Unit Overview
In A Slick Solution: Cleaning an Oil Spill, students explore how engineering helps to clean up pollution that threatens an ecosystem. The unit begins with the storybook Tehya’s Pollution Solution, in which a girl named Tehya, a member of the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe in Washington State, explores the field of Environmental Engineering in order to help clean up an oil spill in a local river. Over the course of the unit, students investigate methods to detect pollution and evaluate information about ecosystems. Like Tehya, students then follow the steps of the Engineering Design Process to imagine, plan, create, and improve their own oil spill cleanup process.
Core Program Unit Components
We recommend one Educator Guide per teacher, one Storybook per student, and one Materials Kit per 30 learners. Together, these components create a high-quality, hands-on STEM learning experience.
Cleaning an Oil Spill materials kit is currently unavailable and expected back in stock Spring 2025. Contact us at 617-589-0230 or yes@mos.org with questions.
Program Components
Print + Digital:
- Printed copy of the Educator Guide containing instructions to facilitate the unit
- One (1) copy of the printed accompanying Storybook
- Digital access to the Educator Guide via yes.mos.org/curricula
- Digital PDF of the Storybook
Additional Program Components
- Storybook
- Available in print and digital for individual purchase to accommodate any class size
- Materials Kit
- Includes materials to support 30 learners
- Refill Kit
- Replenishes the consumable items from the Materials Kit
Ten Resources for Diverse Learners
As a set of high-impact resources, the Resources for Diverse Learners are designed to help remove distractions and decrease literacy demands so that all students can succeed in engineering and problem solving. They contain built-in vocabulary support, suggestions for objects to create context and background, multiple points of entry for different learning styles, and multiple ways for learners to express understanding meet the needs of today’s diverse classroom.
| Resource for Diverse Learners | Included in the Teacher Guide | Packaged with the Teacher Guide | Included in Digital Unit |
| Student Discussion Support | * | * | * |
| Teacher Discussion Support | * | * | * |
| English Learner Strategies | * | * | * |
| Differentiation Duplication Masters | * | * | * |
| Flip book StorybookEnglish and Spanish1 | * | * | |
| Character Cards1 | * | * | |
| Visual Vocabulary Cards1 | * | * | |
| Illustrated Engineering Design Poster - English | 8.5x11in. included (available for sale in 20x30 in.) |
* | |
| Illustrated Engineering Design Poster - Spanish | 8.5x11in. included (available for sale in 20x30 in.) |
* | |
| Materials Reference Sheet1 | * | * | |
| Alternative Lesson Progression | * |
1 Spanish version available in the Digital Unit only.
Create a STEM mindset. Implement engineering with fidelity. Partner with EiE to create a culture of STEM and problem solving and you learn best practices for teaching STEM and share knowledge through Team Professional Days, EiE training courses and Teacher-in- Residence programs. Explore our professional development programs and start with STEM.
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