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Massey High School

Name: ____________________ Class: ___________

Year 10
Carbon : Research- based Assessment
You have ONE period of class time to work on the planning sheet.
You are to complete a poster at your own time.

Poster Due Date: ____________________________

Overall grade

Achieved

Merit

Excellence
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TODAY’S
——QUESTION—— Carbon and Plastics
DATE:

Knowledge:

Plastic pollution facts

Plastic Pollution Facts | PlasticOceans.org/the-facts

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Future Plastics
Since the invention of plastics in the early 1900s, plastic is used everywhere around us. The top of your
school desk is made from plastic, the lino flooring and even the end of shoe laces are made of plastics.
Plastics have been viewed as a bad material over the last few years but new advancement in plastic
technology shows that this material is very versatile and useful. Below is a list of some new innovations
in plastics that we can look forward to:

1. Plastic Solar Cells—plastics that can convert sunlight into electricity.

2. Super Plastic using nanotechnology— plastic that can conduct electricity and UV resistant.
3. Self Healing Polymer— a type of polymer that can heal damages or cuts made to the plastic.
4. Recyclable Polymer— a polymer that can be converted back into its original molecules.
5. Biobased plastics— plastics made from plant based materials that will break down easily in the
environment.
6. Plastic eating Bacteria—Ideaonella is a bacteria being studied for how it can break down plastics.
7. Converting Plastic back to oil— depolymerisation is the term used in the industry for making oil
from plastics.
8. Super Strong Polymer—polymer made using silk from spiders.
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INSTRUCTIONS FOR POSTER

Use the FOUR questions as a guide to do your poster. Fill in the planning sheet before you
start work on the poster.

1. How is Carbon linked to plastics ?

2. Why do plastics not biodegrade easily ? How does plastic waste harm the environment? How
can you reduce this impact ?

3. Choose one of the innovations of plastic technology listed on page 3 and explain
• How is it made?
• What is it used for?
• How can it benefit the society?

4. Describe your own idea for a new invention that uses plastics to improve society.
• Name of your creation.
• What does the new plastic do?
• Who would benefit from this invention?

SOME USEFUL LINKS

How is Plastic Made? A Step-by-Step Explanation (thomasnet.com)

Why Doesn't Plastic Biodegrade? | Live Science

How Plastic Has Entered the Food Chain - Plastic Soup Foundation

How plastics contribute to climate change » Yale Climate Connections

Plastic & Climate: The Hidden Costs of a Plastic Planet - Center for International Environmental Law
(ciel.org)

Plastic Solar Cells: Understanding the Special Additive · Frontiers for Young Minds (frontiersin.org)

Nanotechnology - Definition and Introduction (nanowerk.com)

Self-Healing Polymer - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics

Which Plastic Can Be Recycled? | Plastics For Change

What Are Bioplastics and Why Is It Confusing - Plastic Soup Foundation

New Technique Could Turn Plastic Back Into Oil (gizmodo.com)

Incredible New Polymer Fibers Are Ultra Light and Super Strong (scitechdaily.com)
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TIPS TO MAKE AN EYE CATCHING POSTER

A poster is made up of four key features: a title, visual (s), text, and white space.
Overall Does my poster have a good structure?
impression:
Blanks: Is my poster full of text passages and graphics, or is it
well - balanced?
Relation: Do the texts and visuals complement one another ?

GLOSSARY
plastic A group of materials that may be shaped when soft and then hardened to
retain the given shape.
crude oil A naturally occurring, unrefined petroleum product made of hydrocarbons
( compounds of hydrogen and carbon).

fossil fuel A hydrocarbon containing material formed underground from the remains of
Pages 2-3

dead plants and animals that humans extract and burn as fuel.
non-renewable Found in limited quantities that will run out or will not be restored for
thousands or even millions of years.
refinery To free from impurities or unwanted material.

microplastic Extremely small pieces of plastic that is less than five millimetres in length,
found in the environment from disposal and breakdown of consumer
products and industrial waste.

bio-degradable Capable of being broken down by the action of micro-organisms such as

bacteria or fungi into the natural environment.

technology Application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes.

Pages 4 - 5

environment The surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or

operates.

invention A way of doing something which has never been made or never existed
before.

complement A thing that contributes extra features to something else in such a way as to
improve or emphasize its quality.
visuals Use of diagrams.
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BULLET POINT PLANNING SHEET

How is Carbon linked to plastics ? Reason plastics are not easily bio-degradable.

Carbon

Plastics and its wider effect on food chain and Steps to reduce impact of plastics on the
environmental harm. environment.
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BULLET POINT PLANNING SHEET

Choose ONE
innovation from Pg 3 How can it benefit the society?
How is it made? and write the name.
_______________

What it is used for ?

Brief details of your idea of the Name of new

new invention. Who would benefit from this
invention
invention?
___________________

What does the new plastic do?

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Poster
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Poster Contd.
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MARKING GRID ( Teacher use only )

Criteria Achieved Merit Excellence

Planning Sheet  Five boxes done  Eight boxes done

Carbon and  Explanation of how  A detailed description

plastics
plastics is made of of how plastics is

carbon. made from crude oil

including terms

monomers, polymer

+ visual.

Plastic and its  Describe the effect of
impact on
plastics on oceans, land
environment
fills, marine animals.
 Described that plastics
does not bio-degrade
easily.
 Linked breakdown of Linked breakdown of
plastics into the wider plastics into the wider
effects of the food effects of the food chain
chain + steps to reduce the
+ visual impact of plastics on
the environment.

Innovation of  How it is made.  How it is made  How it is made, used

plastic and used + visual + benefit to society .
technology
Own invention  Name of invention  Name of invention
of plastic and what it does and what it does
+ a visual + who would
benefit.

Overall Achieved Merit Excellence

criteria 4 criteria shown above Achieved + 4 merit Merit + 2 excellence
criteria shown above criteria shown above