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PAIREDREAD Speaking Her Mind

Expository Text

BY SANDY MCKAY

THE STORY OF THE EXXON VALDEZ

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STRATEGIES & SKILLS

A

Photography Credit: Anchorage Daily News/McClatchy-Tribune/Getty Images

**The total word count is based on words in the running text and headings only. Numerals and words in captions, labels, diagrams, charts, and sidebars are not included.

ComprehensionStrategy: RereadSkill: Author’s Point of View

Vocabulary StrategyParagraph Clues

Vocabularyalignment, calamity, eclipse, generated, inconvenience, periodic, prolonged, tenacity

Content StandardsScienceEarth and Space Science

Word Count: 2,622**



Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written consent of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., including, but not limited to, network storage or transmission, or broadcast for distance learning.

Send all inquiries to:McGraw-Hill EducationTwo Penn PlazaNew York, New York 10121

ISBN: 978-0-02-119264-9MHID: 0-02-119264-2

Printed in the United States.

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AGROUND!THE STORY OF THE EXXON VALDEZ

BY SANDY MCKAY

PAIREDREAD

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Chapter 1The Spill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Chapter 2The Cleanup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Chapter 3The Effects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Respond to Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Speaking Her Mind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Focus on Science. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Essential QuestionHow do people meet environmental challenges?



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INTRODUCTION

In August 1859, a railroad conductor named Edwin Drake drilled the first oil well in the United States near Titusville, Pennsylvania.

Imagine life without DVDs,

telephones, or even your sneakers.

Believe it or not, these and many

more objects we use all the time are

made from oil. Oil has become one of

the most sought-after substances on

our planet. It lies in rocks in Earth’s

crust and, in its natural state, is

known as crude oil or petroleum.

Oil has been used for thousands

of years. In ancient times, Native

Americans and people from the

Middle East and China used small

quantities that they found seeping up

from the ground as fuel for lamps, as

paints, and in medicines. Although

it was very useful, oil was difficult

to obtain.

All this changed when Americans first struck oil in

Pennsylvania in 1859. Once wells had been constructed to

extract oil, methods were found to refine it. Refining oil

increased its range of uses.

During refining, oil is boiled at various temperatures.

This process separates it into different substances called

fractions. One of these fractions is gasoline. Production of

gasoline made many things possible, including the invention

of the gas-powered car and other engine-driven machines.

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Most of the space in a tanker is taken up by stored oil.

Oil Tanker—Side ViewFuelTank

EngineRoom

Bridge OilTanks

DoubleHull

PumpRoom

Many products include refined petroleum as an

ingredient. Paints, plastics, and synthetic fabrics such

as nylon and polyester are just a few examples.

As new uses for the refined product were invented,

the demand for oil grew. So many countries now rely

on petroleum products to power their economies that

oil is sometimes described as “liquid gold.”

Crude oil is often found in remote locations. Keeping

up with demand means transporting large quantities

over large distances. Half of all the oil used in the

United States comes from other countries, and Alaska

also produces a significant amount.

The most effective way to transport oil is by ships

called tankers, but there are risks involved. There is a

real chance that a tanker could collide with another

tanker or run into a reef.



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The Exxon Valdez was constructed in 1986 and was the largest ship ever built on the west coast of the United States.

CHAPTER 1

THE SPILL

The Exxon Valdez was a supertanker, an enormous ship

that can carry millions of gallons of oil. The tanker carried

crude oil from Alaska to oil refineries on the west coast of

the United States. It was about 987 feet long and 166 feet

wide with a cargo capacity of 62 million gallons. Such a large

tanker could take more than 14 minutes to stop. On Thursday,

March 23, 1989, the Exxon Valdez was loaded with around

53 million gallons of oil. Just after 9:00 P.M., the ship left the

port at Valdez, Alaska, for California. But the trip didn’t go

according to plan.

