What is the Best Type of Plastic for a Pipe?

Australian Curriculum

Students learn to:

• explain how characteristics and properties of materials, systems, components, tools and equipment affect their use when producing designed solutions (AC9TDE6K05).

General capabilities: Literacy, Critical and Creative Thinking.

Syllabus outcomes: ST3-2DP-T, ST3-3DP-T.

Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability.

Relevant parts of Year 5 & 6 Design and Technologies achievement standards: Students explain how people design products to meet the needs of communities, including sustainability. Students select and justify design ideas and solutions against design criteria that include sustainability.

• A piece of PVC pipe and plastic pipe fittings - make sure they are clean
• Individual devices capable of accessing the internet - one per student
• Materials made from different types of plastic, such as a disposable plastic cup, a plastic bag, lollie wrappers or packaging, a plastic milk bottle, a hard but still pliable container (such as a laundry liquid container), a rigid plastic Tupperware tub, and a piece of styrofoam.
• Optional: Polymers Factsheet
• Optional: Slime Making Instructions - materials required for making slime listed on the instruction sheet
• Student worksheets - one copy per student
• Venn Diagram Template - one copy per student. 

This lesson is designed to build students’ competencies in the following skills:

• critical thinking

Special thanks to:

Plastics Industry Pipe Association of Australia (PIPA) is a non-profit association that is committed to future-focused leadership. Through research, education, technical expertise and advocacy, they help advance the use of plastic pipes and fittings as a smart, efficient and sustainable solution.

Visualise Data in the Primary Classroom

Quick Summary: In this hands-on course, you will build your ability to use infographics as a learning tool in your curriculum. You’ll discover how to understand infographics and create your own.