Lesson Two – What Would You Do If…?

Extra Classroom Materials:

None

Grade(s):

K-4

Time:

10-30 min

Strategies Emphasized:

• Critical and Creative Thinking
• Consequences
• Speculating Inferring
• Synthesizing

Lesson Overview:

This lesson will help reinforce ideas behind electrical safety rules presented in the Electric Universe. The instructor may find it more effective to use after safety rules have been discussed in the classroom. Adjust the vocabulary and activities to grade appropriateness.

Whole Group Instruction:

[Say aloud] We’ve talked about what electricity is and what it means to be safe around electricity. Today I’d like you to listen to these questions and think about some good answers. You’ll like this discussion, because there are no “right” answers. All logical answers will be correct. Let’s try the first question: What would you do if……

1. …you were outside playing with friends and it started to cloud up and rain hard? (Accept logical answers that reinforce electrical safety tenets: Go inside; seek shelter; don’t wait under trees)

2. …you were home alone and the lights went off during a storm? (Look outside to see if other homes had lights; go look for flashlight)

3. …you saw a friend climbing in a tall tree whose limbs stretched up into power lines? (Caution friend to come down)

4. …you saw a friend flying a kite near some power lines? (Tell them to play somewhere else)

5. …your baby (brother/sister) wanted to stick a metal knife in a power outlet? (Take the knife away; tell adult to get some outlet covers)

6. …you were walking outside after a thunderstorm and saw a broken power line in your street/road? (Tell an adult; don’t go near)

Variations on the theme:

1. Teacher may vary the questions according to safety rules covered in class.

2. Older students may make up questions for classmates to answer.

Evaluation:

Student participation and ability to recall safety rules, even days after particular safety rule lessons.