Designing a Fire Safe Home: K.C.1 Using the Engineering Design Process to Think about Fire Safety in the Home

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Designing a Fire Safe Home: K.C.1 Using the Engineering Design Process to Think about Fire Safety in the Home"

Dominic Dorsey
5 years ago
Views:

1 Designing a Fire Safe Home: K.C.1 Using the Engineering Design Process to Think about Fire Safety in the Home Grade Level Sessions Seasonality Instructional Mode(s) Team Size WPS Benchmarks MA Frameworks Key Words K 3 20,45,30 minutes October fire safety month; October 5-11 fire prevention week Whole class (Students complete individual worksheets) N/A 0K.SC.IS.02 0K.SC.IS.05 0K.SC.IS.06 0K.SC.PS.02 0K.SC.TE.02 K-2.TE.1.1 K-2.TE.2.1 Fire safety, Fire extinguisher, Exit, Alarm, Stove, Matches, Candle, Lighter, Ladder, Telephone, Space heater Summary This lesson involves introducing students to important fire safety tips and tools. To begin, the instructor will show and discuss a variety of objects that help prevent fires as well as objects that may cause fires. Students will be given a worksheet containing pictures of all of the objects the instructor introduced. Students will also be given a drawing of a house. Using these worksheets each student will design a fire safe house by selecting which objects should be included and where these objects should be located. Once the designs are completed all of the safe houses will be compiled to make one Big Book of Home Fire Safety that will be shared with the class. Learning Objectives 2002 Worcester Public Schools (WPS) Benchmarks for Grade K 0K.SC.IS.02: Tell about why and what would happen if? 0K.SC.IS.05: Record observations and data with pictures, numbers, or written statements. 0K.SC.IS.06: Discuss observations with others

2 0K.SC.PS.02: Manipulate, observe, compare, describe, and group objects found in the classroom, on the playground, and at home. 0K.SC.TE.02: Identify tools and simple machines used for a specific purpose, e.g., ramp, wheel, pulley, lever Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum Framework K-2.TE.1.1: Identify and describe characteristics of natural materials (e.g., wood, cotton, fur, wool) and human-made materials (e.g., plastic, Styrofoam). K-2.TE.2.1: Identify tools and simple machines used for a specific purpose, e.g., ramp, wheel, pulley, lever. Additional Learning Objectives None Required Background Knowledge 1. Fire prevention and safety in the home. Essential Questions 1. How can each of us help to prevent fires? 2. Which tools can help keep us safe from fires in the home? 3. Where should I go if there is a fire in my home? Introduction / Motivation Consider using this lesson in parallel with other fire prevention and safety lessons in October. Encourage students to really think of what they would do if there were a fire in their homes, and to search for fire safety tools in their homes. Discuss different scenarios with students, such as: Where would you go to meet up with your family if there were a fire?; Do you have a plan of how to exit if there is a fire at home (fire drills)?; Do you know what to do if there is a fire in the school? Encourage students to discuss these issues with their parents. Use the engineering design process to discuss the problem, brainstorm possible solutions, evaluate strengths and weaknesses of the chosen solution, discuss plans with the rest of the class and/or parents, and redesign plans to address possible weaknesses

3 Procedure Part I- 20 minutes The instructor will: Partnerships Implementing Engineering Education 1. Explain the importance of practicing fire safety in the home, school, and other environments (4 minutes). 2. Introduce a variety of objects that can be used to help prevent fires and provide safety if a fire does occur (i.e. smoke alarm, fire extinguisher, exit sign, ladder, and phone to call for help). Show students pictures of each object and discuss where these objects can be found (in homes, in schools, etc.) and how they are used (8 minutes). 3. Introduce a variety of objects that are unsafe to be near during a fire and may cause fires (i.e. stove, candle, space heater, matches, lighter). Show students pictures of each object and discuss the importance of avoiding such objects unless supervised by an adult (8 minutes). Part II- 45 minutes The instructor will: 1. Give each student a drawing of a cross-section of an empty house and a worksheet full of pictures of the objects discussed in part I (5 minutes). 2. Instruct students to think about the objects and decide which ones should go in the house and where they should go to make a fire safe home. Have students cut out the objects they want and paste them into the empty house drawing (20 minutes). 3. Encourage students to draw in other objects, people, and pets. Make sure students put their names on their safe home designs (15 minutes). 4. Have students share their safe home designs with other students, parents, and teachers. Encourage students (or provide class time, perhaps on a separate day) to redesign their house plans by adding, replacing, or removing objects to make the house more safe (5 minutes in class to encourage students to complete these activities at home). Part III- 30 minutes The instructor will: - 3 -

4 1. Collect the safe home designs from all students and put them together into one Big Book of Home Fire Safety. 2. As a class, look through the book, highlighting the correct safety precautions addressed in each design. Materials List Materials per class Amount Location Glue ten Craft store, grocery store, department store Safety scissors Ten Craft store, grocery store, department store Crayons Five boxes Craft store, grocery store, department store Materials per student Amount Location Empty house drawing Worksheet of fire safe and unsafe objects = # of students in class = # of students in class Attached to lesson Attached to lesson Vocabulary with Definitions 1. Fire Safety To prevent accidents and injuries and reduce risks associated with fire. 2. Fire Extinguisher A tool used to put out a fire. 3. Exit A passageway or way out. 4. Alarm A warning of existing or approaching danger. Assessment / Evaluation of Students The instructor may assess the students in any/all of the following manners: 1. Review and discuss initial designs with student. Ask why the student included each object in their house and why they placed the objects in each location. 2. Return to students after redesigning to ask whether or not they really thought about the pros and cons of their design. Lesson Extensions The instructor may want to incorporate a field trip into this lesson. Potential field trip options include: a class trip to a local fire station; a class exploration of the school - 4 -

5 during which students search for all fire alarms, sprinklers, and exit signs; (for Worcester public schools) a class trip to Worcester Polytechnic Institute s fire science laboratory. Attachments 1. Empty house cross-section 2. Worksheet with pictures of objects to be cut out Troubleshooting Tips None Safety Issues None Additional Resources Worcester Polytechnic Institute s Fire Safety Laboratory: USFA Kids: Sparky the Fire Dog (not Sparky s Engineer puppy dog): Key Words Fire safety, Fire extinguisher, Exit, Alarm, Matches, Lighter, Ladder, Space heater, Telephone, Stove, Candle -5-

6 Empty house cross-section

7 Worksheet with pictures of objects to be cut out

2 nd Grade Lesson Plan: Plant Life Cycle

2 nd Grade Lesson Plan: Plant Life Cycle Objective: Teach students about the different steps of the plant life cycle: seed, germination (sprout), seedling, and growth into an adult plant. Materials: Sandwich