SARAHRAE KUMKA !

INQUIRY ASSIGNMENT
Cleaning up an Oil Spill!
This activity will serve as a culminating task for a unit in grade 9 academic science. It is
a good fit for either the Biology strand, which is Sustainable Ecosystems, relating to a
number of specific expectations from that section, but could also be used in the
Chemistry strand, Atoms, Elements and Compounds, since the composition for the
materials is relevant. !
Biology: Sustainable Ecosystems!
Overall:!
B1. assess the impact of human activities on the sustainability of terrestrial and/or
aquatic ecosystems, and evaluate the effectiveness of courses of action intended to
remedy or mitigate negative impacts;

B2. investigate factors related to human activity that affect terrestrial and aquatic
ecosystems, and explain how they affect the sustainability of these ecosystems;

Specific:!
B1.1 assess, on the basis of research, the impact of a factor related to human activity
(e.g., urban sprawl, introduction of invasive species, overhunting/overfishing) that
threatens the sustainability of a terrestrial or aquatic eco- system [IP, PR, AI, C]!
B2.1 use appropriate terminology related to sustainable ecosystems, including, but not
limited to: bioaccumulation, biosphere, diversity, ecosystem, equilibrium, sustainability,
sustainable use, protection, and watershed [C]!
B2.4 plan and conduct an investigation, involving both inquiry and research, into how a
human activity affects water quality (e.g., leaching of organic or inorganic fertilizers or
pesticides into water systems, changes to watersheds resulting from deforestation or
land development, diver- sion of ground water for industrial uses), and, extrapolating
from the data and information gathered, explain the impact of this activity on the
sustainability of aquatic ecosystems [IP, PR, AI, C]!
Chemistry: Atoms, Elements, and Compounds !
Overall:!
C1. assess social, environmental, and economic impacts of the use of common elements
and compounds, with reference to their physical and chemical properties;

SARAHRAE KUMKA !
INQUIRY ASSIGNMENT
C2. investigate, through inquiry, the physical and chemical properties of common
elements and compounds; !
Specific:!
C1.1 assess the usefulness of and/or the hazards associated with common elements or
compounds in terms of their physical and chemical properties [AI, C]

C1.2 assess social, environmental, and economic impacts of the use of common elements
or com- pounds [AI, C]

C3.2 describe the characteristics of neutrons, protons, and electrons, including charge,
location, and relative mass!
Day One!
Students are given a brief introduction on the seriousness of oil spills, and a short video
clip of a rescue initiative for species effected by oil spills will be shown (appendix A). If
this is being used for a biology culminating task, then students should already be
familiar with factors of human life and how they effect our ecosystem. If this inquiry
activity is being used for chemistry, then the properties of water and the properties of
oils (fats) will be prior knowledge. Students will then be asked to use their devices to
come up with reasons why drilling for oil in the oceans is necessary, and reasons why it
should not be done, and relate it to the specific unit of study (Biology or Chemistry). !
Day Two!

Students are introduced to inquiry science. If they have completed labs before, they
should be familiar with the terminology of dependant and independent variables, but a
refresher may be necessary. Students will then be put into groups of three. The
demonstration of oil and water will be presented to the students, who will make
observations on what they see on the package for their inquiry lab (appendix B). They
will also write down anything they are curious about and provide a diagram of what
they observe. Once the students have observed what happens when oil is added to
water the groups will devise a method for removal of the oil. After groups have come
up with removal methods The Inquiry design process will be introduced, and students
will have an opportunity to think ahead on how they may conduct the experiment. For
homework students are asked to bring their ideas to their families and get input from
them as well, to involve the families in student learning. !

!
Day Three!
!

SARAHRAE KUMKA !
INQUIRY ASSIGNMENT
Students will return to class and begin to design their inquiry approach. Collectively the
class as a whole will all be determining a way to decrease the volume of oil, however
each group will use a different method of doing so. During this class the students, in
their groups, will come up with things that may be changed that could effect the
amount of oil. After this step in the inquiry process the teacher will guide them to using
a method of removal for their independent variable, using volume of oil as their
dependant. The students will choose their own removal methods and control their
environment as they see fit, following step three of the design process. Moving on to
step four of the process the students will come up with a hypothesis for their design,
and determine materials for their experiment. They will also determine how they will
control their experiment!

!
Day Four!
!

Students will conduct their experiments, keeping to their hypothesis, and maintaining
their controls in the manner they came up with on the previous day. Once students have
completed their experiments they will have the opportunity to talk to their peers on
their experimental design, and reflect on what worked and what did not work in a
gallery walk situation. Then the teacher will discuss with the class why the devices
worked as they did if it is a chemistry unit, or how this effects the ecosystem should this
be the biology strand. Students will come up with a one page reflection on the
experiment for homework to be turned in the next day. !

!
References!
!

Miller, J. Oil Spills: A Slick Trick to Treat A Lesson on Ecology and Environmental!
Pollution (APS Archive of Teaching Resources Item #3687). [Online]. Bethesda, MD:!
American Physiological Society, 2007.!
http://www.apsarchive.org/resource.cfm?submissionID=3687. !

