1. Our project Lesson 4 What is a plastic?

2. What are the problems with throwing away plastic?

3. Making polymers Watch Ms G do the demo again. How do we explain what is happening in the experiment? When the two ingredients are added in the correct order, they react to form a polymer

4. Making models of polymers To make a model of the nylon polymer from the demo, one person should add paperclips of alternating colour, whilst the other person extends the chain away from the mixture. What do the different colour paperclips represent?

5. Time to be famous… Make a 2-3 minute film teaching someone what a plastic is. Use the paper clips as props Use the whiteboards and pens for captions Speak clearly! Keywords: polymer, monomer, polymerisation, irreversible Start with “a plastic is also called a polymer” Don’t forget to include the problems with throwing away plastic! (made from oil, oil running out, uses lots of energy making plastic, people don’t recycle much…)

6. Evaluate your film What was good about it? What could have been better? What would you need (props etc) to improve it further?