Valdez

Bligh ReefALASKA

EXXON VALDEZ Route TO CALIFORNIA

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Two hours into the journey, the crew diverted the tanker

from its normal route to avoid icebergs. Without their

knowledge, though, the tanker began to veer off course

and into dangerous waters. The Exxon Valdez was heading

straight for Bligh Reef, a huge underwater rock wall in Prince

William Sound.

Four minutes after midnight on Friday, March 24, the reef’s

jagged boulders pierced the tanker’s hull. Oil immediately

began leaking into the sea.

The captain ordered the crew to move the tanker off

the reef. For more than 90 minutes, they struggled to move

forward. They tried using short bursts of power and sharp

turns of the rudder, but the tanker was stuck fast.

Finally, at 1:40 A.M., they turned off the engines. The crew

could only watch in dismay. Eight out of eleven cargo tanks

were punctured, and over the next six hours, about 11 million

gallons of oil oozed into the ocean and spread out across a

4-mile (6.4-kilometer) area.

More worrisome was the fact that there were millions

of gallons of oil still onboard. The prospect of a large-scale

disaster loomed.

Oil and Water Oil and water don’t mix. Crude oil floats because it

is lighter than water. It also clings together rather than

spreading out.

When oil spills into the ocean, it creates a slick.

Sunlight or bacteria can break down the oil over

time, but how quickly the oil breaks down depends

on many factors. For instance, oil breaks down more

slowly in very cold water.

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As soon as he realized that the tanker could not be

moved, Captain Hazelwood called the Coast Guard for

help. This set off a series of emergency phone calls to the

headquarters of Exxon, the tanker’s owners, and around

the world. An organized effort was needed to keep the spill

from spreading farther.

The people involved had to think quickly. They were

dealing with something new because never before had

there been an oil spill of this size. Within 30 minutes, the

tugboat Stalwart had been sent to the stranded tanker to

rescue the crew. The next response was to close the port at

Valdez to traffic.

The remote location of the tanker and the large volume

of oil would make the recovery effort difficult. It took the

Stalwart about two hours to reach the Exxon Valdez. The oil

was spreading fast, mainly south and west. Special rescue

equipment was urgently needed to contain the spill and get

rid of the oil.

Getting this equipment to the scene of the spill was

the top priority. But it would take a barge loaded with

equipment around 12 hours to get to Bligh Reef.

While the port was closed, other tankers had to wait in open water.

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Oil spill recovery equipment was also proving hard

to find. There was a mad scramble as workers tried

to locate booms and deep-water skimming gear in

warehouses and sheds in Valdez. Precious hours passed.

At daybreak on Sunday, the response team was still

frantically loading supplies onto boats.

News of the accident continued to spread, and

experts began to fly in from near and far. An emergency

communications center was set up in Valdez, and this

was followed a short time later by an operations center

in the city of Anchorage, Alaska. Marine biologists, other

scientists, and volunteers gathered at the centers to

offer their help.

Response Time“Rapid response is important. As the oil spreads

out, it becomes more viscous and hard to disperse

… An oil spill is like a house burning down. You’ve

got to be ready. You can’t just stand around trying

to figure it out … If you wait, you might as well not

bother at all. You have to think of it as a house on

fire. If you go into a house three days after the fire

starts to begin putting the fire out, you’re going to

be disappointed.”

—Dr. James Butler, National Academy of Sciences

7



7


By mid-afternoon on Sunday, the thick, greasy slick had

spread farther, and the scale of the disaster was becoming

clear. To make matters worse, a storm loomed, with winds

reaching about 70 miles (113 kilometers) an hour.

Some of the equipment couldn’t be used in storm

conditions. The storm could also spread the slick closer to

the shores of Prince William Sound. There would be major

damage to beaches and wildlife if the oil reached land.

The response team now included a range of oil spill

experts. They considered different methods to remove the

oil from the water. One of the first things they tried was

fire, which is usually the

fastest way to clean up

spills at sea.

