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Kevlar: Unbreakable Material

Episode of the series Amazing Inventions

CEFR: A2, B1

In this episode

Illustrated slideshow (63 images)
Glossary
Comprehension quiz (45 questions)
Cultural notes

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Extract: the first 30 seconds of the episode. The full episode lasts 4 min 37 s.

Level

The episode

The laboratory mistake that saved thousands of lives. In 1965 a chemist called Stephanie Kwolek refused to throw away a liquid that looked wrong, and the fibre it made is now in the bulletproof vests of police officers and soldiers.

Episode worksheets (2)

Student sheet In your teacher account
Teacher sheet In your teacher account

Teaching guide

Objective & content

This A2- documentary follows Stephanie Kwolek, a chemist at DuPont who was working on lighter tires in 1965 when she made a thin, cloudy liquid. Most scientists would have thrown it away, but "But Stephanie was curious." Her colleague Charles Smullen feared it would break his machine, yet the fibre it produced was five times stronger than steel of the same weight. The script then explains why Kevlar is strong (the spaghetti comparison) and lists its uses: bulletproof jackets, helmets, gloves, boats and spaceship parts. The focus is the past simple (regular, irregular, was/were) and the vocabulary of jobs and past inventions, practised through listening comprehension and vocabulary building.

Materials & prerequisites

The episode folder holds a printable (`printable.md`) and a student sheet and a teacher sheet, each as PDF and HTML. Learners should already know the present simple and the verb to be in the past.

Possible adaptations

Lower levels: Offer segmented listening and additional visual aids.
Advanced levels: Encourage an oral summary and a debate in English on the theme.
Large groups: Organise group work with differentiated roles.

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