Name of Instructors: _Carissa Esau_______________________________________________

Grade: _4 Science: Waste and Our World____ Activity:_ Investigating Oil Spills___________

Goals/Key questions (remove the italics with the required information)

Goals: This lesson will make students aware of global environmental issues, how they are affecting our
planet and actions we can take to reduce and prevent these problems.
Objective (connected to PofS): To inform students about the results of human actions and propose
alternatives for the responsible use and disposal of materials.
GLEs/SLEs addressed:
- Identify and classify wastes that result from human activity
- Identify kinds of wastes that may be toxic to people and the environment

Pre lesson Considerations

Lesson overview of main scientific content, skills to be learned
Humans create waste and it is often disposed of in a way that harms the environment. Previous lessons
helped the students identify other waste forms, how they are produced and
ways to prevent and reduce their production.

Materials needed/preset up required/logistical considerations needed (seating arrangement):

___plastic bowls____

__4 groups of 5____________

___plastic spoons___ __paper towel_____________

___feathers/play fur_
For Labs/demos: Safety considerations/factors/equipment required:
- How will students be made aware of the safety considerations?
A slide will be put on the screen identifying the materials they have and a step by step guide to the
investigation.

Content:

Introduction
(how will you
engage students?
Connections to

What is the teacher doing?

Needs to include step by step
procedures:
Include Key questions, logistics,
key concepts that will be
addressed, methods of formative
assessment
Beginning questions: What kind of
garbage or other harmful things go
into the ocean?
List the answers on the board.

What are the students doing?

Be specific to what they will be doing to be
engaged in the learning.
Consider how they are organized, (eg working
alone/pairs etc).
Answer beginning question based on
knowledge from previous lessons. Students
should have a hand raised and wait to be called
on before answering.

previous
learning?)

Time est: 2min

Transition
If not already suggested, explain
considerations that large amounts of oil go into
the oceans, which is harmful to the
environment and animals that live
there.
Ask the students Where does oil
Activity 1
pollution come from?
(add more if
Show photos of sources of oil
needed)
pollution including cargo ships,
Time est: 5
cars and recreational boats.
minutes
Ask the students What kinds of
animals are most affected by oil
pollution?
Show photos of sea otters and
birds that have been affected by
an oil spill.
Transition
Introduce new activity to explore
considerations oil pollution and how it affects
animals.
Demonstrate the activity: pour oil
Activity 2
in the water, stir with a spoon, dip
feather then fur into the oil then
Time Est:
attempt to clean it with a paper
towel.
Explain that the oil represents the
oil spilled from boats or vehicles.
Explain that the feather and the fur
represent the animals affected by
an oil spill.
Make sure that the students are in
4 groups (of about 5 students).
Show the slide of instructions,
going over what they have at their
station.
Remind the students to roll up
their sleeves so they dont get dirty
and to share the work among
everyone in the group.
The completion of the worksheet
given to each table will indicate
that the students have made
Conclusion
How will you connections between the in class
know if
investigation and real world oil
students
spills.

Ex: plastic, metal, fertilizers, oil

Listen to the explanation of oil in the oceans

and brief introduction of how it is harmful.

Participate by answering the question Where

does oil pollution come from? to the best of
their knowledge. Students should raise their
hand and wait to be called on.
Listen as different sources are introduced
through photos.
Participate by answering the question with their
hands raised and waiting to be called on and
listening as photos of animals affected by an oil
spill are shown.
Listen as the new activity is introduced.

Students listen quietly while the activity is

explained.
The students will participate as a group in the
activity.
One student pours the oil into the water.
Another student mixes the water and the oil,
observing that they do not mix.
A student dips the feather into the water and
oil, observing that the oil sticks to the feather.
A student dips the fur into the water and oil,
observing that the oil sticks to the fur.
A student attempts to remove all of the oil from
the feather and the fur, observing that not all of
the oil can be removed.
All observations should be written in the sheet
that is handed out to each group.

Students should complete the worksheet,

answering the analysis questions to further
their thinking as to why oil on feather and fur
would be harmful to animals.
Students clean up the activity, following