Cleaning up the oil spill!

To go along with our PBL and Science standards, we did an Oil Spill S.T.E.M. Challenge to help clean up the ocean and wildlife that were affected by the oil spill. 
First students researched the Gulf of Mexico Oil spill through reading articles and watching videos on engineering jobs who worked to clean up the oil spill then recorded their answers on the white board. Next, each group was given a bucket of clean water and a feather to make observations before the oil spill. Students were given a limited amount of supplies such as a sponge, straw, Dawn soap, coffee filter, and one cup to see if they could use these items to clean up. 

 Making observations before beginning their challenge, students discussed their options of cleaning up the oil spill and then executed the plans they decided to go with. 

Right after putting the oil in with the feather 

In the end students learned that the Dawn soap and sponge worked the best to clean up their feather and to clean the water they learned that the straw worked best to slowly take the oil out of the water. It wasn't hard for students to realize just how hard of a task this was when the oil spill actually happened.