1. EWS – Year 7 Resistant Materials – Plastics
Hot Chilli
Thermoplastic Plastics
Thermoplastics have a memory so can be heated and shaped/reshaped many times. This allows them to be reused and recycled. They do not have a high heat resistance so are usually used for packaging and products that do not
need heat resistance. An example of a thermoplastic
is polythene.
Plastics have taken over as the most widely used materials in commercial production. There are so many different types of plastic.
Making Plastics
Plastics are made from crude oil. The oil has to go through a number of complex chemical reactions to make plastics.
Plastic bag made from polythene
So what's the problem?
Plastic is everywhere… and I do mean everywhere! This is because people make it in large quantities because it is so useful in just about everything people do. However, plastics do create a problem. They don’t rot very easily (non bio –degradable) and some plastics cannot be reused and recycled (made into something else). That's why waste plastic is becoming a serious problem, especially around the world's coastlines and oceans.
Where does waste plastic go?
That's easy, you say: it's recycled, and that is certainly true in some places for some types of plastic. But other plastics — and there are many — are not easily recycled. Some plastics get burned to make heat energy to power electricity generators. Some — probably most — end up on rubbish tips or worse, just get thrown away, ending up in the soil (on farms), rivers, lakes and, in particular, the world's oceans. Unfortunately, many marine animals mistake some types of plastic for food and eat them. Turtles often die because the plastic they eat blocks their digestive system so they starve. Marine mammals (like dolphins) often get trapped by plastic nets or ropes and either drown or starve to death: "ghost fishing". Great and rare sea birds like albatrosses also get tangled up in old fishing gear and die. Around 400,000 marine mammals die every year due to plastic pollution in oceans. The list of horrible facts about plastics goes on and on.
Plastic facts
It is difficult for electricity and heat to move through plastics.
Some plastics are as strong as metals!
Plastics can come in different colours.
Plastics can be split into two groups: Thermo and Thermosetting plastics.
Thermosetting Plastics
Thermosetting plastics can be moulded into any shape when they are heated for the first time. However, when cooled the plastic sets and remains rigid and hard even if it is reheated. Therefore, thermosetting plastics cannot be reheated and reshaped; this make them non-recyclable. Thermosetting plastics have a high heat and fire resistance so are often used for things such as electric plugs and sockets, light switches and saucepan handles. An example of a thermosetting plastic is ureaformaldehyde.
Plug and socket made from urea formaldehyde

2. EWS – Year 7 Resistant Materials – Plastics
Hot Chilli
Look at the paragraph titled ‘Making Plastics’
Find and copy the main ingredient found in plastics ________________________________________
(1 mark)
True
False
Thermoplastics have a memory so they can be reused and recycled.
Thermosetting plastics have a low resistance to heat.
Thermoplastics are usually used for packaging and products that do not need heat resistance.
2: Look at the paragraph titled ‘Plastic Facts’.
Find and copy three plastic facts
_______________________________________
(3 marks)
(3 marks)
5: Look at the section titled ‘So what's the problem’
What does recycle mean?
Use the least amount of materials
Used again for something else
Throwing it away
(1 mark)
Tick one
3: Plastics can be split into two groups. Find and copy the name of these two groups of plastic.
_______________________________________
(2 marks)
6: According to the text, why is plastic becoming a problem?
1:____________________________________
2:____________________________________
(2 marks)
4: Looking at the paragraphs beginning: Thermosetting plastics and Thermo plastics. Using the information from the text, tick one box in each row to show whether each statement is true or false.

3. EWS – Year 7 Resistant Materials – Plastics
Medium Chilli
Plastics have taken over as the most widely used materials in commercial production. There are so many different types of plastic.
3: Plastics can be split into two groups. Find and copy the name of these two groups of plastic.
_______________________________________
Making Plastics
Plastics are made from crude oil. The oil has to go through a number of complex chemical reactions to make plastics.
Plug and socket made from urea formaldehyde
Thermosetting Plastics
Thermosetting plastics can be moulded into any shape when they are heated for the first time. However, when cooled the plastic sets and remains rigid and hard even if it is reheated. Therefore, thermosetting plastics cannot be reheated and reshaped; this make them non-recyclable. Thermosetting plastics have a high heat and fire resistance so are often used for things such as electric plugs and sockets, light switches and saucepan handles. An example of a thermosetting plastic is ureaformaldehyde.
Look at the paragraph titled ‘Making Plastics’
Find and copy the main ingredient found in plastics ____________________________________
Plastic facts
It is difficult for electricity and heat to move through plastics.
Some plastics are as strong as metals!
Plastics can come in different colours.
Plastics can be split into two groups: Thermo and Thermosetting plastics.
Thermoplastic Plastics
Thermoplastics have a memory so can be heated and shaped/reshaped many times. This allows them to be reused and recycled. They do not have a high heat resistance so are usually used for packaging and products that do not
need heat resistance. An example of a thermoplastic
is polythene.
2: Look at the paragraph titled ‘Plastic Facts’.
Find and copy two plastic facts
_____________________________________
Plastic bag made from polythene

