One of our goals with Bridging the Gaps in Education is to provide teachers and parents with educational ideas. After discussing this goal, we decided to try something new this week. We know you’re incredibly busy – why not let us help you plan some lessons – not for this week, but for next month? This way, you have time to develop the ideas and add your unique touches and improvements to them.
With this idea in mind, let’s get planning! October 4 – 10 is Fire Prevention Week. This is a great time to teach younger children about firefighters and all that they do for the community. It’s also an opportunity to present fire safety units to students of all ages. You might consider planning a field trip to your local fire station; or you could invite a local firefighter to speak to your class. Practice your home or school fire escape plans and encourage everyone to learn fire safety and prevention information. Top the week off with a surprise fire drill to reinforce what you’ve learned. Here is a simple fire safety activity to help you get started.
Why not try making the month of October Safety Month? Being relatively early in the school year, it’s a great time to establish classroom practices and rules – and it never hurts to make your space safer!
The concept of safety is pretty enormous, so here are a few ideas for units or lessons.
Work with your students to improve the safety of your classroom or home. First, ask students to identify potential risks in the environment – these could be sharp edges on desks or chairs, scissor storage, or slippery surfaces, to name a few. If there are valid risks, discuss ways to correct or improve them. Help students craft safety plans and enact them. Develop a classroom- or home-specific list of rules and precautions for the entire year.
Discuss safety outside the classroom. The world can be a dangerous place, and you can teach children to be better prepared. Possible topics include: traffic safety and laws, drug awareness, community threats (strangers, crime, etc.), and much more. Pick topics that apply to your grade level and region.
Teach about weather safety and natural disasters. Students are often fascinated by natural phenomena like thunderstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes, and earthquakes; and these topics naturally lead into science vocabulary, experiments, and activities. If you live in a region that is at risk of particular dangers, develop and practice safety procedures. Have students create and decorate safety lists to display in the classroom. A wealth of material is available for the planning and implementation of units/lessons like these. Click here for some products that focus on weather and natural disasters.
These ideas, along with your own expertise and planning, can turn October into Safety Month. These are only starter ideas; put your own spin on safety for a month filled with practical learning that can be applied in and out of the classroom. Have some ideas on teaching safety? Put them in the comments section below and share them with others!
No comments:
Post a Comment