Resources: The handout and samples of different materials.
Core Handout: Table for students to complete with their research and questions to consider the environmental impact of using synthetic materials.
Review learning on natural and synthetic materials from KS2. The students should recall the uses and properties of natural materials, such as wood, wool, cotton, and leather, as well as synthetic materials, such as plastic, nylon and polyester.
Ask the students: What do you think the difference is between a natural and synthetic material? Can you see any now?
Use the presentation slides to explain what a synthetic material is, linking back to previous lessons in this unit. Discuss the natural materials they are made of and some examples of their use. Then, ask the students to consider the environmental impact of using synthetic materials and how these can be minimised.
Career Film: Take a tour around Rolls Royce SMR's Heritage Museum in Derby to find out about Matt Smith's job. Matt works as a Control and Instrumentation Engineer for Rolls Royce SMR.
Expert Film: This is Matt Smith. Matt works as a Control and Instrumentation Engineer for Rolls Royce SMR. Listen to Matt as he explains how synthetic materials are made from natural resources.
Made in Nature
The students are to research the materials rubber, glass, ceramic, paper, and plastic.
They need to answer the following questions:
They should complete their answers in the table on the handout.
They can also consider the environmental and social impact of each of the materials. This might include how the material is gathered/mined, its manufacturing process, or what happens when the object reaches the end of its lifecycle and how it is disposed of.
Support: The students should be given text book pages or suggested websites to carry out their research.
Challenge: Get students to consider the natural and synthetic materials that can be used to create the same object and compare the similarities and differences between how the two objects have been made. A challenge question is included on the handout.
Discuss the environmental issues of using synthetic materials and link to the benefits of choosing one synthetic material over another.
Synthetic materials are materials that are made from chemical reactions whereas natural materials are materials that have been made or obtained from living things. An example of a synthetic material is plastic, and an example of a natural material is silk. Synthetic materials are made from synthetic fibres. These fibres are chains of very small units that have been joined together by chemical bonds. These small units join to form larger and repeating units known as polymers. Different types of synthetic fibres exist. Some examples include: nylon, plastic, polyester and acrylic. Plastic is one that we are all probably a lot more familiar with. Plastic is a polymer, it is light, durable, non-reactive, a poor conductor of electricity and very strong too.