A boom was placed

around the spill, and the

trapped oil was set on

fire. Some of the slick

burned off. However, the

boom had been set up

36 hours after the spill,

and much of the oil was

already beyond its reach.

CHAPTER 2

THE CLEANUP

Burning oil at sea creates a lot of dense smoke, but it is an efficient way to get rid of a slick—if the wind is not too strong, the waves are not too big, and the slick is thick enough.

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The team also tried using skimmers to scoop off the oil

within the boom. It was a slow process, and the weather

was now more than an inconvenience. It was badly

affecting cleanup efforts. The storm churned up the water,

causing oil to mix with seaweed and clog the skimmers.

At times, the weather was so bad that it prevented the

team from reaching the slick at all.

By late Sunday, the skimmers had scooped up just

12,500 gallons. More than 10 million gallons of oil had been

spilled, and the slick covered 100 square miles (161 square

kilometers). There had to be a better solution.

On Monday, airplanes flew over the area to spray

chemical dispersants on the slick in the hope of dissolving

the oil. The chemicals didn’t mix well with the oil, though.

It was another failure, and now it was too late. The spill had

reached the shore. Attention turned to protecting the land

and the animals.

Dispersants keep oil in the water, which reduces the risk to animals on shore. However, this method increases the threat to animals that live in the water.

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Cleanup Methods Eventually, oil that is in a slick will naturally turn into gas

and evaporate. The motion of water and wind can also

break up the slick. Unfortunately, these natural processes

take a long time, so a range of other methods was used to

help clean up the Exxon Valdez oil spill.

Absorbents: used like sponges to soak up oil, but more

effective on land

Boom: a floating barrier put around an oil slick to keep it

from spreading

Burning: one of the preferred methods for spills at sea

Dispersants: chemicals sprayed from low-flying aircraft

over a slick to break up oil into tiny droplets and force it

to sink; stops the oil from forming the sludgy mousse that

kills birds and shellfish

Fertilizers: placed on top of oil-eating bacteria, causing

them to multiply and thus dissolve the oil at a faster rate

Pumping: sucking skimmed oil into a waiting tanker

or floating storage unit; useful in helping to save

skimmed oil

Skimming: scooping oil from the surface of the water with

machines that work like huge vacuum cleaners; oil is then

pumped into large storage tanks

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The shaded area shows how far the oil slick traveled beyond Prince William Sound.

The Oil SpilLALASKA

Gulf of Alaska

Prince William Sound

As the storm swept through Prince William Sound, it

carried the oil before it. Thick, gooey oil coated the beaches

and was flung high into trees. The area had once been

a pristine wilderness, home to a range of birds, fish, and

mammals. Now it was a disaster zone.

In all, an estimated 11 million gallons of oil had spilled

from the Exxon Valdez. That’s about the same amount it

would take to fill 17 Olympic-size swimming pools.

Within a week, wind and ocean currents had shifted the

oil about 90 miles (145 kilometers). Scores of animals lay

dead on the slimy beaches. The creatures’ plight touched

the hearts of thousands of volunteers, who converged on

animal rescue centers to help.

Oil affected the wildlife in numerous ways. It was toxic

when swallowed. Floating oil also stuck to fur and feathers,

interfering with the animals’ natural protection and making

them vulnerable to the cold.

CHAPTER 3

THE EFFECTS

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Many oil-coated birds

and mammals froze to death.

Others starved when the slick

destroyed their sources of food,

or they died from swallowing

poisonous oil when they tried

to clean themselves.

Rescuers did all they

could to save the helpless animals. After finding and catching

birds, they bathed them in warm, soapy water. Soap is a

form of dispersant and helps dissolve oil. The rescuers used

toothbrushes to gently scrub the birds’ feathers and loosen the

oil. Then they rinsed off the soap and oil and released the birds.

Sea otters were also badly affected. Some were blinded by

the oil that coated their eyes. Others froze or died from internal

damage caused by swallowing the oil.

The volunteers washed the otters in soapy water and fed

them through tubes. It sometimes took several hours for the

determined workers to clean a single otter. The otter then had

to be kept safe until the threat had passed.

At the height of the cleanup, about 10,000 people were involved in rescue efforts.

The Toll The dedication of volunteers saved some birds, but

others didn’t survive the stress. Experts estimate that

about a quarter of a million seabirds were either directly

killed by the slick or died later from eating poisoned fish.

About 1,000 dead otters were found over the following

weeks and months. Many more would have died at sea and

not been found. It was estimated that more than 3,000

sea otters died—one out of every three otters that lived in

Prince William Sound.

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There was little that salmon farms like this one could do to avoid the spreading oil, but 20 years after the spill, the salmon industry is recovering.

The effects of the Exxon Valdez oil spill were dramatic

and prolonged for humans and animals alike.

Before the spill, Prince William Sound had a large

commercial fishing industry, which generated many jobs.

Afterward, local fishers could not sell fish hatched during

the spill because they weren’t safe to eat. Many fish farms

had to close, and stocks of fish remained low for many

years to come.

The small town of Cordova was one of the fishing

communities that suffered. More than 20 years after the

oil spill, most of the fish species have returned to the area,

but herring have not. Many herring fishers had to find

work elsewhere.

THE HUMAN IMPACT

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The community changed as people who had lost their

jobs moved away. Many people had still been following a

traditional lifestyle based around the natural resources of

the area, and fishing had been a big part of their way of life.

Suddenly that way of life was destroyed.

Local people were saddened and frightened by the

spill. The village of Tatitlek lies just a few miles from the

stranded tanker. After the spill, the villagers could smell

toxic oil fumes.

People were also angry. They blamed themselves for not

paying enough attention to the oil industry. They also felt

the size of the oil companies may have caused an eclipse of

the community’s power.

They decided to band together so that they would have

a stronger voice in the future. They set up a watchdog

group called the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’

Advisory Council. The council monitors tankers’ effects on

the environment.

The advisory council’s work includes making sure all citizens are aware of oil transport issues.

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The Exxon Valdez spill has been called the world’s most

studied oil spill. Oil from the damaged tanker fouled more

than 1,300 miles (2,100 kilometers) of coastline. Thousands of

creatures died, including fish, seabirds, and otters, despite the

tenacity of the hardworking rescuers.

After the spill, some scientists wanted to find ways

of reducing the impact on wildlife in future spills. Some

scientists tracked how wildlife and their habitats were

recovering in order to better understand the long-term

effects of the tragedy. More than 20 years after the spill,

scientists are still studying Prince William Sound.

This research has increased knowledge of the Prince

William Sound ecosystem. Findings from this research have

been applied to other environmental incidents. The hope is

that this knowledge will prevent past mistakes from being

repeated.

Scientists still argue about how well Prince William Sound

has recovered. Some say things are returning to normal.

Others say that some animals are not breeding in the same

numbers as before the spill. Periodic monitoring of species is

likely to continue for many years.

Prince William Sound now appears to be back to its pre-spill state, with many fish species recovering, but some species like harbor seals and herrings are still struggling.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT



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CONCLUSION

It took 14 hours for the boom to arrive at the Exxon Valdez spill site; now it’s much closer to hand.

The Exxon Valdez oil spill was a calamity. Although

Exxon spent $2 billion trying to undo the damage, it has

taken decades for Prince William Sound to recover, and

some scientists say it has still not fully recovered.

Thankfully, many lessons have been learned.

Supertanker hulls have been strengthened, and new tankers

are built with double-layered hulls.

The United States Coast Guard now uses a satellite to

monitor full tankers as they pass through the sound.

Trained sea pilots board tankers from a new station at Bligh

Reef and steer each ship for 25 miles (40 kilometers).

