KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

LESSON PLAN FORMAT

Teacher Candidate: Lauren Miller

Date: 2/13/16

Cooperating Teacher: Dr. Varano

Coop. Initials

Group Size:

Grade Level 4

Allotted Time

Subject or Topic: Taking Care of Our Oceans

Section

STANDARD:
4.5.4.C - Describe how human activities affect the environment.

4.1.4.E - Explain that ecosystems change over time due to natural and/ or human
influences.
I. Performance Objectives (Learning Outcomes):
Fourth grade students will discover the effects of human impact by participating
in the oil spill activity and problem solving to figure out how to resolve oil spills and
how to take care of our oceans.
II. Instructional Materials
- Inquiry worksheet
- A plastic container
- Water
- Blue food coloring
- Plastic boats
- Plastic sea animals
- Vegetable oil
- An extra bowl
- A paper towel
- Soap
- A sponge
- Feathers
- Magnifying glass

Exit slip

Books:
1. Oil Spill!(Lets-Read-and-Find-Out-Science) by Melvin Berger
Websites:
http://onetimethrough.com/inspiring-kids-to-protect-our-oceans-oil-spillactivity/
III. Subject Matter/Content (prerequisite skills, key vocabulary, big idea, outline of
additional content)
A. Prerequisite skills
1. Basic understanding of oceans and ocean animals
2. Basic skills in working with others in a group
B. Key Vocabulary
1. Oil spills- an accidental release of oil into a body of water,
from another source, which typically presents problems to
marine life and the environment.
C. Big Idea
Human impact on the environment and the solutions to the
problem.
D. Content
1. Humans can impact oil spills in the ocean
2. Oils spills affect the water, the animals and the plants.
3. Oil spills can be cleaned up in a variety of ways.
By using a boom to temporarily contain an oil spill
With a skimmer to pick up the oil on the surface of the
water
By igniting the fire and setting it on fire
By releasing chemicals onto the oil to disperse it
4. Oil spills can be prevented by:
Using less oil, driving less often and staying in the
speed limit
Using less electricity and by turning off lights or
electronics when they are not being used
5. You can also write letters to the Congress to state the
importance of preventing oil spills and stating suggestions to
be prepared and better protect our oceans.
6. Dawn soap can be used to remove the oil and grease from
animals feathers, skin, etc. and to clean them up.
IV. Implementation
A. Introduction

1. Show youtube video, A Sound of Silence- Exxon Valdez Oil

Spill (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmrH4SkuE1M)
2. Ask for a volunteer to predict what todays lesson will be about
(Taking care of our ocean and the damaging effects of oil
spills).
3. Explain that we are going to explore oceans and oil spills, and
how to take care of our ocean.
B. Development
1. Ask for volunteers to share what they know about oil spills,
and how to take care of our ocean.
2. Then share an image from the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill.
3. Share with the class that this is the same oil spill that the video
talked about.
4. Tell the students the definition of an oil spill.
5. Divide the class into 4 groups.
6. Then provide each group with a different article- which are all
about the Exxon Valdez oil spill.
Article 1- (http://www.wholetruth.net/history.htm)
Article 2(http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/9/8/scientists-linkoil-exposure-to-reduced-survival-of-fish.html)
Article 3(http://useconomy.about.com/od/suppl1/p/Exxon_Valdez_Oil_
Spill_Economic_Impact.htm)
Article 4- (http://mashable.com/2014/03/24/exxon-valdez-25years-later/#zReSdihQxSqa)
7. Have each group work together and come up with a summary
of their article and find a few key details. (provide students
with article)
8. After each group has finished, they will share what they
learned with the rest of the class.
9. Pass out the oil spill activity worksheet to each student. [see
attached]
10. Read question one from the worksheet aloud to the class and
then have each student answer it.
11. Have a discussion about the article and ask the students to
share their response in their groups.
12. Then come together as a class and have each group share a
thought or two about the article.
13. Read Oil Spill! This book will share information about how oil
spills occur. We will only read this story to learn about it and
then we will stop reading the story before it talks about how to
resolve oil spills and how to clean them up.

