engineering design

Lesson 1: Cleaning an Oil Spill

• Focus Topic: Understanding the impact of oil spills on ecosystems through the story "Tehya's Pollution Solution."

• Preparation Time: 5-10 minutes

• Lesson Duration: 90-120 minutes (2-3 sessions)

Vocabulary

• Ecosystem: A community of living organisms and their interactions with the environment.

• Engineer: A professional who uses scientific principles to design and build solutions.

• Engineering Design Process: A systematic approach to problem-solving in engineering.

• Pollution: Contamination of the environment that causes adverse effects.

• Environmental Engineer: A professional who develops solutions to environmental issues.

• Food Web: A system of interconnected food chains within an ecosystem.

• Technology: Tools and methods used to solve problems.

Overview of Tehya's Pollution Solution

• Setting: The story takes place around the Elwha River, a key ecological area in Washington State.

• Connection to Community: Tehya, a member of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, emphasizes the cultural importance of the river.

• Main Characters: Tehya, Sam, and their neighbor Thomas, an environmental engineer.

• Story's Theme: Interconnectedness in ecosystems and how oil spills affect not just water but all life forms dependent on it.

Activities

• Picture Comparison Activity: Students analyze two pictures of the same ecosystem from 50 years apart to discuss ecological changes.

• Engineering Design Process Discussion: An introduction to how Tehya applied engineering principles to address the oil spill.

Important Concepts

• Interconnectedness of Ecosystems:

  • A change in one part of an ecosystem can affect many others (Example: Oil spill in the river can impact land organisms).

  • Students learn to appreciate the complexity of ecological relationships (e.g., food webs).

Tehya's Pollution Solution Application

• Students have hands-on applications using local knowledge about their environment in clean-up efforts.

• Understanding how environmental engineers like Thomas use design processes to solve ecological problems.

Reflection Questions

• How can oil spills disrupt small food web dynamics?

• What roles do different organism types (producers, consumers, decomposers) play in recovering from oil spills?

• How does the Engineering Design Process assist in developing solutions to environmental issues, such as oil spills?