Your team wants to be hired as the new emergency response team.  Your task is to gather background information on the effects and costs of oil spills, investigate methods of cleaning up oil, and then to create a Power Point presentation to display your findings and to persuade the CEO to hire you.

1. Once you have been assigned to your team, you need to decide what role each member of your team will play.  The roles are:
 

Project Coordinator: (1 student)
Your job is to keep everyone on task and working toward the team goal.  You must make sure that everyone has the tools they need to complete their tasks and you will fill in and help where needed.  You bring any questions that your team may have to the teacher.

Researchers:  ( 2 students) Your job is to use the pre-selected resources on the Internet to compile and organize information on oil spills.

Investigators: ( 2 students) Your job is to test various materials in order to find a fast and efficient way to remove oil from a model ecosystem.

Presenters:  Your job is to create a Power Point presentation to present the team findings and to persuade the CEO to hire your team.
 

2. The researchers will report to the media center.  Click on the resource section, and use the preselected sites to investigate oil spills.  While you are gathering information, think of the following questions:

        What causes oil spills?

 What effect does an oil spill have on the wildlife and the surrounding environment?

What are current methods of containing and cleaning up an oil spill?

What is the economic toll on the company and the surrounding community?

Once you have gathered the information, you should open a Word document and compose several paragraphs that address each question.  Let your partner review your work.  Your final product should be a combination of the best work from both of you.
 
 

3. The investigators should report to the Science Lab.  You will receive a model ecosystem, and some oil.  Add the oil to the water in the ecosystem and dip the feather ( this represents the ducks and other birds) into the oil.  There will be various materials such as soap, straws, pantyhose, netting, eyedroppers, string, plastic wrap, sawdust, etc. on the table that you can use to try to contain and clean up the oil.  Test various materials.  If your team would like to test a material that is not on the table, your project coordinator may ask the teacher for other materials.  As you try to remove the oil think of the following questions:

Does this material remove all or most of the oil ?

How quickly does it remove the oil?

Will the material that you are adding to the ecosystem damage it in any way?

When you have finished testing, open a Word document and report your finding in a data table.  List your conclusions.
 
 

4. The Presenters should report to the media center.  You will review Power Point with the media specialist.  Your group should then select a background for your presentation.  You can also select transitions and look for clip art that you might use in your presentation.  You should have a minimum of 7 slides. They will be:

Title
Background Information
Procedures
Data
Conclusions
Recommendations
Credits

As your teammates give you their information, you will edit and enter them on a slide or slides.  You will also add any clip art that you think will enhance your presentation.
 

5. The Project coordinator will circulate among the groups and make sure that they stay on task.  Help when and where you are needed.  You should bring any problems, concerns, etc. to the attention of the teacher.

6. When all of the research, investigation, and slide show is complete all   members of the team will meet in the media center to create a recommendation slide or slides.  This should be where you summarize why your team should be hired.  Everyone on the team should combine what you have learned to create this slide.

7.  The final step of your project is for your whole team to view the slide show and make any final changes that you feel will make your presentation the best!!!

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Resources

Visit these sites to find information about oil spills and the environment

The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

General information about Oil Spills

Oil Pollution

Chesapeake Bay Foundation
 
 

Visit these sites to review The Scientific Method
 

An outline of the steps

Biology for Kids

Science Fair Central

The Internet Public Library
 

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Assessment

You will be evaluated using the following rubric
 
 
 
 

	Bronze 1	Silver 3	Gold 5
Background  Information	Only partially addresses the questions with little or no support.	Addresses the causes of oil pollution, the effects on wildlife and the economic toll on the surrounding community.  Not supported by examples	Addresses the causes of oil pollution, the effects on wildlife and the economic toll on the surrounding community. Supported by 2 examples.
Investigative Procedures	Steps are confusing, and incomplete.  Experiment could not be duplicated from these directions. A limited number of materials were tested	Some steps are confusing.  Another student would have trouble following the directions.  A minimum  of 3 materials were tested.	Steps are logical and complete.  Another student could duplicate the experiment.  A minimum of 4 materials were tested.
Data	Graphs and or tables were not used.  Data is confusing and lacks detail.	Data is arranged in an easy to read format( tables and/ or graphs. Data lacks detail.	Data is arranged in an easy to read format ( tables or graphs. ) Detailed  and accurate observations and/or measurements were made.
Conclusions	Conclusions  are only partially accurate. Limited or no support from data.	Conclusions are accurate, but little support is given.	Conclusions are accurate and supported by  detailed data
Grammar and Spelling	There are 3 or more errors in spelling and/or grammar	There are 1 or two errors in spelling/grammar	Grammar and spelling are correct.
Writing To Persuade	Purpose is not stated. Arguments are illogical and are not supported by data and/or research.  Conclusion does not draw ideas together.	Selection addresses the audience and states the purpose.  Arguments are logical, but not supported by data or research.  Conclusion draws some ideas together.	Selection addresses the audience and states the purpose. Arguments are logical and supported by research and/ or data. Conclusion draws ideas together.
Arrangement and Number of Slides	Slides are not logically ordered and less than 7 slides were used	Some slides seem "out of place" but at least 7 slides were used	Slides are arranged in a logical order and at least 7 slides were used.
Use of Font and Graphics	Used less than 2 graphics and 2 different	Used a minimum of 2 graphics and 2 fonts	Used a minimum of 4 appropriate graphics and 3 different fonts.
Overall Appearance	Presentation does not use color and uses only one style	Presentation uses limited colors and style	Presentation uses a variety of color and style

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Conclusion

You have investigated  the causes and effects of oil spills.  Discuss with the class why it is important to prevent oil spills before they happen?

What can you, as a student, do to help in the prevention of oil spills?
 

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I would love to know what you think.

 

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