Kiwanis
A partnership between Kiwanis of Gainesville and the City of Gainesville
Lesson Title: "Where There's Smoke, There's Fire"!
Level: K - 3
Objectives: After completing this lesson, children will have the knowledge and skill to:
1. Identify the main parts and important functions of a smoke alarm.
2. Recognize the need for smoke detectors in every home.
3. Identify where smoke detectors should be located, and why.
Time Frame: 20 - 30 minutes
Materials:
Smoke detector, alarm clock, batteries, helium-filled balloon, candle, matches lighter.
Video(s):
"Be Cool About Fire Safety"
Activity(s):
1) Children will activate a smoke alarm by pressing the test button.
2) Activate a smoke alarm with a candle to show how a smoke detector really works. This would also demonstrate an extremely important principle about smoke - it rises.) This is an important concept in other Fire Safety lessons, and helps provide connectivity for children from lesson to lesson. You could also use a helium balloon to demonstrate.
3) Children will place pictures of smoke detectors on a home cutaway felt board to demonstrate they know where smoke detectors should be placed for safety.
Assessment(s):
Children will receive a pre-quiz to determine knowledge about the safety aspects of smoke detectors, administered by the classroom teacher. A post-quiz will be given at the conclusion of this lesson, consisting of the same material, only re-arranged. Other skills/activities will be assessed by the instructor via children's participation, cooperation and willingness.
Background Info:
Fire can happen anytime, and almost anywhere. Many start out of sight, in remote corners of the floor or wall, at home or at school, on the top of a stove or in a closet. Regardless of how they start, smoke is usually the first sign of danger. Fire may smolder for minutes or even hours before bursting into flame. A correctly positioned, functioning smoke detector can alert those nearby of danger in time for them to escape, before the fire and smoke can injure or kill them.
Critical to the success of smoke detectors: 1) Batteries are in good condition; 2) Placed correctly over escape routes, in bedrooms, kitchens, stairways, etc.; 3) Children know what to do when they hear the alarm go off.
Pre-Teaching:
Teachers will also have the opportunity to introduce the subject matter using the Risk Watch curriculum, lessons plans and video provided by Gainesville Fire Rescue.
Lesson Introduction:
Ask children what sounds they know that they can relate to something specific. Examples: Ice cream truck music, church bells, an alarm clock, sirens, school bells, cars honking their horns or screeching their tires, a computer beeping at them, someone calling their name, etc. We recognize certain sounds, and those sounds mean something to us. In fact, the sound is telling us something about what's going on around us. It's important to pay attention to certain sounds. Smoke detectors make a certain sound to alert the members of the house that there is smoke and potential danger. But they don't protect if they can't operate. Smoke detectors need batteries, even if they are wired into the house electrical current (as backup). These batteries should be changed regularly, and never removed for any reason. Smoke detectors need to be placed correctly so the maximum amount of time is available for escape. The purpose of this lesson is to introduce the smoke detector, how it works and how it can be the #1 home security device in case of a deadly fire.
Key Concept 1: The Smoke Detector Alarm Warning
Key Idea:
A smoke detector alarm is nothing to be afraid of, and needs to be recognized immediately so children can get out of the building as quickly as possible.
Key Questions:
How many of you know what this is? (Children should immediately recognize an alarm clock). What do we use it for? What does it help us do? (Activate the clock alarm. Kids should answer to WAKE US UP). OK, how many of you know what this is? (Relatively few children should know what a smoke detector looks like). What is this supposed to do? How many of you know what this SOUND is? (Activate the detector). What does that sound mean? (Pick a child who had given the right answer and emphasize what it means). When you hear this sound, it means there is FIRE DANGER and they need to get to a safe place. So if you were in your house, or a friend's house, what would you do? (Responses should include get outside quickly, a stay a safe distance away). Would you be afraid of the sound and hide in the house? (NO!) Would you go and try to find the reason the alarm went off? (NO!). Would you wait until you smelled the smoke yourself? (NO!). Once safely out of the house, would you EVER go back inside? (NO!). If your home doesn't have smoke detectors, what would you tell your Mom or Dad? (To get them as soon as they can!)
Concept Review:
What's making this sound? (Activate the detector). What made the alarm go off? What should you do as fast as you can?
Key Concept 2: The Smoke Detector - Main Parts and Functions
Key Idea:
Smoke detectors have important parts that need to function to alert us to fire danger.
