A Slick Solution: Cleaning an Oil Spill Check Availability

[GRADES 3-5] In this unit, students are introduced to a girl named Tehya who is a member of the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe. While walking by the Elwha River near her home in Washington state, Tehya and her friend Sam are horrified to find an oil spill. With the help of Thomas, a neighbor and environmental engineer, Tehya and Sam play an active role in the clean up efforts. Students learn about the interconnectedness of components of an ecosystem, methods for cleaning oil spills, and the severe impact oil spills can have on an ecosystem. Throughout this unit, students will act as environmental engineers using their knowledge of ecosystems, environments, and properties of materials to design solutions to environmental problems. Students will investigate the pH of soil and water samples to gather clues to identify potential sources of pollution in a fictional town. This exercise points out that pollution is rarely an isolated problem, pollution in one area often spreads