Science Projects for Eighth Grade: Are Permanent Markers Really Permanent?

Lesson Purpose:

Use this project when you are teaching about chemical changes and basic life skills.

Teach:

Ask students if they have ever gotten permanent marker on anything. If they have any funny stories about it, allow them to tell the story. Talk about how difficult it is to remove marker from clothing, carpeting, wood, and plastic. Let the students know that they are going perform some tests to see if they can find anything that will remove the permanent marker stains.

Materials:

1. A permanent marker
2. Piece of carpet
3. Wood surface
4. Plastic surface
5. Old T-shirt
6. Nail polish remover
7. Mr. Clean Magic

   Eraser

8. Rubbing alcohol
9. Hair spray
10. White toothpaste
11. Bleach
12. Water
13. Rubber gloves
14. Scrub brush
15. Notebooks
16. Pencils

Procedure:

1. Have students divide their notebook page in to four squares. They should be headed: Clothing, Wood Surface, Plastic Surface, and Carpet. As the students test each of the cleaning agents to remove the stain, they write down the results in the appropriate square.
2. Have students guess ahead of time (this is called a hypothesis) as to which solutions they feel may remove the permanent marker and on which surface. They may also come up with a hypothesis that none of the cleaning agents will work.
3. Have a student volunteer use a permanent marker to make a stain on all four surfaces.
4. Begin with the carpeting and have the students try to remove the marker stain with hair spray, nail polish remover, Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, rubbing alcohol, white toothpaste, and finally a bleach water mixture. The bleach water mixture should be one cup of bleach and two cups of water. They should attempt only one item at a time. They need to wear some rubber gloves to protect their hands from any chemicals. All results should be noted in the carpet square.
5. Another student volunteer can attempt to remove the marker stains from an old t-shirt using each of the items listed in step four. Record the results in the clothing square.
6. A third student volunteer can place a pair of rubber gloves on and begin testing the permanent marker stain on the wood surface. He or she should use each of the items listed in step four. Results will be placed in the square marked wood.
7. Finally, a fourth student will attempt to remove the permanent marker stain from the plastic surface. All results should be clearly marked in the plastic surface square.

Review:

Were any of the stains removed? How were they removed? Did some cleaning agents seem to work well on one surface and not another? Why do you think that is? Have students compare their conclusions with their hypothesis.