Plastics, Pollution and Sustainability — Interactive Lesson (Ages 14–16)

Plastics changed the world — but where do they go when we throw them away? This 21-slide interactive lesson on plastic pollution takes pupils from first ideas to exam-style explanations, with 12 self-marking activities and nothing to prepare beforehand.

Teaching Plastics, Pollution and Sustainability in GCSE Chemistry

Pupils explain why most plastics are non-biodegradable, describe microplastics and the impact of discarded sachets on drains and flooding, and compare landfill, incineration and recycling. They evaluate biodegradable polymers and use life cycle assessment to compare products such as paper and plastic bags.

What Pupils Will Learn

• Explain why most plastics persist in the environment.
• Describe the effects of plastic pollution.
• Compare landfill, incineration and recycling.
• Describe biodegradable polymers.
• Use life cycle assessment ideas to compare products.

What’s Included

• 21-slide interactive lesson on plastic pollution
• 12 self-marking activities: multiple-choice questions, true-or-false checks, sorting tasks, drag-and-drop categorising and fill-in-the-gap questions
• Step-by-step teaching cards that reveal one point at a time
• A written explanation task with a model answer for self-assessment

Why Teachers Love It

• No prep — open it on an interactive whiteboard, laptop or tablet
• Instant feedback explains every answer, right or wrong
• Examples from both Nigeria and the UK make the chemistry feel real
• Works for whole-class teaching, independent study or revision

Curriculum Alignment

Supports the organic chemistry content of UK GCSE Chemistry (AQA, Edexcel and OCR) and the Nigerian Senior Secondary Chemistry curriculum (SS2–SS3), including WAEC and NECO exam preparation.

Love this? You’ll love…

• Amino Acids, Proteins and DNA — Interactive Lesson (Ages 14–16)
• Tests for Organic Compounds — Interactive Lesson (Ages 14–16)

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FAQ

What year groups is this for? Years 10–11 (ages 14–16), and SS2–SS3 in Nigeria.

Is it self-marking? Yes — all 12 activities give instant feedback.

Do pupils need to log in? No. The lesson runs in any modern web browser.

Can I use it for revision? Yes. Pupils can replay it as often as they like, and the results screen shows which questions to review before a test.