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Interactive
Curated OER

Polymer Basics

For Teachers 7th - 10th
In this polymer worksheet, students use an on line site to complete sentences about plastics, their chemical make-up, their uses, their history and information about recycling plastics.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Polymers: The Discovery

For Teachers K - 8th
Students examine various polymers. In this polymers lesson, students perform three experiments with polymers to identify them and observe their interesting properties.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Investigating the Effect Of Successive Heat and Cool Cycles on a Thermoplastic material.

For Teachers 12th - Higher Ed
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.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Carbon Bonds in Chemistry

For Teachers 9th - 12th
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...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Glass Transition in a Rubber Ball

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed
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...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Polymer Chemistry: More than Just Plastic

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders examine polymers and how they are formed.  In this chemistry lesson students complete their own polymer experiment then discuss what they learned. 
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Worksheet
Biology Junction

Biochemistry Crossword

For Students 9th - 12th
In this biochemistry worksheet, learners complete a crossword puzzle with 36 questions. They identify different polymers and functional groups.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Integrating Environmental Science: Plastics

For Students 9th - 11th
In this plastics worksheet, learners read about the uses of plastics and their environmental impact. Students answer questions about plastics and their use.
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Activity
Museum of Science

Slime

For Teachers K - 6th Standards
Let knowledge of polymers and slime ooze into one's brain. Scholars learn about polymers and cross-linking by conducting a fun hands-on activity. They create their own colorful slime by mixing a borax solution and a glue solution.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Thermoset Polymers

For Teachers 7th - 8th
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.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Super Polymers

For Teachers 7th - 11th
Learners investigate polymers and compare the absorbency of a disposable diaper to cotton dish towels They determine the absorbency of sodium polyacrylate.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring the Physical and Chemical Properties of Polymers

For Teachers 8th - 10th
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...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Industrial Processes of Polymers: How toys Are Made

For Teachers 5th - 8th
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.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Polymers, Where Are You?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
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. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Condensation Polymerization

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed
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...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Oils and Plastic

For Teachers 5th - 10th
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 ball...
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Lesson Plan
Cornell University

Math Is Malleable?

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
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...
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Lesson Plan
LABScI

Viscosity: The Fluid Lab

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
There's more to fluids than meet the eye—they include gases, liquids, and polymers, too! Scholars complete three hands-on activities exploring different properties of fluids. They explore viscosity by measuring the resistance, or...
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Handout
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Molecules to the Max!—Teacher's Discovery Guide

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Molecules to the Max! refers to a movie released in 2009 about the world of atoms and molecules. A helpful discovery guide provides five posters on science topics typically covered at the middle school level. It also explains the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Are Polymers Utilized in Everyday Life?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars identify the different types of polymers. In this chemistry lesson, students research information about an area of polymer science they chose. They create a PowerPoint presentation to share their findings in class.
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Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

Polymer Lesson Plans

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Try these hands on lessons dealing with polymers to get students thinking chemistry and the structure of molecules.
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Lesson Plan
American Chemical Society

Man and Materials Through History

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
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...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Study of Molecular Orientation by Linear Dimension Change of Polymeric Films

For Teachers 10th - 11th
Students investigate the linear dimension change of heated plastic film and relate the results to processing and service use of the materials. They calculate percent change in dimension as related to anisotropy and molecular reorientation.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Determination of Plasticizer in PVC

For Teachers 12th - Higher Ed
Students isolate and determine the amount of plasticizer in polyvinyl chloride. They use Infrared Spectroscopy (IR) or Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and gravimetric techniques in this experiment.