14. Pause the story to tell the students that they will have the
opportunity to explore oil spills and to find a solution before
we can read about the solution.
15. Allow the students an opportunity to predict how oil spills can
be cleaned up and have them fill it out on their worksheet.
16. Provide each group with their ocean (tub of water with blue
food coloring, toy ships and toy ocean animals).
17. After observing the ocean environment and a possible boat
crash, I will then add olive oil into the ocean to create the oil
spill.
18. Give the students time to predict possible strategies to resolve
the oil spill with the materials provided.
19. Then give the students an opportunity to use materials provided
to resolve the situation.
20. Walk around and observe the methods that the students. Also
have them keep track of their thoughts on their worksheet as
they go through the experience.
21. Provide an opportunity for discussion and allow the groups to
share what they tried and whether or not they worked. Then
allow them to think about other solutions to the problem.
22. Have the students complete up to question 5 on the worksheet.
23. Then give each of the groups a few feathers to put into the
ocean that has been affected by the oil spill. Then pass out new
feathers that are dry.
24. Have the students observe the feathers that have been covered
in the oil spilled ocean water and then talk about that and the
effects of it.
25. Then have the students go and wash off the feather with soap
and then provide the students with a treated feather that is
already dry. Then observe the difference between the two
feathers (one dried regular feather and one dried treated
feather) and provide each group with a magnifying glass to
view the changes that occurred. Then guide the discussion so
that the students can discuss the impacts that oil spills would
have on the birds.
26. Then share the Dawn Wildlife video
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JRE8dlmUxs)
27. Next, share the Dawn duckling commercial
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0XvAdwFW8Q)
28. Have the students fill out question 6 on the worksheet.
29. Come together as a class to discuss the effects of oil spills on
the animals.
30. Then allow the students to have an opportunity to talk about
the oil spill activity, share what they learned from it, share their
thoughts on oil spills and other observations that they made.
Have them first share in groups, and then together as a class.

31. Then transition the class back together and finish reading Oil
Spill! to learn more about the oil spills and how they can be
resolved and prevented.
C. Closure
1. Have the students talk with their group about the effects of oil
spills and what they learned today from this lesson and from
the activity.
2. Have each group write down 3 impacts, and 3 solutions.
D. Accommodations/Differentiation
Accomodations: Dillon, a student with autism will be provided
with a schedule of events for the lesson which includes both text
and images. He will be placed in a group with students who can
encourage him and can help him with the lesson and activities.
Differentiation:
1. Dillon will have the option to work with a buddy to do the
reading and the activity.
2. I will allow Dillon to vocalize the information and I will assess
him in that manner rather than through writing.
E. Assessment/Evaluation Plan
1. Formative
- By collecting the inquiry sheet
- By collecting the exit slip (closure activity paper)
2. Summative
- There is a summative assessment for this lesson
V. Reflective Response
A. Report of Student Performance in Terms of Stated Objectives (Reflection on
student performance written after lesson is taught, includes remediation for
students who fail to meet acceptable level of achievement)

Remediation Plan

B. Personal Reflection (Questions written before lesson is taught. Reflective

answers to question recorded after lesson is taught)

1. Did the ocean spill activity go smoothly, or was it unorganized?

2. How were my classroom management skills? Do I need to

work on anything?

VI. Resources (in APA format)

Book:
Berger, Melvin, and Paul Mirocha. Oil Spill! New York: HarperCollins, 1994. Print.
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmrH4SkuE1M (Exxon Valdez)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0XvAdwFW8Q (Dawn ducklings)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JRE8dlmUxs (Dawn Wildlife)
Information:
http://www.wholetruth.net/history.htm
Activity:
http://onetimethrough.com/inspiring-kids-to-protect-our-oceans-oil-spill-activity/

Name:

Oil Spill Activity

Oil spill: an accidental release of oil into a body of water, from another
source, which typically presents problems to marine life and the
environment.
1. What are your thoughts and reactions to the Exxon Valdez oil
spill?

2. Predict how we can clean up oil spills below:

Use this chart to determine if these objects can be used to solve oil
spills:
Object

Prediction

Result

bowl

paper towel

soap

sponge
3. Are there any other objects that you think may work better to
solve this activity?

4. What do you think can be done to solve oil spills?

5. What can you do to take better care of our oceans?

6. How does Dawn help to care for animals affected by oil spills?

Exit Slip
Name three human impacts that affect the environment:
1.
2.
3.
Name three solutions to oil spills:
1.
2.
3.

Name: