South Carolina ETV

South Carolina ETV
1101 George Rogers Boulevard
Columbia, SC 29201-4761
Phone: 803-737-3545

Oil Spill (Grade 4)

Master Teacher

Teri Marriott

Time Allotment

45-60 minutes

Overview

Through viewing the video Bottom of the Barrel, students will identify the many products that are made from oil or use oil as a means of energy. Students will identify both the positive and negative effects of oil. Through hands-on experiments and use of the Internet, students will see the long lasting effects of oil spills on Earth's wildlife.

Subject Matter

Science—Environmental Studies

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

create a list of the many products made from oil
create a list of the many products that use oil as a means of energy
identify both the positive and negative uses of oil
identify the long-term effects of oil spills

South Carolina Standards

These Standards can be found online at Office of Curriculum Standards.

Science—Grade 4

Life Sciences

Organisms and Their Environment

1. Humans change the environment in ways that can be both detrimental for themselves and other organisms.
a. Describe changes in the environment caused by humans.

b. Infer the impact of agriculture technology (e.g., air/land, water pollution and improved crop yield) on society and the environment.
c. Infer the impact of industrial technologies (e.g., air/land/water pollution and improved standard of living) on society and the environment.

Media Components

Video

Bottom of the Barrel sends the message that we depend on oil as a source of energy and for products made from it, but using and transporting of oil can create pollution problems. To order this video, call or write:

Children's Television Workshop
Sunburst Communications
101 Castleton St.
Pleasantville, NY 10570
(800) 321-7511

Web Site

Darby Duck and the Aquatic Crusaders is a kid-friendly Web site that allows students to read about oil spills as well as complete computer games on oil spills and pollution.

Equipment

Television and VCR
Aver-Key
Computers with Internet access

Materials

Teacher-made poster titled "Oil Craze" (Activity Sheet 1). A regular whole sheet of poster board works best for the activity.
"Oil and Animals" Experiment (for each
Learning Club)
plastic bowl (12 oz. or larger)
plastic spoon
drinking straw (one per student)
8 oz. of water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
several small marshmallows
"Oil and Animals: Reflections"
(Activity Sheet 2)
newspaper to cover tabletops
"Oil Spill" Experiment (for each Learning Club)
"Oil Spill Data Sheet" (Activity Sheet 3)
feathers (one per student)
cotton balls (several per student)
bowl of cooking oil
bowl of water
bowl of dishwashing detergent and water

Prep for Teachers

Prior to teaching, bookmark the Web site used in the lesson.

Cue the videotape to the appropriate starting point. (For Bottom of the Barrel, you will begin showing the tape near the end of the video. Then you will have to rewind the tape for the second segment.)

Have all materials ready for Learning Clubs.

Make the "Oil Craze" poster.

Copy Activity Sheets for both hands-on experiments.

When using media, provide students with a Focus for Media Interaction, a specific task to complete and/or information to identify during or after viewing of the video segments, Web sites, or other multimedia elements.

Introductory Activity

Step 1: Begin lesson by having students identify what oil is. Write ideas on the "Oil Craze" poster. (Guide students towards these ideas: Oil is a fossil fuel; oil is made of the remains of prehistoric organisms trapped in sediment millions of years ago and heat and pressure have transformed the remains into crude oil deep in the earth's surface; oil fuels many machines; oil is used as a raw material in many products, etc.)

Step 2: Working in Learning Clubs (small groups of 3-4 students), have students generate a list of things that oil fuels in our everyday lives. Have groups report brainstorming ideas. (Answers may include: cars, boats, planes, trains, buses, jet skis, roller skates, as well as heat that keeps the classroom warm and electricity that gives us light.) Record the students' responses on the "Oil Craze" poster.

Step 3: Next, have students work with their Learning Clubs to name things that are made with oil. Have Learning Clubs report their ideas to the class. (Items may include: lipstick, ink, balloons, etc.) Record the students' ideas on the "Oil Craze" poster.

Step 4: Provide students with a Focus for Media Interaction and ask them to write down several items that are made from oil as they watch the video. START the tape after Z says, "Some are used to make all kinds of stuff." This is at the end of Z's demonstration of the comparisons of thin crude oil, heavy crude oil and thick crude oil. Following the statement is a song, Oil-Sha, La, La, about the many things that are made from oil. PLAY the tape until the song is over. After the song, ask students to work in with their Learning Clubs to add items to their list of items made from oil. Then, have Learning Clubs report other items to add to the list that are made from/of oil. List these items on the "Oil Craze" poster.

Step 5: With the lists, students can identify the many positive effects oil has on our lives. Working in Learning Clubs, have students generate a list of how oil can be bad for the environment. Learning Clubs should report to the class. Record the students' responses on the "Oil Craze" poster. (Answers may include: water pollution if there is an oil spill, animals in the ocean die from the oil, the food chain is disrupted, air pollution if oil is burned, etc.)