!
http://weirdsciencekids.com/Oilspillexperiment.html!
!
Appendix A!
!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0XvAdwFW8Q!
!
!
!
!
!

SARAHRAE KUMKA !
INQUIRY ASSIGNMENT
Appendix B!

Investigation Design and Perform

INITIATE
& PLAN

Step 1:Observing & Questioning

Place sticky notes of the same colour in the space below.

Place sticky notes of a new colour in the space below.

WHAT DID I OBSERVE?

WHAT AM I WONDERING?

(What do you notice about the object or event?

Use your senses to describe the object or event.)

(What questions or predictions do you have about

the object or event?)

Why doesn't the oil mix with

the water?!

Oil did not mix with the water !

What is the temperature of the

oil or water?!

HOW COULD YOU REMOVE

THE OIL ONCE MIXED WITH
WATER?

How can the questions be answered?

(Question Sort)

LABELLED DIAGRAM:

container!

!
!
oil!
!

water

Level: 2

1 of 4

Youth Science Canada 2011, Some Rights Reserved. Except where otherwise noted,
this work is licensed under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
Smarter Science and ducasciences are registered trademarks of Youth Science Canada.
Adapted with permission from Thames Valley District School Board

SARAHRAE KUMKA !
INQUIRY ASSIGNMENT

Experiment Design and Perform

INITIATE
& PLAN

Step 2(a):What could I measure or observe about the object, or event?

Brainstorm (Place sticky notes of the same colour in the space below.)

VOLUME OF OIL!

!
temperature of oil !
!
Possible
Dependent
Variables
temperature of water
!
!
mixture of oil and water !
!
colour of oil !

Step 2(b):What could I change or vary about the object or event that may
affect what I could measure or observe?
Brainstorm (Place sticky notes of a new colour in the space below.)

temperature of water!

!
temperature of oil!
!
initial volume of water !
!
initial volume of oilVariables
!
!
type of oil !
!
time !
!
REMOVAL DEVICE

Level: 2

2 of 4

Youth Science Canada 2011, Some Rights Reserved. Except where otherwise noted,
this work is licensed under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
Smarter Science and ducasciences are registered trademarks of Youth Science Canada.
Adapted with permission from Thames Valley District School Board

SARAHRAE KUMKA !
INQUIRY ASSIGNMENT

Experiment Design and Perform

INITIATE
& PLAN

Step 3(a):What will I change?

ONE VARIABLE I WILL CHANGE:

I WILL MEASURE OR OBSERVE THISRESULT:

REMOVAL DEVICE!
- cotton ball!
- gauze !
- polypropylene!
- scoopula

VOLUME OF OIL

Independent
Variable

Dependent
Variable

(Place a sticky note from Step 2(b) here)

(Place a sticky note from Step 2(a) here)

Step 3(b):What will I not change?

VARIABLES I WILL NOT CHANGE:
What conditions will be held constant so it is a fair test? Place remaining sticky notes from Step 2(b) here.

time

Controlled
Variable

type of oil

Controlled
Variable

temperature of
water

temperature of oil

Controlled
Variable

Controlled
Variable

initial volume of
water

initial volume of oil

Controlled
Variable

Controlled
Variable

Level: 2

3 of 4

Youth Science Canada 2011, Some Rights Reserved. Except where otherwise noted,
this work is licensed under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
Smarter Science and ducasciences are registered trademarks of Youth Science Canada.
Adapted with permission from Thames Valley District School Board

SARAHRAE KUMKA !
INQUIRY ASSIGNMENT

Experiment Design and Perform

INITIATE
& PLAN

Step 4:What is the question I want to explore?

REMOVAL DEVICE

IF I CHANGE

VOLUME OF OIL

Independent
Variable

WHAT WILL
HAPPEN TO

Dependent
Variable

COMPARED TO THE CONTROL?

Step 5:What is my hypothesis (what and why)?

BASED UPON MY QUESTION, I PREDICT THAT:

if the

REMOVAL DEVICE

POLYPROPYLENE

is

Independent Variable

How the independent variable will be changed

(e.g. increased or decreased, heated or cooled, stirred or not stirred)

then the

VOLUME OF OIL
Dependent Variable

will

DECREASE
How the dependent variable will be affected

(e.g. increased or decreased, heated or cooled, stirred or not stirred)

I think this will happen because

OIL AND WATER ARE MADE OF DIFFERENT

ELEMENTS SO THEY DO NOT MIX BUT
POLYPROPYLENE AND OIL BOTH CONTAIN
CARBON AND HYDROGEN SO THEY
ATTRACT EACH OTHER

.
Level: 2

4 of 4

Youth Science Canada 2011, Some Rights Reserved. Except where otherwise noted,
this work is licensed under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
Smarter Science and ducasciences are registered trademarks of Youth Science Canada.
Adapted with permission from Thames Valley District School Board