TryEngineering
Try Engineering: Oil Spill Solutions
In a lesson plan 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.
NOAA
Noaa: Oil Spill Resources
An excellent collection of resources and activities for exploring oil spills and chemical disasters.
Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Virginia Institute of Marine Science: Oil Spills
A collection of lessons for teaching students about oil spills.
NOAA
Noaa: Oil Slick Emergency
Using software tools downloaded from this site, students 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...
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.
CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12: Earth Science: Oil Spills
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Examines the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and its impact.
NOAA
Noaa: Gulf Oil Spill Educational Resources
NOAA provides educational resources regarding the Gulf of Mexico oil spill such as imagery, animations, videos, lessons, activities, real world data, trajectory maps, and background information. Lessons such as Cleaning Oiled Feathers...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Oil Spill
This instructional activity will allow students to explore an important role of environmental engineers: cleaning the environment. Students will learn details about the Exxon Valdez oil spill, which was one of the most publicized and...
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...
Other
Cynthia Cudaback: Self Contained Gulf Oil Spill Kit [Pdf]
Here is a kit that you can create to help understand the impact of an oil spill and the logistics of the clean-up effort. Unfortunately, real-life oil spills are not quite as easy to clean up.
PBS
Pbs News Hour Extra: Largest Oil Spill in u.s. History Continues
The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has surpassed the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster. Briefly discussed is criticism of the Obama administration for not acting quickly enough. Described are the efforts by BP oil to stop the oil leak, effects...
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of Natural History: Ocean Planet: Oil Pollution
Source provides key facts and figures as well as pictures on various oil accidents. Site information is divided up into three categories: Sources, Accidents and Cleanups. This is part of an archived Smithsonian exhibit.
PBS
Pbs Kids: The Gulf Coast Oil Disaster
Why does the oil spill in the Golf of Mexico matter? What can you do? These are two of the topics discussed in the PBS Kds blog "The It's My Life Blog". (3 May 2010)
Curated OER
Science Kids: Science Images: Oil Spill Cleanup Job
After flooding and oil contamination from a local refinery destroyed much of a nearby town, a contractor works hard to continue the oil spill cleanup job.
NOAA
Noaa: Environmental Restoration
Your questions answered about environmental restoration after chemical accidents. A large section is dedicated to oil spills and how they contaminate the earth. Great information.
Other
Bp: Gulf of Mexico Restoration
BP's mission is "to stop the flow of oil, clean up the environmental damage, and help make sure that people are compensated for their losses." Find graphics and videos on stopping the leak, cleanup of beaches, response to wildlife and...