Step 6: Have students focus on the video clip. Provide students with a Focus for Media Interaction by having them identify ways that oil is not good for the environment. START the tape after Z introduces several ways we use oil. A blue trashcan will appear on the screen followed by the phrase, "Oil: It causes problems." PLAY the tape until Stephanie says, "After a big spill, the environment will never be the same." This is after Stephanie learns to "corral" a spill. PAUSE the tape here. Ask students to work with their Learning Clubs to identify ways that oil is harmful to the environment. Following the Learning Club discussion, have Learning Clubs report to the class their findings. Write student responses on the "Oil Craze" poster.

Learning Activities

Step 1: Direct students to the computers. Students should go to the bookmarked site, Darby Duck and the Aquatic Crusade (). Tell them to read the NPS Kid's Page, "No Water off a Duck's Back." Provide students with a Focus for Media Interaction by asking them to read to answer the following questions:

1. What happens when ducks and other waterfowl come in contact with oil floating at the top of the water?

2. How might ducks die from oil?

3. What is the only way to save the oil covered bird?

4. Why is this not a good method for saving the birds?

After the students have completed the reading, discuss the questions.
Step 2: Have students work in their Learning Clubs to conduct the experiment "Oil and Animals." Cover tabletops with newspaper. Instruct each Learning Club to pour the water (8 oz.) into its bowl and add the vegetable oil (1 tablespoon).

Guide students to observe that the water and oil do not mix. Then, have each Learning Club sprinkle cinnamon (1/8 teaspoon) on the oil. Point out that the mixture resembles sludge (mud or ooze covering the ground made by sewage). Then have each group drop its marshmallows in the bowl to represent birds and animals. Next, have one student in each group blow, gently and then harder, on the oil through the straw. Allow time for all students in each Learning Club to blow on the oil through the straw. Tell students that wind and waves push the oil but the oil continues to float on the surface.

Then have each group observe the interior sides of the bowl. Point out that a layer of oil coats the marshmallows and the side of the bowl as crude oil coats the ocean's shoreline and wildlife. Direct each group to skim the oil from the water with the spoon. Then discuss the difficulty of removing the oil from the water.
Step 3: At the conclusion of the experiment, distribute the "Oil and Animals: Reflections" sheet. Allow time for students to answer the first three questions. As a class, discuss the answers. Then, allow time for students to reflect on the experiment by answering the last two questions. After students have had time to reflect on the experiment, discuss their thoughts and feelings. (Note to Teacher: Students should record all responses on the "Oil and Animals: Reflections" sheet.)

Culminating Activity/Assessment

Step 1: Have students work with their Learning Clubs to conduct the experiment "Oil and Feathers." This experiment will show students firsthand the effects of an oil spill. Have students reflect on what they learned from Darby Duck (EPA Web site). Ask, "How do they clean a bird that has come in contact with oil?" Then, distribute supplies for "Oil and Feathers" as well as the "Oil Spill Data Sheet" for the experiment.

Instruct students to take a feather from the bowl. Have students take a close look at the feather. Ask, "How does it look and feel?" Have students record their thoughts as well a draw a picture of what they see on their "Oil Spill Data Sheet." (Each student is responsible for recording his/her thoughts and pictures on his/her own data sheet.) Then, have students dip a cotton ball in the dishpan of cooking oil. Instruct the students to gently wipe the cotton ball over the feather. Ask, "How does the feather look? How does it feel?" Students should record responses on the worksheet. Students should draw a picture of what the feather looks like.

Next, have students dip a clean cotton ball in the dishpan of plain water. Have students attempt to wipe the oil off the feather. Ask students to explain what happens. Students should write responses on their worksheet. They should also draw a picture of the feather.

Last, have students dip a clean cotton ball in the bowl of detergent and water. Tell students to try to wipe the oil off the feather. What happens? Then, have students dip the feather in the detergent and water bowl. What happens? Discuss the results. Students should write their responses on their data collection sheet.

Step 2: Collect the "Oil Spill Data Sheets" from students

Cross-Curricular Extensions

Math: We use 250 million gallons of gas each day. How many gallons is that in a week, month, one year, two years, five years, and ten years?

Reading: Read aloud Oil Spill! by Melvin Berger. Discuss the effects of oil on the environment.

Writing: Write a journal entry from the point of view of worker attempting to clean up after an oil spill. What is he feeling? What does he see in the ocean?

Have students write letters to Legislators about the dangers of oil spills and what the government should do protect the environment.

Social Studies: Research where there have been oil spills. Plot these locations on a world map.

Community Connections

Invite a marine biologist to class to discuss first hand what he has been through after an oil spill.

Invite in a miner that drills for oil. Have him discuss the process.

Visit an electricity plant to see how electricity is made. Identify the safety precautions that are in place to protect against pollution.