4. EWS – Year 7 Resistant Materials – Plastics
4: Looking at the paragraphs beginning: Thermosetting plastics and Thermo plastics. Using the information from the text, tick one box in each row to show whether each statement is true or false.
Medium Chilli
So what's the problem?
Plastic is everywhere… and I do mean everywhere! This is because people make it in large quantities because it is so useful in just about everything people do. However, plastics do create a problem. They don’t rot very easily (non bio –degradable) and some plastics cannot be reused and recycled (made into something else). That's why waste plastic is becoming a serious problem, especially around the world's coastlines and oceans.
Where does waste plastic go?
That's easy, you say: it's recycled, and that is certainly true in some places for some types of plastic. But other plastics — and there are many — are not easily recycled. Some plastics get burned to make heat energy to power electricity generators. Some — probably most — end up on rubbish tips or worse, just get thrown away, ending up in the soil (on farms), rivers, lakes and, in particular, the world's oceans. Unfortunately, many marine animals mistake some types of plastic for food and eat them. Turtles often die because the plastic they eat blocks their digestive system so they starve. Marine mammals (like dolphins) often get trapped by plastic nets or ropes and either drown or starve to death: "ghost fishing". Great and rare sea birds like albatrosses also get tangled up in old fishing gear and die. Around 400,000 marine mammals die every year due to plastic pollution in oceans. The list of horrible facts about plastics goes on and on.
True
False
Thermoplastics have a memory so they can be reused and recycled.
Thermosetting plastics have a low resistance to heat.
Thermoplastics are usually used for packaging and products that do not need heat resistance.
5: Look at the section titled ‘So what's the problem?’
What does recycle mean?
To use the least amount of materials
To use again for something else
To throw it away
Tick one
6: According to the text, why is plastic becoming a problem?
1:____________________________________
2:____________________________________

5. EWS – Year 7 Resistant Materials – Plastics
Cool Chilli
Plastics have taken over as the most widely used materials in commercial production. There are so many different types of plastic.
3: Plastics can be split into two groups. Find and copy the name of these two groups of plastic.
_______________________________________
Making Plastics
Plastics are made from crude oil. The oil has to go through a number of complex chemical reactions to make plastics.
Plug and socket made from urea formaldehyde
Thermosetting Plastics
Thermosetting plastics can be moulded into any shape when they are heated for the first time. However, when cooled the plastic sets and remains rigid and hard even if it is reheated. Therefore, thermosetting plastics cannot be reheated and reshaped; this make them non-recyclable. Thermosetting plastics have a high heat and fire resistance so are often used for things such as electric plugs and sockets, light switches and saucepan handles. An example of a thermosetting plastic is ureaformaldehyde.
Look at the paragraph titled ‘Making Plastics’
Find and copy the main ingredient found in plastics ____________________________________
Plastic facts
It is difficult for electricity and heat to move through plastics.
Some plastics are as strong as metals!
Plastics can come in different colours.
Plastics can be split into two groups: Thermo and Thermosetting plastics.
Thermoplastic Plastics
Thermoplastics have a memory so can be heated and shaped/reshaped many times. This allows them to be reused and recycled. They do not have a high heat resistance so are usually used for packaging and products that do not
need heat resistance. An example of a thermoplastic
is polythene.
2: Look at the paragraph titled ‘Plastic Facts’.
Find and copy two plastic facts
_____________________________________
Plastic bag made from polythene

6. EWS – Year 7 Resistant Materials – Plastics
Cool Chilli
5: Look at the section titled ‘So what's the problem’
What does recycle mean?
Use the least amount of materials
Used again for something else
Throwing it away
So what's the problem?
Plastic is everywhere… and I do mean everywhere! This is because people make it in large quantities because it is so useful in just about everything people do. However, plastics do create a problem. They don’t rot very easily and some plastics cannot be reused or recycled (used again for something else). That's why waste plastic is becoming a serious problem.
Where does waste plastic go?
That's easy, you say: it's recycled, and that is certainly true in some places for some types of plastic. But other plastics — and there are many — are not easily recycled. Some — probably most — end up on rubbish tips or worse, just get thrown away, ending up in the soil (on farms), rivers, lakes and, in particular, the world's oceans. Unfortunately, many marine animals mistake some types of plastic for food and eat them. Turtles often die because the plastic they eat blocks their digestive system so they starve. Marine mammals (like dolphins) often get trapped by plastic nets or ropes and either drown or starve to death: "ghost fishing". Great and rare sea birds like albatrosses also get tangled up in old fishing gear and die.
Tick one
4: According to the text, why is plastic becoming a problem?
1:____________________________________
2:____________________________________