are associated with atomic arrangement, construct models of carbon-containing...
Curated OER
Glass Transition in a Rubber Ball
Students illustrate the changes in the properties of a material at its glass transition point. They gather data which they use to construct graphs regarding elastic modules versus absorption modulus, tangent delta, and the effect of...
Curated OER
Polymer Chemistry: More than Just Plastic
Fifth graders examine polymers and how they are formed. In this chemistry lesson students complete their own polymer experiment then discuss what they learned.
Curated OER
Thermoset Polymers
Students complete a lab activity with polymers to allow them to better understand how to make "observations". In this science lesson students make measurements and collect data.
Curated OER
Super Polymers
Students investigate polymers and compare the absorbency of a disposable diaper to cotton dish towels They determine the absorbency of sodium polyacrylate.
Curated OER
Exploring the Physical and Chemical Properties of Polymers
Students 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
Industrial Processes of Polymers: How toys Are Made
Students explore how technology and science have created the plastics that make toys. In this industrial processes lesson students work on their own injected molded product and a blow molded product.
Curated OER
Polymers, Where Are You?
Students study polymers and what they are used for. For this investigative lesson students view a video on ploymers, and research on the Internet specific polymers and processes.
Curated OER
Condensation Polymerization
This organic chemistry lab activity is appropriate for teaching polymerization, percent yield, melting point, or the types and uses of polymer materials. Chemistry pupils imagine that they are working for a company to develop a special...
Curated OER
Oils and Plastic
Peruse the properties of polymers with your materials engineers, chemistry aces, or emerging ecologists. The inquiries in this resource include puncturing polyethylene plastic bags, dissolving polystyrene cups, creating a polymer...
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...