This Science upd8 activity is inspired by the film Pirates of the Caribbean. What are the contents of the treasure chest? What metal is the key made of? What happened to the treasure after decades under the sea?

This resource contains a series of lessons which are designed to extend students’ knowledge and understanding of plastics and plastic waste on a global scale. Linking to materials and their properties, the environment, recycling and design and technology, they contain investigations and activities aimed at both...

Produced by Solar Spark, this activity allows students to make their own plastic from vinegar and milk. Milk contains casein in a form that is soluble in water. Making the milk acidic by adding vinegar makes the casein insoluble so the milk separates into a solid and a liquid known as curds and whey. Removing the...

This is one of the 18 Background Books published for Stage II of the Nuffield Chemistry Sample Scheme. The books were highly illustrated and designed to be attractive. This book describes applications of chemistry to making plastics and explaining their properties.

There are 5 parts to this book:
*Part...

Produced by The Centre for Industry Education Collaboration (CIEC), these resources help to put curriculum science in a real life context. In these activities, children test and classify plastics before investigating their thermal insulation and shock resistance properties. The children then design, make and test a...

This Salters’ Chemistry Course unit from the University of York Science Education Group covered:
* The preparation of plastics by polymerization.
* The importance of ethene as a source of plastics.
* The uses and properties of plastics.
* The use of...

Produced by The Centre for Industry Education Collaboration (CIEC), this booklet contains information and activities of interest to teachers of design and technology. It looks at working practices in industry and schools relating to thermoplastics and provides an introduction to basic techniques for schools and the...

This resource provides a lesson plan describing how to use slow motion animation (slowmation) to teach plate tectonics. It gives ideas on how to deliver the task along with the key questions to ask to ensure understanding and suggested software to use for the animation.

The research summary discusses how...

Charlotte is a Pollution, Prevention and Control Officer for the Environment Agency - "you could say I'm a policeman for the environment". In the video Charlotte explains that she found it a challenge being a woman in chemical engineering but had support from her university professor. The Environment Agency offered...

A multiple choice quiz on polymers and life for  AS/A level chemistry.

Although it is written for OCR AS/A level chemistry (Salters) H033/H433 course, it can be edited to suit your scheme of work.

From The Centre for Industry Education Collaboration (CIEC), this book is aimed at post-16 chemistry students but will also be useful for students following technology or vocational courses. The book helps students to first understand the basis of polymer chemistry and the plastics industry. It moves on to consider...

A National STEM Learning Centre and Network Engineering Case Studies resource investigating the production of oil and how oil reserves are located.

If the oil reserves are running out, how can we get more out of what'...