Topic(s): Environmental Impact in Ecosystems
A pelican affected by the Gulf Oil Spill
|
Images/Video Resources
Deepwater Horizon Drilling Rig
Boats trying to extinguished the fire on the Deepwater Horizon
An image of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico taken by the MODIS instrument on NASA’s Terra satellite.
May 6, 2010: Oil blobs in the waters of Chandeleur Sound, LA
Image from CBS 60 minutes report showing Oil in the Gulf of Mexico
Environmental Impact Review
NASA Time Lapse Video of the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill
Two NASA Satellites are capturing images of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The short video reveals a space-based view of the burning oil rig and, the ensuing oil spill through May 24.
Gulf Tides 2: Sperm Whales, Shrimp, and Uncertainty - BP Drilling Disaster - May 31, 2010
Featuring images of coastal marsh and seaturtles affected by BP's crude, and interviews with the Gulf Restoration Network.
Gulf Tides 3: Wildlife in distress and dispersants - BP Drilling Disaster - June 15, 2010
Featuring underwater images of dispersed oil, oiled brown pelicans and shots of wetlands affected by BP's crude, and interviews with Clint Guidry with the Louisiana Shrimp Association.
Gulf Tides 4: Oil Hits Home - BP Drilling Disaster - June 28, 2010
The fourth episode in our ongoing series features Interviews with Rosina Philippe and commercial fisherman Maurice "Bimbo" Phillips, describing what has happened to their traditional fishing grounds and community.
BP oil spill (environmental impact )
|
Deepwater Horizon was an deepwater offshore oil drilling rig. In September 2009, the rig drilled the deepest oil well in history at a depth of 35,050 ft. On April 20, 2012 an explosion on the rig caused by a blowout killed 11 crewmen and ignited a fireball visible from 35 miles away. The resulting fire could not be extinguished and, on April 22, 2010 Deepwater Horizon sank, leaving the well gushing at the sea floor and causing the largest offshore oil spill in United States history. It wasn't until July 15, 2010 that the leak from the well was largely stopped by capping the gushing oil well. By that time millions of gallons oil had entered the Gulf of Mexico and contaminated the Gulf's coastal region.
The Environmental Protection Agency has just hired your team to investigate how the consequences of the oil spill has effected the environment in the Gulf of Mexico (Marine Life, Land Life, Human Life, Plant Life), the team must also determine the long term effects the oil spill will have in the Gulf Region, and ways to help protect the environmental habitats and animals from the Oil Spill. Your research team will present the findings to the Environmental Protection Agency for review.
Time Magazine provided information on:
100 Days of the BP Oil Spill Timeline
|
Your team was hired by the Environmental Protection Agency to research the environmental impact of the Gulf Oil Spill. Your research team will present the findings to the Environmental Protection Agency and Locals among the Gulf Coast Region. Your team is researching the effects/consequences the Gulf Oil Spill had in the Gulf of Mexico Environment (Marine Life, Land Life, Human Life, Plant Life), the team must also determine the long term effects the oil spill will have in the Gulf Region, and ways to help protect the environmental habitats and animals from the Oil Spill. Your team must also research solutions/regulations that the U.S. Government can implement to police offshore drilling.
Individually, each team member will create an analysis of the Gulf Oil Spill scenario. Each team member will individually complete PBL steps 1-4. Each team member must share and discuss ideas, create questions to be answered within the team and conduct individual research to solve the scenario using the custom search engine and resources given.
Group, as a team you will create a problem statement, develop a plan to conduct research on your problem statement and collect research on your problem statement. Each team will consist of 5 members and each member must be assigned a responsibility (e.g. Team Leader, Reporter, Designer...).
