Unit 2 — Environmental Problem-Solving: Cleaning an Oil Spill
Description
Using the Boston Museum EiE oil spill kit, students address an environmental engineering challenge. They observe how oil behaves on water, then design and test tools to clean up the spill using available materials. Students work through the full engineering design process, making predictions, building prototype tools, testing effectiveness, collecting and analyzing data, and improving their designs. This unit connects to science concepts about liquids, mixtures, and environmental impact while developing skills in observation, prediction, and data analysis. Students document their process and findings through reports and discussions.
Essential Questions
- How do engineers solve environmental problems?
- What materials and designs work best for cleaning oil spills?
- How can we test and compare our solutions fairly?
Learning Objectives
- Observe and describe properties of oil and water interactions.
- Design a tool to clean up an oil spill using provided materials.
- Test multiple designs and compare their effectiveness.
- Record observations and data during testing.
- Evaluate results and suggest improvements to designs.
- Communicate findings in a written report.
Supplemental Resources
- Clear plastic tanks and containers for testing
- Plastic page protectors used as dry-erase surfaces for hypothesis and predictions
- Clipboards for recording data during testing
Life Sciences
Algorithms and Programming
Data and Analysis
Engineering Design
Interaction of Technology and Humans
Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science
Students write in science notebooks, create digital stories about their investigations, participate in collaborative discussions about design problems, and use informational texts to research natural solutions.
Students explore environmental issues, consider how communities respond to challenges, and understand the relationship between human activities and environmental characteristics.
Formative Assessments
- Observation of design process and material choices.
- Sketches and descriptions of designed tools.
- Data from testing multiple designs side-by-side.
- Student explanations of why certain designs worked or did not work.
Summative Assessment
EiE Boston Museum report documenting the design process, test results, and conclusions about the best cleanup methods.
Benchmark Assessment
— not configured —
Alternative Assessment
Students may demonstrate understanding through a teacher-led discussion or picture-based response about oil spill properties and cleanup methods instead of written reports. Simplified data collection using checkmarks or drawings to show which tool worked best, with verbal explanation of their design choices.
IEP (Individualized Education Program)
During hands-on design and testing phases, provide visual step-by-step representations of the engineering design process so students can track where they are in the sequence without relying solely on verbal or written directions. Allow students to demonstrate observations and conclusions through oral explanation, drawing, or dictation rather than independent written responses, and accept these as valid evidence of understanding. When recording data from oil spill tests, offer simplified observation templates with picture prompts and sentence frames so students can focus on scientific thinking rather than the mechanics of writing. Offer additional processing time during whole-class discussions and check in frequently during independent work to provide feedback and redirection.
Section 504
Ensure students have preferential seating during demonstration and testing sessions so they can clearly observe how oil and water interact without visual barriers or environmental distractions. Provide extended time for completing observation sketches and any written portions of the design report, and allow brief movement breaks between the design, testing, and recording phases of the engineering cycle. Printed visual directions for each stage of the design process should be available at the student's workspace so they can reference steps independently.
ELL / MLL
Introduce and repeatedly reinforce key content vocabulary — such as oil, water, mixture, absorb, float, and design — using real objects, demonstrations, and picture-word cards before and during each phase of the unit. Give directions for design and testing tasks in short, clear steps and ask students to restate what they are about to do before beginning, using sentence frames or gestures as needed. Encourage students to sketch and label their tool designs using vocabulary from the word bank, and accept home language labels alongside English to support meaning-making. Pair MLL students with a supportive partner during testing so they can engage with the science through collaborative observation and discussion.
At Risk (RTI)
Begin by connecting the oil spill challenge to students' prior knowledge of water, liquids, and things that make messes, helping them build a concrete mental model before introducing more abstract engineering concepts. During design and testing, offer a focused set of materials with clear descriptions of what each one does so that decision-making feels manageable and students can experience early success with a workable design. Provide structured observation templates with picture supports and sentence starters to reduce the blank-page barrier during data recording. Break the engineering design process into clearly defined, smaller phases with a check-in at the end of each so students receive consistent feedback and can build confidence across the unit.
Gifted & Talented
Challenge students to go beyond testing a single tool by independently comparing the effectiveness of two or more design approaches using consistent, self-designed data collection methods, then drawing evidence-based conclusions about which variables most influenced cleanup success. Encourage them to consider the real-world environmental and economic tradeoffs of different cleanup strategies, connecting their findings to the broader impact of oil spills on ecosystems and communities. Students may extend their final report to include a reasoned recommendation for which design should be used in a real spill scenario and why, supporting their argument with data from their tests. Offer opportunities to research how professional environmental engineers approach oil spill cleanup and to compare those methods to the solutions the student designed.