Rescue-equipment technology has also improved.

Modern skimmers can remove ten times more oil from the

water than those used in 1989. There are now 40 miles

(64 kilometers) of boom available in Prince William Sound.

That’s seven times the amount the response team could

locate at the time of the spill. Other equipment is

stockpiled ready for use.



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Prince William Sound is a spectacular area with breathtaking wilderness framed by towering mountains and dramatic glaciers, and it remains one of the world’s most visited outdoor recreation sites.

There is also more awareness of what can go wrong

when large amounts of oil are being transported over big

distances.

Planning for oil spills has become a part of Coast Guard

training. The Coast Guard organizes oil spill response drills,

just like school fire drills. Everyone realizes that all the

parties involved need to be in alignment: the Coast Guard,

community groups, public officials, and others.

Of course, none of these measures can completely

remove the risks involved with transporting oil. As long as

the world relies on oil-based products, “liquid gold” will

need to be moved around the globe.

The people of Prince William Sound know firsthand

the tragic effects of these risks, and they are determined

that a disaster like the Exxon Valdez oil spill will never

happen again.

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Summarize

Use details from Aground! to

summarize what you learned

about the challenges of oil spills.

Your graphic organizer may

help you.

Text Evidence

1. What features tell you that Aground! is an expository

text? GENRE

2. What is the author’s point of view toward the

volunteers in Chapter 3? Describe at least two details

that show this. AUTHOR’S POINT OF VIEW

3. What does estimate on page 12 mean? Use clues

in the surrounding sentences to help you.

PARAGRAPH CLUES

4. What is the author’s point of view toward how

prepared we are to deal with oil spills in the

future? Use examples from the text to support your

explanation of the author’s point of view.

WRITE ABOUT READING

Author’sPoint of

ViewDetails

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Speaking Her MindWhen Severn Cullis-Suzuki was just 12 years old, she

stood in front of the United Nations and spoke her mind.

Severn was passionate about conservation and nature.

When she was nine, Severn worked with some school

friends in Vancouver to found the Environmental Children’s

Organization (ECO), a group that taught children about

environmental issues. But Severn also wanted the group

to let the adults who were making decisions about those

issues know how children felt.

Severn and three of her friends

from ECO decided to take their

message to the United Nations

Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro,

Brazil, in 1992. They baked cakes

and sold jewelry to pay for the trip.

Severn’s speech was a plea

from the heart. She received a

standing ovation at the summit

and worldwide attention

afterward. Here is an excerpt

from her speech.

Compare Texts Read a speech that called on world leaders to meet environmental challenges.

Severn Cullis-Suzuki delivered her speech to a large audience at the United Nations Earth Summit.



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Hello, I’m Severn Suzuki speaking for ECO—

the Environmental Children’s Organization. We

are a group of 12- and 13-year-olds trying to make

a difference. Coming up here today, I have no hidden

agenda. I am fighting for my future. I am here to

speak for all generations to come. I am here to

speak on behalf of the starving children around

the world whose cries go unheard. I am here to

speak for the countless animals dying across this

planet because they have nowhere left to go.

I am afraid to go out in the sun now because of

the holes in our ozone. I am afraid to breathe the

air because I don’t know what chemicals are in it.

I used to go fishing in Vancouver—my

home—with my dad until just a few years ago we

found the fish full of cancers. And now we hear

of animals and plants going extinct every day—

vanishing forever …I’m only a child, and I don’t have all the

solutions. I want you to realize neither do you! You

don’t know how to fix the holes in our ozone layer.

You don’t know how to bring the salmon back up a

dead stream.

Severn Cullis-SuzukiAddress to the Plenary Session, Earth Summit, Rio Centro, Brazil, 1992



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And you can’t bring back the forest that

once grew where there is now a desert.

