Down to Earth | Things happen! | Things do happen | Learning activities | Activity 1: Oil spills investigation | My
oil spill investigation
My oil spill investigation
What happens when there is an oil spill? Find out in this investigation.
To complete this activity
1. Read through the whole activity sheet carefully before you begin.
2. Print out the ‘My observations’ activity sheet in the Activity 2 section.
3. Carry out your investigation by following the instructions below.
4. Record your predictions and answer the questions in the spaces
provided on this sheet and on the ‘My observations’ sheet.
Remember! Include this activity sheet in your portfolio.
Planning
In this investigation we will find out what happens in an oil spill by imitating an oil spill
using things you can find around the kitchen. We will then investigate the most
effective way of clearing it up.
You will need:
 a clear glass baking tray (or something similar)
 a quarter of a cup of vegetable oil
 5–6 drops of blue food colouring
 3 tablespoons cocoa
 sand and small rocks to make a ‘shoreline’
 a selection of different absorbent materials (for example tissue, paper towel,
cottonwool, sponge, polystyrene, string, rag, nylon pot scrubber)
 tweezers or tongs
 pop sticks
 bird feathers.
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Down to Earth | Things happen! | Things do happen | Learning activities | Activity 1: Oil spills investigation | My
oil spill investigation
Prediction (what will happen?)
Before scientists begin an investigation they make a prediction. You make a
prediction using the information you already have to guess what is going to happen.
Which of the absorbent materials will be best for cleaning up the oil spill? Give
reasons for your prediction.
Record your prediction here.
Conducting
Steps to follow
1.
Fill the baking dish with water to just one centimetre below the surface. Add blue
food colouring to imitate the ocean. Stir with a pop stick and wait a while for it to
settle before starting the next step.
2.
Put sand and rocks at one end to imitate a beach shoreline.
3.
Mix three tablespoons of vegetable oil with two tablespoons of cocoa. Mix well.
This will be your pretend ‘crude oil’.
4.
To imitate an oil spill you must pour the oil very slowly from a height of one
centimetre above the water. This is very important because if you pour the oil
too quickly it will not work and you will have to start again!
5.
What happened to the oil when you poured it into the water?
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Down to Earth | Things happen! | Things do happen | Learning activities | Activity 1: Oil spills investigation | My
oil spill investigation
6.
Wait three minutes. What is happening now? Do you want to change your
answer to question 5?
Testing the absorbents
Note: You will need to use the ‘My observations’ activity sheet for this part.
1.
Choose one absorbent material you think will work well for cleaning up the oil
spill. Place the absorbent material carefully in the centre of the oil spill. Remove
it with tweezers or tongs. Record your observations on the ‘My observations’
activity sheet.
2.
Repeat step 1 with four more absorbent materials. Record your observations for
each absorbent material on the ‘My observations’ activity sheet.
3.
If this was a real oil spill in the sea, how would you pick up the oil-contaminated
material from the water?
4.
How would you dispose of the oil-contaminated material?
5.
Can you think of other materials you might use as absorbents?
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Down to Earth | Things happen! | Things do happen | Learning activities | Activity 1: Oil spills investigation | My
oil spill investigation
Feathers
1.
Drop a bird feather into a jar of clean water. Does it float?
Yes
2.
No
Shake it off and allow it to dry completely. Does it still fluff up?
Yes
No
3.
What do you think would happen when a feather gets oil on it? Drop the feather
in the oil spill you created and see what happens.
4.
Clean the feather and let it dry. Does it still fluff up?
Yes
5.
No
How do you think oiled feathers might affect birds?
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Down to Earth | Things happen! | Things do happen | Learning activities | Activity 1: Oil spills investigation | My
oil spill investigation
Processing and evaluating (what did you find out?)
Now it is time to think.
What have you learnt from doing this investigation?
What does this information mean to you?
Do you think some of the things you have tried would help clean up a real oil spill?
Explain your answers.
(Modified version of original experiment used, courtesy of Minister of Supply and Services Canada 1994.)
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