Group Presentation, Each team will design a final plan of action addressing the Gulf Oil Spill scenario that will be presented using any Web 2.0 tool listed under Student Work. The presentation will be presented to Environmental Protection Agency.
|
Science Investigation:
Experiment to Clean Up an Oil Spill
Oil Spill Facts:
What happens to Spilled Oil
Deepwater Horizon and the Gulf oil spill - the key questions answered
5th Grade Science TEKS
|
Articles:
Environmental effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Effects of Oil Pollution on the Marine Environment
Deepwater BP Oil Spill Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement
Public Scoping Comment Summary
Assessing the Long-term Effects of the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
on Marine Mammals in the Gulf of Mexico: A Statement of Research Needs
The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Coastal Wetland and Wildlife Impacts
and Response
More Student Resources:
News Report: BP oil spill seriously harmed deep-sea corals, scientists warn
BBC News Timeline on the BP Oil Spill
Environmental Impact of Oil Spills
National Geographic: Gulf Oil Spill Pictures
National Geographic: One Year Later
Australian Maritime Authority: Effects of Oil on Wildlife
Students Interactive Learning: Oil Spills
Scholastic Study Jams
View videos and slide shows on Oil Spill Pollution
BrainPop
View videos and do activities on Oil Spill Pollution
UnitedStreaming
View videos on Oil Spill Pollution
Books to Consider:
Blowout in the Gulf weaves a fascinating narrative of failures, missteps, and bad decisions, explaining why this oil spill was a disaster waiting to happen--and how making better energy choices will help prevent others like it.
Oil Spill! explores the Gulf of Mexico disaster from the beginning. With vivid images and diagrams, it breaks down the murky mess to look at how it happened, how it affected the Gulf, how it compares to past spills, and how kids can help the area recover.
This book tells the fictional story through the eyes of one of the victims of the disaster, the poor little pelican. A hard working 10-year-old reporter becomes the pelican's friend and tells the non-fiction documentary story about the pelican.
|
Team Rubric
Peer Feedback Rubric
Group Presentation Rubric
|
1. List your personal understanding, ideas or hunches.
Now that you are familiar with Gulf Oil Spill you will write everything you know about Gulf Oil Spill. Describe your thoughts or ideas about how to solve the problem. There are not incorrect answers in this step, just feel free to brainstorm your ideas.
2. List what is known.
With your team use all the information available in the scenario to list everything that you know about Gulf Oil Spill. You do not have to conduct any research yet. Just use the information given and write the facts that you already know about Gulf Oil Spill.
3. List what is unknown.
With your team, make a list about what you do not know and would like to learn. List all the questions you will need to answer to solve the problem.
4. List what needs to be done. "What should we do?" List actions to be taken, e.g., question an expert, conduct research, go to a board meeting about topic. List possible actions.
5. Develop a problem statement.
You will be responsible for thinking and choosing one of the questions to solve the problem. A problem statement should come from your analysis of what you know. In one or two sentences, you should be able to describe what it is that your group is trying to solve, produce, respond to, or find out. The problem statement may have to be revised as new information is discovered and brought to bear on the situation.
6. Gather information
Use all the resources available (Internet, library, etc) to research about the problem/topic and find a solution.
7. Present Findings
Your team is going to create a presentation on environmental factors of removing Sand Dunes utilizing any Web 2.0 Tools: Prezi, Wordle, Vimeo, Animoto,Glogster, VoiceThread, Spicy Nodes, and other tools.
Requirements:
The presentation should include 2 of the following images, video, graphs, maps.
Students will use Group Presentation Rubric
|
(5.2) Scientific investigation and reasoning. The student uses scientific methods during laboratory and outdoor investigations. The student is expected to:
(B) ask well-defined questions, formulate testable hypotheses, and select and use appropriate equipment and technology;
(D) analyze and interpret information to construct reasonable explanations from direct (observable) and indirect (inferred) evidence;
(F) communicate valid conclusions in both written and verbal forms; and
(5.9) Organisms and environments. The student knows that there are relationships, systems, and cycles within environments. The student is expected to:
(A) observe the way organisms live and survive in their ecosystem by interacting with the living and non-living elements;
(C) predict the effects of changes in ecosystems caused by living organisms, including humans, such as the overpopulation of grazers or the building of highways; and
|
Comments (0)
You don't have permission to comment on this page.