Oil Spill Clean Up: 5E Guided Inquiry Lesson



Oil Spill Clean Up: 5E Guided Inquiry Lesson

SCE 320- Joclyn Molinaro

Grade: 4 Time: 50 minutes (Day 1); 15-20 minutes (Day 2, Extend)

Background: This lesson is part of a unit on environmental changes (natural and human made). Students have been introduced to the Exxon Valdez oil spill and have some knowledge of oil spills.

Objectives:

1. SWBAT explain how oil spills effect animals and the environment. (4.5.4.C: Describe how human activities affect the environment)

2. SWBAT write two paragraphs describing which material (paper towel or dish soap) worked better to clean the bird feathers. (1.5.4.B: Develop content-Write one or more paragraphs that connect to one central idea)

PSSA-STEE TEST, Eligible Content Addressed:

1. S4.B.3.2.1: Describe what happens to a living thing when its habitat is changed.

2. S4.B.3.2.2: Describe and predict how changes in the environment (e.g., fire, pollution, flood, building dams) can affect systems.

Materials:

___: Photograph of Exxon Valdez

___: Photograph of birds from oil spills

___: SmartBoard

___: Pans

___: Water

___: Canola oil

___: Paper towels

___: Dish soap

___: Bird feathers

___: Graphic Organizer

Safety: Clean up slippery water or oil spills if they occur; no water or oil throwing.

Engage (Teacher demonstration and Obj. 1 learning opportunity; Eligible Content 1 and 2):

1. Put up the photograph of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Inform the students that they will be conducting their own oil spill clean up.

2. Show photographs of birds with oil on them.

3. Demonstrate the activity for the students.

4. Have a pan of water and put 6-7 drops of the canola oil into the pan.

5. Ask the students what happened?

6. Students should say that the oil is at the top.

7. If students do not say it, remind them that with oil spills, it is dangerous for the majority of sea life which lives near the ocean’s surface, especially birds ().

8. Fill up another pan with water. Demonstrate putting a feather into the pan with clean water.

9. Feather will repel the water. Demonstrate dipping the feather in the oil water.

10. Inform the students that they will be trying the same activity, but taking it a step further and using different materials to try and clean the feathers (using paper towels or dish soap).

11. Ask them if they would like to try using different materials to see which ones clean up the feathers the best.

12. Inform the students that they can record their findings on the graphic organizer.

Explore (Obj. 1 learning opportunity; observe students as they work):

1. Have classroom helpers distribute the materials to each of the tables (groups of 4-5).

2. Have students experiment with the different materials to clean the feathers that have been dipped into the oil.

3. Have students record observational notes on the graphic organizer for each material (ex. How well did the paper towels clean the feathers?) –See attached organizer.

Explain (Obj. 2 learning opportunity; observe students using their notes; Eligible Content 1 and 2):

1. Bring students together as a class to have them share their findings.

2. Have students choose the material that worked the best. They will then write one paragraph explaining why. They can use their notes they recorded on the graphic organizer. There will be lines for writing on the back of the graphic organizer.

3. Record which students felt that the paper towels worked better/dish soap worked better.

4. Discuss how the activity relates to oil spills that occur.

5. Ask “How are oil spills really cleaned up?”

a. Bacteria breaks up the oil and kills the toxins.

Extend (Day 2; Eligible Content 1 and 2 learning opportunities):

1. Have books about oil spills in the classroom. Students can read during SSR.

2. Have students suggest other materials to use to clean the feathers and animals. Students can make classroom posters to hang outside the classroom to inform other school students—Informing about oil spills and clean-ups (Groups of 4-5).

Evaluate:

1. In the Engage, make sure the students understand the task at hand.

2. In explore, make sure the students have all of their materials. Use formative assessment and observe the students’ note taking.

3. In explain, use formative assessment while having the class discussion. Collect students’ graphic organizers to assess if the students completed the organizer and also wrote the one paragraph.

4. In extend, assess the completion of the poster and also the information the students included on the poster. This information will be a summative assessment on what the students learned.

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|PAPER TOWELS |DISH SOAP |

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|Record your observations below: |Record your observations below: |

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|What happens when you try using a paper towel to clean the feathers? |What happens when you try using the dish soap to clean the feathers? |

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Which material worked best? Write one paragraph explaining why the material you chose worked best.

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