Title: Using our senses for fire safety
Teacher: Miss Wartman/Miss Guyer
Grade Level: 1st Grade
Overview: In this lesson students will learn how to use their senses of sight, hearing,
touch, and smell to become fire safe. We will read a short passage, fill out a chart, and
review concepts through a fill-in-the-blank exercise.
Connection to the Curriculum: Information literacy, language arts, and health.
Students have already worked in classroom on fire safety; learning stop, drop, and roll
and talking about exit strategies
Connection to the Standards:
Information Literacy
Standard 2- The student who is information literate evaluates information critically and
competently, Indicator 4- Selects information appropriate to the problem or
question at hand
Standard 3- The student who is information literate uses information accurately and
creatively, Indicator 2- Integrates new information into one’s own knowledge
Standard 9- The student who contributes positively to the learning community and to
society is information literate and participates effectively in groups to pursue and
generate information, Indicator 1- Shares knowledge and information with others
Language Arts
1.1.7- Create and state a series of rhyming words
1.2.7- Relate prior knowledge to what is read
Health
1.3.6- Demonstrate safety skills needed to avoid injury
1.7.1- Demonstrate the ability to express information and ideas about health
issues
Time: Approximately 25 to 30 minutes
Materials/Equipment required: computer with data projector, a flashcard with visual
for each of the four senses, Kidspiration chart, and Kidspiration fill-in-the-blank-sheet.
Objectives:
- Students will understand what the four senses of hearing, smell, sight, and touch
are
-
Students will understand that we can use our senses as another way to gather
information about the world
-
Students will demonstrate their ability to come up with rhyming words
-
Students will connect ways to use their senses for help if there was a fire
Procedures:
Welcome Message- You learned how to STOP, DROP, and ROLL last week. STOP
and DROP are words that rhyme. Can you think of any other words that rhyme with
STOP and DROP ?? (literacy link)
Chunk One- Students will be introduced to the four senses we will be talking about
today (smell, hearing, sight, and touch). I will ask for volunteers to tell me what they
are. If the students are struggling, I will use the flashcards as visual reminders. I will
point out that our senses can be another way to find information about the world (as
opposed to books, the Internet, a teacher, etc).
Chunk Two- I will model-read a short passage where the senses are integrated into fire
safety procedures (see attached). Students will brainstorm as a class different ways
that their senses can help with fire safety. Students will brainstorm for three to five
minutes.
Chunk Three- We will share our answers with the group. I (or teacher) will write
answers in appropriate box on Kidspiration chart (see attached). Chart will be printed
out for Miss Guyer at the end of the lesson.
Review/Conclusion- As a group we will complete Kidspiration fill-in-the-blank activity
(see attached).
Student Assessment- Students will work in a large group for this lesson. They will be
informally assessed based on their participation and the relevance of responses they
share with the group. Success will be determined by the students’ understanding of the
senses and how they relate to fire safety.
Extending the Lesson- A story about fire safety could be read in conjunction with this
lesson. The students could also follow this lesson with a visit to the fire station.
Additional Resourceshttp://www.sparky.org
http://www.firepreventionweek.org
http://www.usfa.fema.gov/kids/flash.shtml
http://www.firesafety.gov
Fire Safety, by Nancy Loewen
New York’s Bravest, by Mary Pope Osborne
Safety Around Fire, by Lucia Raatma
* Lesson adapted from Scholastic website, in a partnership with the NFPAhttp://content.scholastic.com/browse/lessonplay.jsp?id=428