Oil: A Messy LEVELED READER • L
Resource
A Reading A–Z Level L Leveled Reader Oil: A Messy
Resource
Word Count: 401
Written by
Ned Jensen
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Oil: A Messy
Photo Credits:
Front cover: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class
Michael B. Watkins; back cover: © Martin Smith/FLPA/Minden Pictures/National
Geographic Stock; page 1: © Ira Block/National Geographic Stock; page 4
(main): © [Link]; page 4 (left inset): © Brian Hagiwara/Brand X/Corbis;
page 4 (top right inset): © [Link]/Elnur Amikishiyev; page 4 (bottom
Resource
right inset): © [Link]/Yunus Arakon; page 5: © [Link]/
Andrew Penner; page 6: U.S. Department of the Interior, Minerals Management
Service/J. Martin © Learning A-Z; page 7: image provided by BP via USCG/
© 2009 Ken Childress Photography; pages 8, 9: courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard;
page 10: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Michael
B. Watkins; page 11: © REUTERS/Sean Gardner; page 12 (top): © John Gaps
III/AP Images; page 12b: (bottom): U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication
Specialist 2nd Class (AW/SW) Jonathen E. Davis; page 13: © REUTERS/Carlos
Barria; page 14: © REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch; page 15: © Alaska Stock Images/
National Geographic Stock
Written by Ned Jensen
Oil: A Messy Resource
Level L Leveled Reader Correlation
© Learning A–Z LEVEL L
Written by Ned Jensen
Fountas & Pinnell K
All rights reserved. Reading Recovery 18
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Table of Contents
Introduction....................................... 4
How We Get Oil................................ 6
Problems with Drilling .
Underwater........................................ 8
Other Sources of Oil Spills............. 12
Things
What People Think About . Made
Using
Oil Drilling....................................... 13 Oil
Conclusion....................................... 15 Introduction
Glossary............................................ 16 Oil is a very important resource.
We use oil for energy. We use it to
make gas for cars. We use it to heat
buildings. We even use it to make
plastic things and medicines.
Oil: A Messy Resource • Level L 3 4
1 The oil derrick 1 3 Pipes are used to
helps lift pipes that help bring oil to
go in the well. the surface. The
pipes keep the
oil from getting
in the water.
2 Oil is often
found under
layers of rock.
The rock keeps
the oil from ocean
rising to the surface
surface on
its own. oil well
ocean floor
This pump helps bring oil to the surface.
How We Get Oil
Oil comes from below the ground.
We use large drills to dig wells. The Oil is found in many places. Some
wells bring oil to the surface. Then of these places are below land, but
we can use the oil. others are below the ocean floor.
Oil: A Messy Resource • Level L 5 6
Deepwater Horizon oil rig on fire in April 2010
The Development Driller III rig in the Gulf of Mexico Problems with Drilling
Underwater
An oil rig is a machine that drills
for oil. Oil rigs drill deep into the Problems can happen when people
ground. Some special oil rigs can drill for oil. This floating oil rig
float on the ocean. They use pipes caught fire. Some people were
to bring the oil to the surface. killed, and others got hurt.
Oil: A Messy Resource • Level L 7 8
MISSISSIPPI ALABAMA
Mobile FLORIDA
Biloxi
Mobile
LOUISIANA New
Bay
Orleans Benton
Sound
Deepwater Horizon
Oil Spill
May 14, 2010
KEY Barataria
Booms Bay
Beached oil
Wildlife reserves
Deepwater Horizon GULF OF MEXICO 0 40 80 120 160
oil rig
Data courtesy of NOAA/NOS/OR&R Scale (in miles)
Officials look for signs of oil on shore.
Oil looks red floating on the ocean’s surface. When lots of oil leaks from a well, .
The oil rig burned and sank into the it makes an oil spill. Oil spills can
water. Oil from the well below the become very large. Oil spills cause
rig began to leak into the ocean. harm to people and other animals.
Oil: A Messy Resource • Level L 9 10
(Above) The Exxon Valdez tanker spill in 1989 was one of the worst
oil spills in U.S. history. (Below) A worker is covered in oil after
helping clean up part of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Other Sources of Oil Spills
Wells are not the only cause of oil
spills. Oil tankers are big ships that
carry oil across
oceans. If an oil
Pelicans would be in serious danger if oil got near their island home. tanker crashes or
When oil floats to the shore, it sinks, lots of oil can
covers everything. Sand and rocks get in the water. It
get covered. Birds and other animals can take years to
get covered. Oil makes a mess and clean up the mess
can kill many plants and animals. from a large oil spill.
Oil: A Messy Resource • Level L 11 12
People rally for the shore to be cleaned after the Deepwater
Horizon oil spill.
What People Think About
Oil Drilling Safety rules help keep oil workers and the environment safe.
Some people think we should not Other people think we should keep
drill for oil under oceans. Some drilling for oil under oceans. These
people think we should not ship oil people think we can find safe ways
in large tankers. They say it would to drill for oil and carry it on ships.
be easy for something to go wrong. They say that good rules help keep
They say that oil spills could happen. oil spills from happening.
Oil: A Messy Resource • Level L 13 14
Glossary
energy (n.) the power to do work,
make a change, or
move objects (p. 4)
leak (v.) to accidentally allow
liquid or gas to
escape (p. 9)
oil spill (n.) the accidental release
of oil into the
environment (p. 10)
resource (n.) a supply of something
Oil rig in the Cook Inlet in Alaska valuable or very
useful (p. 4)
Conclusion surface (n.) the outside or top
part of a thing; the
Everyone agrees that oil spills are
part of the ocean or
bad. But it’s also true that oil is an land that touches the
important resource. Do you think air above it (p. 5)
drilling for oil under the ocean is . wells (n.) deep holes that are
a good idea? Do you think we can dug into the ground
take a chance on another oil spill to get water, gas, or
happening? oil (p. 5)
Oil: A Messy Resource • Level L 15 16