Subjects:

Geography, Environmental Science, Biology, Social / Political Studies, Language Arts

Objectives:

Identify the problems caused to the environment and society by an oil spill and the subsequent clean-up operations and discuss them in class.

none

Worksheet for the students:

Optional: newspaper / magazine articles / information from the internet about oil spills

One school lesson
In addition, students can be asked to prepare the discussion at home by collecting newspaper and magazine articles and write down some positions their assigned character might have or write a press article.

To get a sense of the impact of an oil spill, have a role-playing discussion. Each student or a group of students take up the role of one the fictitious characters. Have each character write some notes that would be taken to a press conference held to find out what happened when a tanker went aground and caused an oil spill along a coastline. Some members of the class can be reporters, directing questions to any of the participants.
The reporters should ask questions about (a) the chain of events that led to the oil spill, (b) how each party helped with the cleanup operation, and (c) how the spill affected their lives. Students responses will vary widely but should be consistent with the attitude and professional knowledge suggested by each fictitious character's name and position. Students should be able to conclude that the responsibilities for cleanup must be shared and that the local people are affected by the oil spill long after the cleanup crews have left.
Optional: Have students use their library to access articles about recent oil spills. Encourage students to become aware of local regional events that are similar, if not as large.

Name	Position
Captain Shipley	Captain of the tanker that went aground
Mrs. Petrol	Spokesperson for the Giant Oil Corporation
Mrs. Swap	Head of cleanup operations
Mr. Scout	Head of the airborne surveillance team (reporting to Mrs. Swap)
Mrs. Cirrus	Spokesperson of the National Weather Service
Mrs. Marchand	President of the local merchants' association
Mr. Greene	Spokesperson for a national conservation group
Mr. Hook	Spokesperson for the local fishing community
Mrs. Wright	President of the Town Council
Mrs. Labb	Scientist at Innovate Corp., a bioengineering firm
Mr. Ivory	Salesperson for Kleen-Up Supplies, Inc.
Mr. Byrd	Conservationist from the National Fish and Wildlife Service Office
Mrs. Goodley	Spokesperson for volunteers
Mrs. Interested	Reporter
Mr. Talkative	Reporter