Key Questions:
How can a smoke detector smell smoke? How do YOU smell smoke? You use your NOSE. Just like your nose, smoke detectors have an electronic nose that is so sensitive it can sniff out even tiny amounts of smoke in the air, much better than you or even adults can. And what does it do when it smells smoke? (Activate the detector again.) It GOES OFF so you KNOW there is smoke in the air. What do you think would happen if a fire started in your house, and you DIDN'T HAVE a smoke detector? Do you think you would smell the smoke in time to get out safely? (Response should be NO, they would not smell the smoke in time.) Now, what other parts of a smoke detector are needed for it to work? What does the smoke detector use for power? What is its source of energy? What helps keep you alive and active? (Seek an answer like HEART or BRAIN). Without a HEART or BRAIN, we couldn't survive very well, if at all. Smoke detectors have BATTERIES that are like our HEARTS and BRAINS. (Have several BATTERIES in hand to show them). What do you think would happen if we took the batteries OUT? Would the smoke detector help warn us of DANGER? (Emphasize the importance of changing batteries and keeping fresh batteries in the smoke detector so it always has plenty of ENERGY). Now, what do you use to make sounds, and talk to your friends and family? (Children should name their MOUTH as one answer). Does a smoke detector have a MOUTH? Yes, it does, so you can hear the sound it makes when it smells smoke. (Activate the smoke detector again). It's telling you to GET OUT FAST! But did you know that a smoke detector makes ANOTHER kind of sound too? This sound doesn't happen when it smells smoke, it happens when the BATTERIES get low on energy, and need to be replaced. (Have a smoke detector with a low battery so they can hear the chirping). What should you do when you hear the smoke detectors in your house making this kind of noise? (Children respond the batteries need to be replaced). You can always TEST your smoke detector to make sure it is working properly. How do you think we can do it? What have I been doing to make it go off? (Response should be to press the TEST button). So, now you know that anytime you want to check if the smoke detector is working, all you have to do is press this button, and the alarm should sound. (Activate alarm once more).
Concept Review:
How does a smoke detector find smoke? What gives a smoke detector its energy? What happens if the batteries get low? How can you tell if the smoke detector is working like it should?
Key Concept 3: Placement of Smoke Detectors
Key Idea:
Smoke detectors work best when placed correctly in your house.
Key Questions:
Now, what can YOU do to help your smoke detector smell smoke in your house? Have you ever been walking down the street and walked passed a Sonny's Barbecue or a Kentucky Fried Chicken? Did you smell anything? If you wanted to smell what's cooking for dinner, what room would you go to? (Children should respond with KITCHEN). Well, if you wanted to smell smoke that might start in the kitchen, where would you put the smoke alarm? (Children should respond with KITCHEN). Doesn't it make sense to put the smoke detector where you want it to smell for smoke? (YES!). Should we put it JUST ANYWHERE in the kitchen? Would you put it on the FLOOR? (Children should respond with NO). Since most of the smoke rises to the top of the room, would you be able to smell smoke as quickly down near the floor, or lying in your bed? (NO!). What would happen if you didn't have a smoke detector in the house? Now, where should you put smoke detectors in your house if you want them to smell smoke quickly? (Near the CEILING, a safe distance from things that might set it off accidentally). Where else would you want to be if your job was to smell smoke and alert your friends of danger? (Responses should include stairways, bedrooms, hallways to exits, etc.)
Activity: "Hot Air and Smoke Rises"
Activity: "Smoke Detector Placement"
Concept Review:
What do we know about smoke that can help us put smoke alarms in the right places? What sort of places do we need to have smoke detectors so they can protect us?
Lesson Summary:
Smoke detectors are important safety tools that everyone should have in the home to alert them of smoke and fire danger. Since smoke is usually the first sign of fire, smoke detectors should be installed correctly, be tested periodically, and have their batteries changed regularly. Children need to be familiar with the alarm sound, and know what to do when they hear it. They should also be familiar with the low battery alert, so they can let a parent know it's time to change the batteries. This lesson is intended to link with most of the other Fire Safety lessons - Stop, Drop and Roll, Home Fire Escape Plan, and Matches & Lighters: Tools, Not Toys. It can also preview Electric Safety lessons as well (electric cords, electric stoves, wall outlets are all potential sources of electrical fire).
Follow-Up Activities:
1) Ask children where THEY would put smoke detectors in their home, using a home cutaway felt board
2) Activate the smoke alarm and practice having the children quickly and safely leave the classroom to the outside.
Evaluations/Assessments:
1) Concluding the lesson, children will be asked to complete a short "Picture Quiz". Each child will circle the picture showing the correct placement of smoke alarms, match pictures of smoke alarm parts and the human functions they represent, and the correct behavior of children responding to a smoke alarm.
2) Approximately 2 - 4 weeks after they attend Safety City, teachers will be asked to "test" the children once again, to achieve some measure of retention. There will be instructions in the Teacher Packets on how to best re-visit the topic. Some options include: re-take of the Picture Quiz, giving the quiz verbally and recording average scores on a checklist, or having a mock smoke alarm drill to observe critical behavior. The teacher will be advised to review the material with the class before they administer the re-evaluation. The results will be sent to GFR as feedback and inclusion in reporting and statistical analysis.
Take-Aways:
1) For CHILDREN; an extensive goody bag containing coloring/activity/story books pertaining to the lesson, personalized Certificate of Achievement, healthy snacks, safety poster, "Be Cool" sunglasses, t-shirt, other related safety material FOR PARENTS TO READ, Safety City information and upcoming safety events or fun contests to enter. A GROUP PICTURE will be taken before the end of class.
2) For TEACHERS; topic-related review material for post-lesson assessment & mail-back, personalized Certificate of Achievement, Safety City schedule of events, follow-up activities/information, other safety-related material and a Letter to the Principal (explaining Safety City goals, objectives, accomplishments, background and invitation to join the supporting cast).
Attention Teacher:
There are many ways to prepare children for their educational experience at Safety City. Prior to the scheduled class, information about each lesson will be sent to the school in order for them to introduce the subject matter, familiarize children with Safety City, and briefly discuss the roles, responsibilities and ground rules for an enjoyable, "hands-on" learning experience.
For More Information:
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"Where There's Smoke There's Fire"