Curated OER
Current Events and Fish
Fifth graders examine current events impacting aquatic life in their communities. They search for newspaper, magazine and television reports for information about aquatic life in local bodies of water. Students can write letters to...
Curated OER
Don't Cry Over Spilled Oil
Pupils study the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill while evaluating oil spill clean up activities. They discover the long term impact can have on an ecosystem by completing this experiment.
Curated OER
Sunken Hazard
Pupils use information about past oil spills to predict potential effects of the Prestige spill on the environment, on marine life, and on the human culture and economy of Spain.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Goo Be Gone: Cleaning Up Oil Spills
Oil spills devastate wildlife and our precious water resources. Test the absorptivity of different materials (sorbents) to discover which ones are best at removing oil from water in this brief lab.
Canadian Wildlife Federation
Hinterland Who's Who: Oil Pollution and Birds
Oil can be deadly for a bird. Even a tiny amount, the size of a quarter, could be enough to kill a bird. Learn how oil harms birds and what birds are most at risk. Then, take a look at how oil spills happen and just what can be done....
Encyclopedia of Earth
Encyclopedia of Earth: Ocean Oil: Deepwater Horizon Disaster
A collection of articles on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill that happened on April 20, 2010. It was caused by an offshore explosion on an oil platform fifty miles southeast of the Mississippi River delta.
TryEngineering
Try Engineering: Oil Spill Solutions
In a lesson to teach students about the field of environmental engineering, they examine an oil spill, then design a system to contain the oil and extract it from the water.
Other
Australian Maritime Safety Authority: Mathematics and Oil Spills
The numbers related to an oil spill that are reported in the media can be quite confusing to the public. This lesson helps students understand the numerical terms used to describe an oil spill. They are asked to solve three problems...
Other
Prince Wm. Sound Rcac: Alaska Oil Spill Curriculum [Pdf]
This is an extensive 333-page resource of instructional activity ideas for all grade levels. The lessons are attractively presented and the appendices contain extensive lists of additional resources, as well as articles and puzzles. The...
TES Global
Blendspace: Questioning Nonfiction Text Oil Spills
An eight-part learning module with links to texts, videos, and websites to use while improving informational text skills through the topic of oil spills. The print materials have directed exercises for text analysis by students.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Oil Spill Cleanup
This hands-on experiment will provide students with an understanding of the issues that surround environmental cleanup. Students will create their own oil spill, try different methods for cleaning it up, and then discuss the merits of...
NOAA
Noaa: Oil Spill Resources
An excellent collection of resources and activities for exploring oil spills and chemical disasters.
NOAA
Noaa: Ocean Service Office of Response and Restoration: Response Tools
Listed is information to support effective and safe responses to oil spills in the coastal environment. Links provide access to software & data sets, publications and web portals.
NOAA
Noaa: Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary: Oil Spills Effect on Marine Sanctuary
In this investigation students will examine how an oil spill affects Sanctuary resources, and participate in a mock public meeting to mobilize people and resources to protect the sanctuary.
NOAA
Noaa: Prince William's Oily Mess: A Tale of Recovery
Compilation of reports on the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill includes information on the remaining impact of the spill, the ecosystem in transition, lessons learned and an oil spill trajectory model.
NOAA
Noaa: Oil Slick Emergency
Using software tools downloaded from this site, learners will learn about strategies used to respond to an oil spill. The site recommends that teachers spend some time learning how to use the software themselves as the instructions in...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: What Happens When an Oil Spill Occurs?
This interactive activity from McDougal Littell/TERC visualizes the effects of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, factors that influence oil spill behavior and impact, and techniques used to contain and clean up oil spills at sea.
Biology Corner
Biology Corner: Analyzing the Effects of Oil on Bird Eggs and Feathers
Learners will observe the effects of an oil spill on feathers and eggs.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Exploring Effects of Oil Spills on Birds
To learn about the devastating effects of oil spills, students use magnifying lenses to examine feathers, and name and describe characteristics of the feathers.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Investigate Effects of an Oil Spill
This lab is designed so that learners will understand the effects of oil spills on plants, animals, and the environment and investigate clean up methods through a simulated oil spill. They will understand the risks associated with...
Gulf of Maine Research Institute
Human Impact: Save the Bay
Students watch as their teacher simulates an oil spill. Following the demonstration, groups of students race to figure out the best way to clean up the spill before it reaches land. Students then discuss their observations.
The Franklin Institute
The Franklin Institute Online: Slick Sea Spills
Use this site to promote environmental awareness in your classroom with this instructional activity on the effects of oil spills on water habitats.
Other
Australian Maritime Safety Authority: Experiment to Clean Up an Oil Spill
For this activity, students conduct an experiment to investigate how difficult it is to clean up an oil spill. There is a comprehensive list of observation questions for students to respond to.
Learning to Give
Learning to Give: Oil Changes Everything
This unit is a collection of four lessons that lead students from learning about oil spills and the impact human activities have on the environment and wildlife, to actively campaigning for laws to protect wildlife from oil spills and...