Cork (material)

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/cork-material

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Quercus suber
2. What is the key natural properties?Impermeable, buoyant, elastic, fire retardant, thermal and acoustic insulator
3. What is cork and where does it come from?Cork is a light material from the bark of the cork oak tree. It is made of tiny hollow cells that make it float.
4. Why does cork float and stay dry?The cells are full of air and the walls are coated with a waxy substance called suberin, which keeps liquids out.

Suberin: A complex biopolymer in cork cell walls responsible for its hydrophobicity and impermeability.
Phellem: The technical term for the outer bark layer of a plant, from which cork is derived.
Montado/Dehesa: A traditional agro-silvo-pastoral system in the Iberian Peninsula featuring cork oak trees.