If you don’t know how to fix it, please stop

breaking it! ...At school, even in kindergarten, you teach

us to behave in the world. You teach us:

• to respect others• to clean up our mess• not to hurt other creatures

• to share—not be greedy.

Then why do you go out and do the things

you tell us not to do? ... You grownups say you

love us, but I challenge you, please, make your

actions reflect your words. Thank you.

Make ConnectionsWhat did Severn Cullis-Suzuki and her friends ask people at the Earth Summit to do to meet the environmental challenges she listed? ESSENTIAL QUESTION

What connections can you make between Severn’s speech and the events that led to the Exxon Valdez disaster? TEXT TO TEXT



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Glossarybooms (bewms) temporary floating barriers (page 7)

Coast Guard (kohst gahrd) a branch of the United States armed forces that protects the nation’s coastline (page 6)

converged (kuhn-VUHRJD) came together (page 11)

disperse (di-SPUHRS) cause to spread widely (page 7)

diverted (duh-VUHR-tid) changed from one direction or use to a different direction or use (page 5)

Earth Summit (uhrth SUH-muht) a meeting of the United Nations to discuss environmental issues (page 19)

ecosystem (EE-koh-sis-tuhm) an interconnected community of living things and their environment (page 15)

hull (huhl) the outer shell of a ship (page 5)

rudder (RUH-duhr) a flat, movable piece of wood or metal at the back of a ship that is used for steering (page 5)

slick (slik) a film of oil floating on water (page 5)

stockpiled (STAHK-pighld) held in reserve for a later time (page 16)

synthetic (sin-THE-tik) made with chemicals in a laboratory rather than with substances found in nature (page 3)

United Nations (yoo-NIGH-tuhd NAY-shuhns) an organization of countries that works to promote peace, security, and cooperation (page 19)

viscous (VIS-kuhs) thick and sticky (page 7)

watchdog group (WAHCH-dawg grewp) a group set up to keep a close watch on an organization or issue (page 14)



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IndexAlaska, 4, 7, 11

Anchorage, 7

Cullis-Suzuki, Severn, 19–21

Exxon oil company, 6, 16

Exxon Valdez oil spill,

– environmental impact, 15

– human impact, 13–14

– lessons learned, 16–17

Hazelwood, Captain, 6

oil spill cleanup methods, 10

Prince William Sound, 5, 8, 11, 12, 13, 15–17

Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council, 14

Stalwart, 6

Tatitlek, 14

United Nations, 19

23




Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 1

Purpose To understand the properties of oil and water

Procedure

You will need a screw-top jar, water, cooking oil, a feather or

strip of fluffy fabric, and 1 or 2 drops of dish-washing liquid.

Half-fill the jar with plain water. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of

oil. Observe how the oil floats on the water.

Screw the lid on the jar and then shake it vigorously. Put

the jar down and observe it for several minutes.

Remove the lid and dip a feather or fluffy fabric into the

oil and water. Remove the feather or fabric and observe

the liquid in the jar and on the feather or fabric.

Add 1–2 drops of the dish-washing liquid to the jar, screw

the lid on, and shake it well. Observe what happens.

Conclusion What did you notice in each of the steps? How has

this helped you understand what happens when oil spills into

the ocean or other body of water?

24




Literature Circles

Nonfiction

The TopicWhat is Aground! mostly about?

Text Structure How does the author of Aground! organize information?

How does this help you understand how the disaster progressed?

Conclusions What is the most important thing you learned in the story of the Exxon Valdez disaster?

What conclusion can you draw about the impact of human activities on the environment?

Author’s PurposeWhy do you think the author wrote about the Exxon Valdez disaster?

Make Connections Have you ever heard of an environmental accident or disaster near where you live?

If so, how did people respond to the emergency?



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Grade 6 • Unit 4 Week 1

GR Y • Benchmark 70 • Lexile TK

Changing Environments Science



9 780021 192649

MHID 0-02-119264-2ISBN-13 978-0-02-119264-9

99701

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