Plastics
5th Grade
STEM
Building Block of the Modern
World
Science Standard
STANDARD I: Students will understand that
chemical and physical changes occur in matter.
Objective 2: Evaluate evidence that indicates a
physical change has occurred.
 Identify the physical properties of matter (e.g., hard,
soft, solid, liquid, gas).
 Compare changes in substances that indicate a
physical change has occurred.
 Describe the appearance of a substance before and
after a physical change.
Mathematics
Standard 5.NF.1
 Use equivalent fractions as a strategy
to add and subtract fractions.
 Add and subtract fractions with unlike
denominators (including mixed numbers)
by replacing given fractions with equivalent
fractions in such a way as to produce an
equivalent sum or difference of fractions
with like denominators. For example, 2/3 +
5/4 = 8/12 + 15/12 = 23/12. (In general, a/b
+ c/d = (ad + bc)/bd.)
Technology and Engineering
Technology
 Ruler and/or calculator, iPad
Engineering:
 Chemical Engineering
 Materials Engineering
 Manufacturing Engineering
Brain Drain
What do you know about
plastics?
Google Group
What is a physical property?
Which of these are physical
properties?
How have plastics changed our world?
For example, computing devices:
Abacus
first Apple computer
computer
modern
What property of plastics makes them so adaptable for
creating modern “boxes” for computers?
What kinds of engineers create products made
from plastics?
Chemical engineer
Materials engineer
Manufacturing engineer
Are all plastics alike?
How might these plastics be the same?
Different?
What tests can you design to discover the
physical properties of plastics?
Professional tests
 Stretchibility
 Plastic Bag Testing
 Compression
 Plastic Bottle Burst test
 Flame Test
How are plastics formed in to products?
 Injection molding
 3 D Printing
We do not have all that cool equipment but we
can build something out of plastic. Our plastic
“pellets” will be Legos. Here is the challenge:

Build a table out of legos. It must have a surface area
of