FIRE & BURN PREVENTION
Grades 7-8

By Tara McClenney,
Forest Glen Middle School, Suffolk, VA

Objectives:

1. The student will create a three-dimensional home escape plan.

2. The student will identify two ways out of their house by building a three dimensional diagram.

3. The student will explain the importance of an outside meeting place in a home fire escape plan.

Preparation:

Duplicate the Student Information found on the back of the Risk Watch® Fire and Burn Prevention Icon Card.

Materials:

Procedures:

1. Each student should have one shoebox with a top, three or four pieces of construction paper, one pair of scissors, one marker, some tape or glue and a copy of the icon card for lesson two.

2. Show students the diagram that shows a floor plan of a house shown on the icon card for lesson two that you have copied from your Risk Watch manual.

3. On loose-leaf paper, have students draw a similar diagram of their own home or apartment. (You may wish to use the worksheet provided in the manual.)

4. Once the students have completed the written version, instruct them to create a three dimensional version inside their shoebox. They may use any of the materials provided.

5. Once they have completed their shoebox, have the students show two ways out of each room using their marker. This can be done as simply or detailed as the teacher wishes.

Activities:

Journal Idea: Have students write about personal experiences they may have had with a home fire. Where did it happen? What were the consequences? How did you feel? How could it have been prevented?

Wing Partners: Arrange for students to share their home escape plans with a younger age group. Have them explain the importance of the different parts of the plan. If time permits, partner older students with younger students and have them create a smaller version of their home escape plan showing only their bedrooms.

Community Link: Invite a member of the local fire department to visit the classroom and share fire safety information. You may also have the member of the local fire department to judge the shoebox creations.

Home Link: Have the students take their shoeboxes home to share and practice their plan with their family. Discuss in class how the students’ families reacted. How many had ever conducted a home escape plan before this?

Extensions: Have the students create a giant diagram of their school showing the escape routes. Although it would be beneficial at any time, a good time to do this would be during Fire Prevention Week.