Oils Well That Ends Well

Oils Well That Ends Well
Adapted from Marci Smith
by Don Everhart
Rolling Ridge Elementary School
Olathe, Kansas

Overview:
One of the problems in the world today is the cleanup of oil/gasoline spills. These spills may be from a tanker on the ocean or in southwest Kansas from an oil well or service station. This particular lesson will give students a chance to recognize the problems associated with an oil spill.

Grade Level: Grades 2 through 8

Time Needed: Three class periods

Geographic Theme:
Human Environment Interaction

Kansas Social Studies Standards for Benchmarks, Grade Levels 8-K:

The student will understand the connections among people, places, and environments in the local school and community, Kansas, the United States, and different nations of the world.

The student will understand the effects of economics, science, and technology in the local school and community, Kansas, the United States, and different nations of the world.

National Geography Standards, Grades 5-8:

#14
The student knows and understands the consequences of human modification of the physical environment.

Outcomes:
To understand the difficulty of cleaning water after it has been contaminated with oil and/or gasoline. To predict which material will clean the "spill' successfully.

Performance Objective:

The student will participate in the construction of an aquatic environment.
Students will perform the task of "spill" cleanup and complete the Effectiveness Chart.

Vocabulary (see Glossary):
Oil spill
Contamination
Effectiveness

Materials Needed:

One large plastic trash bag per student
One large pan or bowl for each group
Water and a rock for each group to create an ocean or farm pond setting in the large pan or bowl

Provide the following for each group:

Paper towels String Aluminum foil "boat" for the ocean setting.

Small pieces of cloth Dishwashing liquid Eyedropper for the farm setting.

Cotton balls Motor oil Sponge

(For student safety, gasoline will not be utilized in this lesson. Each student should be equipped with a pair of rubber gloves.)

Procedures:

Day 1:

1.
Divide students into groups of four.

2.
Students will be assigned either a farm pond environment or an ocean environment

3.
Cover the classroom floor with newspapers.

4.
Give each group a pan, water, and a rock. Each group will create their assigned environment. Plastic boats, small toy animals and birds can be added if the group wishes.

Day 2:

5.
In the ocean environment add the aluminum foil "boat" with oil "on board." The boat will "tip," causing a "spill."

6.
In the farm pond environment, the teacher adds a dropper full of oil to the farm pond.

7.

Using the Effectiveness Chart (included in this lesson), groups will predict the cleanup effectiveness of:

paper towels
cloth
cotton balls
sponge, string
dishwashing liquid
*other ______________
*other ______________

*Students may add other cleanup materials as approved by the teacher. Students can speculate on the best cleanup materials.

Day 3.

8.
Students will be given a trash bag "lab coat" (cut like pattern shown) to protect themselves from the oil.

9.
Students need plastic gloves to protect themselves.

10.
Students are given the materials to test and rate their effectiveness. Add the group results to the Effectiveness Chart.

11.
Upon completion of the chart, students are to answer the questions at the bottom of the chart.

12.
From the resources, read either "Walker" and/or "Blashfield" (Chapter 8).

13.
Students are to write a paper entitled, "what would I do if I were in charge of an oil spill."

Assessment:

Observe student participation in pond construction.
The Effectiveness Chart and the follow-up questions will be collected and checked for completion.

Extensions:

Before students start on this lesson, they may begin a KWL chart: explaining what they know about oil spills, and what they want to know. When the lesson is completed, the students could complete the chart by telling what they have learned.

Discuss the following:
How do parents dispose of oil, paint or other hazardous materials?
How do garages dispose of their oil?
What do landfills or garbage persons do with such materials?
Collect newspaper articles dealing with oil spills around the world.

Resources:

Blashfield, J. F, & Wallace, B. B. (1991). Oil spills. Children's Press. (Chapter 8 is particularly good for this lesson on "Taking Action.")
Hare, T. (1990). Save our earth: Polluting the sea. Gloucester Press.
National Geographic Society. (1992). Workshop on water: Activity book. Author. (This notebook is available from the teacher consultants who attended the first Workshop on Water in 1992 sponsored by the National Geographic Society.)
Sands, S. (1994, March). Oil spills. Kids Discover. (This magazine has a great explanation for students.)
Snodgrass, M. E. (1991). Environmental awareness: Water pollution. Bancroft-Sage Publishing, Inc.
Walker, J. (1993). Man-made disasters: Oil spills. Gloucester Press.

Name

Group members

Effectiveness Chart

1.
Predict in the chart below what you and your group expect to be the effectiveness of oil clean-up of each material:

Rating:

Most effective 3

Effective 2

Less effective 1

Not effective 0

Material

Paper Towels:

Cloth:

Cotton Balls:

Sponge:

Dish washing Liquid:

Predicted Rating Tested Rating

Other (Must be teacher approved):

2.
Test each of the above materials and rate on the effectiveness chart.

3.

Which material(s) or combination of materials were the most effective?

4.

What happened to the oil when the spill occurred?

5.
What dangerous effects does oil have on wildlife and the environment?

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e-mail: pphillip@fhsu.edu

irc staff 11/13/97 (updated kn 06/18/99)
Disclaimer

Paper towels	String	Aluminum foil "boat" for the ocean setting.
Small pieces of cloth	Dishwashing liquid	Eyedropper for the farm setting.
Cotton balls	Motor oil	Sponge

Day 1:
1.	Divide students into groups of four.
2.	Students will be assigned either a farm pond environment or an ocean environment
3.	Cover the classroom floor with newspapers.
4.	Give each group a pan, water, and a rock. Each group will create their assigned environment. Plastic boats, small toy animals and birds can be added if the group wishes.
Day 2:
5.	In the ocean environment add the aluminum foil "boat" with oil "on board." The boat will "tip," causing a "spill."
6.	In the farm pond environment, the teacher adds a dropper full of oil to the farm pond.
7.	Using the Effectiveness Chart (included in this lesson), groups will predict the cleanup effectiveness of: paper towels cloth cotton balls sponge, string dishwashing liquid other ______________ other ______________ *Students may add other cleanup materials as approved by the teacher. Students can speculate on the best cleanup materials.
Day 3.
8.	Students will be given a trash bag "lab coat" (cut like pattern shown) to protect themselves from the oil.
9.	Students need plastic gloves to protect themselves.
10.	Students are given the materials to test and rate their effectiveness. Add the group results to the Effectiveness Chart.
11.	Upon completion of the chart, students are to answer the questions at the bottom of the chart.
12.	From the resources, read either "Walker" and/or "Blashfield" (Chapter 8).
13.	Students are to write a paper entitled, "what would I do if I were in charge of an oil spill."