Oil Spill Clean Up!
Grade: 2
Subject: Science
Unit: Air and Water in the Environment
Time Estimated for Lesson: 30 minutes- Times may vary
according to the classroom dynamics. It is broken into:
 Introduction: 5 minutes
 Main activity: 20 minutes
 Conclusion: 5 minutes (for our purposes it will be 5 minutes; however, if a journal
entry and reflection were conducted, then the conclusion would be more like 15-20
minutes)
Science Outcomes Facilitated:
 predict, investigate, and communicate the properties of materials according to their
ability to absorb water (200-3, 200-4, 200-1, 203-3)
 identify examples of water in the environment and describe ways that water is
obtained, distributed, and used (102-11)
 identify the importance of clean water for humans, and suggest ways they could
conserve water (103-8) [NS-DOE]
Objectives of Lesson:
 Students will explore the damages associated with water pollution, both from oil
spills and from daily pollutants (human waste and car/factory emissions for
example)
 Students will discover various ways to clean the polluted water and help wash off
the sock animals
 Students will reflect on their collaborative effort to clean-up the oil spill and will
discuss their successes and difficulties
Materials:
 Basins for water
 Water
 Canola oil (to represent petroleum oil)
 Socks (to represent animals)
 Blue food coloring (to represent daily pollutants)
 Small plastic bags
 Cleaning materials (hay, cloth, liquid dish detergent and plastic cups)
 Latex gloves
 Elastic Bands
Science Literary Focus: This is a problem solving lesson because it focuses on students
creating a mock oil spill and determining possible clean-up solutions to this devastating
problem.
Procedure:
Introductory Activity: Before recess or lunch, have the class discuss the importance of
water to life on earth. Do a chart on the white board like the one below and get students to
help you fill it out.
What do we use water for?
What creatures rely on
Why is it important to keep
water?
our water clean?
Have students discuss the various creatures which call our water sources home and the
many ways humans use our water sources. Have students volunteer their ideas on why
keeping our water clean is so important and what could happen if these natural habitats
were disrupted. At the break, you will have time to set up the lab.
Interactive Lesson: Prior to the lesson, have materials already distributed and organized
to ensure a smooth transition into the lab. Stations should be set-up for groups of 4-5
students and should have all have a basin of water. In addition, provide each group with a
bag of canola oil, blue food coloring, sock animals (socks), and various cleaning materials
(cloth, hay, cups and liquid dish detergent).
In groups, have students design a simple habitat by placing the animals (socks) in the water.
Get the students to discuss amongst themselves what animals these socks can represent
and what conditions the water should be for these creatures to survive. Students can wear
plastic gloves and then put the sock over their gloves and use the sock as a puppet to
represent their animals “swimming” in the water, or they can use elastic bands to make the
sock into an animal shape. Once they have completed this task, have them add a few drops
of food colouring to the water. Explain to them that the food colouring represents pollutants
that we place in our water every day, often not knowing that we are doing so. After adding
the dye, have students discuss within their groups what could contribute to this pollution
being added into their habitats. Also, ask the students about how these pollutants have
affected the ocean animals.
Once these discussions have taken place, walk around the room and drop a bag of canola oil
in each basin. Each bag should be ripped or pierced in a way which permits the oil to slowly
drain out. Make sure that you explain to students that this is not real oil; it is canola oil
which is used as a substitute. Real oil should not be handled without adults present. For the
final step of the lab, have students design a way to remove the oil from the habitat and clean
the socks with the materials provided. Encourage students to use any method they feel
could work and then to write down the possible results in their science journal.
Productive Questions:
 What methods did you use to try and remove the oil?
 What were some problems you faced while removing the oil? What about successes?
 What did the food-dye show us about pollutants?
 How did you try to remove the food-dye? Were you successful?
 What happened to the sock “animals” in the tank once the food colouring and oil
were added?
 What were some methods you used to clean off the sock animals?
 When do we see accidents like this occur in real life? Ex: BP oil spill in 2010
 What can we do to prevent accidents like what was shown in class?
Closure: Get groups to share how the clean-up process was and discuss what materials
were most effective and what difficulties they had. Discuss the outcomes with the class to
see if they can come up with solutions to possible problems. The discussion is all we will
complete in our interactive lesson in class; however, in a real class setting, have the
students finish by writing their group experience in their science journals. Get them to
describe their successes and difficulties and a short description of why they think they had
that outcome. A sketch to show their results may also be suitable.
Assessment Strategies: This is a formative assessment that ensures students understand
the outcomes discussed in class. During the activity, walk around the class to monitor their
participation and understanding of the concepts discussed. Ask productive questions
during the activity, and take notes on who is participating and has an understanding of the
concepts. Collect the journals after class to read the students’ reflections to ensure they all
have a thorough understanding of how oil spills are caused, the effects on the environment
and animals, and ways to clean-up or prevent the spills from even occurring. If students
were unsuccessful in their clean-up methods, see if they have come to a logical conclusion
as to why it did not work. Follow up with any student that does not understand and provide
them with support.
Connections: This whole lesson relates to two main Science, Technology, Society and the
Environment (STSE) curriculum outcomes; therefore, students are able to make real-world
connections throughout the entire lesson. Students will make real-world connections by
seeing how oil spills affect our oceans and sea animals. Students will also discuss examples
of oil spills that have affected our oceans recently and they will discover methods used in
order to clean up these oil spills.
Extensions: If time permits, add more food colouring or oil to the students’ water basins
and have a friendly competition to see who can clean up their oil spill the fastest. Another
activity could also be getting students to use their imagination and their knowledge on the
subject to develop their own machine to clean up the oil. A drawing can accompany the
description of the invention.
Modifications: If a student is unable to communicate their learning through writing in their
journal, then they can do it in jot notes, illustrations or simply just discussing it with the
teacher. This activity is already in groups; however, some students that need adaptations
may need to be paired with a stronger student that can provide support.
References:
Nova Scotia Department of Education [NS-DOE] (Drafted May 4, 2011). Learning outcome
framework grades primary-6.