Fuel Investigators

Gaining an insight into the problems associated with using fossil fuels for energy 

The students took upon the role of coal miners and performed the cookie mining activity to understand, analyze and discuss what implications strip mining might have on local ecosystems. The students recorded their observations on the Oil Spill worksheet as they experimented with cleaning up the oil spill activity and shared the environmental implications and consequences of oil spills to our ecosystem.

Let's take a sneak peek:

me>

                                                                               

The learners connected their learning and made language connections. They took upon the role of bird/ ocean / fish affected by oil spills and reflected their plight through autobiographies....

Autobiography of Pelican who is affected by oil spill

By Abhishek Chandra

I am a great white pelican. I am a large water bird. I have a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey. I came to Gulf of Mexico with my parents ten days ago.Every year we come here for a visit, but this year we faced a very bad experience. Due to the oil spill, I was looking black and my feathers were very sticky. I felt very cold and sick also. I was searching for my parents but I couldn't find them. I have faced all this problems due to oil spill. Oil was floating everywhere on ocean. When I dived in the ocean through the oil for catching fish - oil coated on my feathers and I have turned black in color, When I desperately tried to clean my feathers, I swallowed the oil so I am feeling very sick. I think my internal organs have damaged because of swallowing the poisonous oil. My feather's streamlined design has damaged, so I can't fly up. I am feeling very cold because my feathers are not waterproof now. I am feeling very cold because the cold water of the ocean can be easily soaked by my feathers. My parents couldn't find me because my body odor has changed, so my parents can't detect my natural body scent. Some people from wild life rescue group took me for cleaning. They cleaned my body using soap. Now I am very happy as I got back my natural body color and my natural body scent. There I met with my parents. 

Autobiography of a bird who is affected by oil spill

Anaya Kazi

Hello,I am a bird that got affected by an oil spill in the ocean.
My feathers provide me with excellent waterproofing and insulation. This is only when they are properly aligned. Unfortunately, the oil spill in the ocean matted my feathers. I started losing heat and could have died. 
Even after the spill is no longer, the food chain absorbs oil and its various breakdown products, disturbing or destroying large parts of the ecological system. When I went to catch fish,my wings got covered with oil,which made my wings heavy and it became difficult for me to fly.

Thank God I didn't.

Therefore, it did affect my process of cleaning, which is called preening. In this process, I use my beak to clean my body.

But, when I tried preening, I swallowed some oil myself, as my feathers were infested with oil. I was uncomfortable and unable to breathe.

My 300 friends, 150 sea turtles and 12 dolphins have been found dead due to the effects of oil spills. A rule of thumb is that for every dead bird found, there are 4 or 5 dead birds, whose bodies are not yet recovered.

I can only hope that you all learn more about safely extracting oil from under the sea and that we are more prepared to address the aftermath of oil spills. For your sake and mine.

Autobiography of a fish

Ahren Dutt

There really used to be a time when my Ocean was clean. All of us used to be able to swim all around the ocean and sometimes when we got thirsty we just swallowed the water but now it is getting so much harder to swim around the ocean. My brother went to swim but he did not come back and why is this happening around here because of so many oil spills from oil tanks by the shore and boats like the Titanic. Now this oil has started to get into our homes I have been sick for 2 months now at the borderline of life and death.

I do not know if our ocean will be clean in the future there are not many survivors out there these oil spills will 90 percent lead to no life underwater, I do not like what oil spills have caused. There are so many sea creatures dying in this ocean, millions of coral reefs are being damaged because of oil spills my friends, family, classmates are in an extremely bad condition. The oil amount is growing higher and faster every day and night.

Auto Biography on an ocean harmed by oil spills 
Shanysa Jain

Hello friends!! I am the ocean. A happy one, that is. But at first I was very sad. Do you want to know my story on how I was first sad and now really happy? It will also give you some entertainment. So here it goes.....

I was a very happy ocean , flowing around the world, admiring my deep blue colour, and gazing at my pretty corals and sea creatures. I used to have fun playing with the creatures. I thought I would keep on having this amazing life. But I was wrong. Suddenly, like crazy, oil was spilled in me. All my sea creatures I used to have fun with  were gone. My corals were really ugly. As for my deep blue colour, it was the dirtiest thing I had ever seen. I was so sad, I started crying. I didn’t know what or who had caused it, but I was really angry towards them. I felt as if I could not live any more. And then, instantly, I found out what had caused the oil spills. A ship was passing by, and suddenly the oil tanks leaked and more oil was spilled inside me. Ugggh!!How I hated those humans on the ship. I started wondering whether I would ever be as I once was. I decided to go and talk to the humans. I told them to please stop spilling oil in me and told them the harm it had done. They were good hearted humans, so they said they would tell the prime-minister, and he would announce it throughout the country. They also said that they would keep the tanks secure. So I decided to say the same thing to the humans on the other ships. They too agreed with me. After a few years, I noticed a big change. People had cleaned the oil from the ocean and the sea creatures were born. So now I could play with them again. The corals were beautiful. And my colour was more deep-blue than before. I was extremely happy. I would now have an amazing life once again.

And so this, my friends, is my story.