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Clean-Up
Crew
Program
Area
This activity
is designed for the Grade 9 Science, Mathematics, and Technology
Program. Specifically, it fits into Core Unit 2, Chemical Change,
of the former Advanced Level Science course, and should be used
during the work on separation of substances.
This activity
will reinforce earlier concepts on classification of substances.
It should be performed after the topic of density has been covered.
It may be used after a more traditional activity on separation
of a mixture (sand, salt, calcium carbonate, iron filings, water).
This activity could be presented as a problem in which the students
must write a method or in which they test various ideas which
they have. At any time during a grade 9 or 10 course if oil spills
are a current topic, this activity could be performed in conjunction
with some current newspaper articles or news footage. It would
be a one period break from the regular schedule.
This activity
can also be used in the Grade 10 level science course, during
the unit on "Environmental Chemistry," subtopic "Water
Pollution." Separation of substances should have been covered
in Grade 9. This activity could be used as an example of water
pollution. Possible extensions could include a discussion of our
dependence on oil (Wise Use of Resources), the effects of oil
spills on wildlife, and clean up procedures.
Learning
Outcomes
- Teaching,
learning and evaluation will focus on the student's ability
to:
- Recognize
and classify mixtures as homogenous and heterogeneous;
- Describe
the properties of an oil and water mixture;
- Identify
methods of separating mixtures;
- Design
and perform experiments to separate an oil water mixture;
- Evaluate
the success of an experiment;
- Predict
the success of a classroom experiment on a larger scale;
- Appreciate
the difficulty and frustration involved in cleaning up oil spills;
- Consider
our dependence on oil and evaluate the consequences of this.
Classroom
Development
- This
messy activity should be performed with students who are comfortable
with laboratory routines.
- The students
will consider the properties of the oil and water mixture and
devise methods of separation. They should be provided with materials.
Separation methods may include filtration, absorption by cotton
wool or paper towel, skimming and the addition of detergent.
Students will consider three different methods. Analysis of
this problem will show them that there is often more than one
way to a solution.
- This
activity can run over 2 periods. In the first, students examine
and classify the oil and water mixture. For homework, they can
devise ways to separate this mixture. The following period they
can perform the experiment.
- Depending
on current events, this topic may warrant more time.
- Vertical
files in the library are a source of current articles on this
topic.
Cross-disciplinary
Links
Links with
the Self and Society program can be established. If you are concentrating
on a particular spill, the geographic location and physical geography
of the coast should be considered. Other considerations may include:
the economic significance of a spill, the corporate responsibility
or lack thereof, and worldwide dependence on oil. Students could
write to an oil company, inquiring about its methods for cleaning
up oil spills, and copies of any risk-benefit analysis which the
company has done.
Student
Activities
Clean-Up
Crew
Purpose
To simulate
an oil spill on the ocean and evaluate methods of clean-up.
Materials
pie plate
or plastic tray funnel
filter
paper detergent
test tube
and stopper thread
water sawdust
oil screen
or sieve
salt cotton
wool
spoon or
scoop feathers
Method
- Half
fill a test tube with water; add one quarter of a test tube
of oil. Describe this mixture.
- Stopper
and shake this mixture. Then allow it to settle. Describe the
result.
- Repeat
this procedure with half a test tube of water and a small scoop
of salt.
- Fill
the pie plate with water. Add several scoops of oil to form
a slick covering the surface of the water.
- Dip a
feather and your finger into the oil. Describe what happens
to the feather. How does your finger feel?
- Think
about separating the oil from the water using the materials
which are available to you. Write out a step by step method,
then perform the experiment.
- Record
observations.
Observations
- Oil and
water mixture
- Salt
and water mixture
- Methods
of separation
Method |
How Well Did it work? |
Problems Encountered |
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Questions
- Mixtures
may be classified as homogeneous or heterogeneous. How would
you classify the oil and water mixture; the salt and water mixture?
- Does
the oil dissolve in the water? Explain your answer.
- What
can you conclude about the density of the oil compared to the
density of water?
- What
was the effect of the oil on the feather? What effect would
oil have on birds which come in contact with oil?
- Comment
on the success which you had separating the oil from the water.
Do you think that any of these methods would work on a larger
scale?
- Are there
any disadvantages to the large scale use of the methods which
you have used? If so, what are they?
Extensions
Research
a major oil spill, the clean-up procedures used and the effect
of the oil spill on wildlife and the rest of the environment.
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