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Introduction:

Students brainstorm different sources of pollution. Point out how much of this pollution ends up in our oceans--You can specifically point out the drains on the street that drain directly to the ocean!

Activity:

Pass out the water bottles filled with blue water and tell the students that this is their model ocean.

Pass out the sinking and floating beads (at least one of each) to the students and have them decide what animal each will represent--the class can brainstorm about bottom dwellers (starfish, crabs, lobsters, etc.) and animals on the surface (birds, whales, seals, otters, etc.)--and write down the animals they decided on.

Using a funnel, pour into each student's bottle some of the pollution mixture. Have them write down where the pollution went and which animals it affected--it spreads everywhere and affects all the animals!

Now talk a little bit about how we need oil in order to drive our cars and power our machines, and we have to ship this oil across the ocean, and if this oil spills, it is a really really bad kind of pollution. Using a funnel, pour into each student's bottle some oil. Have them NOT SHAKE THE BOTTLE yet. Ask them to notice where the oil is--it is on the TOP, affecting the animals on the surface. You can use this to talk about how oil and water do not mix, and oil is less dense that water so it goes to the top, if you have time or the students have learned about density.

Finally, tell them a storm is coming and let them finally shake their bottle up and down. Have them all stop shaking their bottle at the same time and put them down on the desk together. Have everyone watch and observe where the oil went--it went EVERYWHERE, even down at the bottom of the ocean. So the surface animals aren't the only ones affected in an oil spill.

To further demonstrate the negative effects of oil as a pollutant, you can do the following demonstration: Have everyone get on the floor in a big horseshoe. Sit in the middle of the circle and make sure everyone can see. Hold a feather up in the air and talk about a bird that is flying in the sky over the ocean, looking for something to eat. Then when it sees something to eat, swoop the feather down and dip it in a clear cup of water to show the bird diving down into the ocean. Pull the feather back out of the water. It will be wet, but the water will bead up and drip off, and if you give the feather a quick shake, it will be almost as good as new. Pass it around for the students to see.
Now take a cup of oil and talk about the same bird looking for something to eat. Use a different but identical feather so that you can compare it to the previous feather afterwards. Dip the feather into the oil this time. When you pull it out, the feather will be completely sopping and stick thin. Try shaking it off or drying it on a paper towel--it doesn't help. Have the students compare the two feathers and ask whether they think the birds would be able to fly. (If you have extra time, you can have the students DRAW the two feathers when they get back to their desks.) Then, see if you can ask the students what the bird could do to get the oil off, and get the students to suggest washing the oil off by dipping it back in water. Of course doing this doesn't help, the feather stays smooched and unable to allow the bird to fly or keep the bird warm. Have the students talk raise their hands to talk about what this means for birds. Ask the students what they can do to help reduce oil pollution.

Checking for student understanding:

After each step in the mini ocean activity, go around to different groups and talk to the students about what they see. Then as a group, ask the students where the pollution was and which animals were affected and call on a few students to share. Then have the students write down the answers as they go along.

During the feather demo, have the students compare the two feathers and, if time, draw them. Ask them whether they think the oily feather will allow the bird to fly, or keep warm. Ask them what the bird could do to get the oil off (try to wash it in the water) and then show them that this doesn't help!

Wrap-up / Closure:

At the end of the activities and demonstrations, ask the students to talk about why pollution is bad. They should be able to say that it hurts animals in the ocean, and especially how the birds' feathers are hurt by oil pollution.

Then ask the students what they think they could do to reduce pollution. A big one to point out, besides recycling, driving less, and being careful not to pour things down drains that go to the ocean, is that just TALKING about what they learned that day and sharing what they saw in the demo with their parents and extended family members can make a BIG difference.

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