Choking, Suffocation and Strangulation Prevention

Lesson Plan: "Don't Blame the Cow!"

Third/Fourth Grade

Understand the science of electricity.

"Don't Blame the Cow!" Lesson Plan and Support Materials

Objectives

Identify electricity as a tool.
Identify what is and is not run by electricity.

Preparation

Download and print the pictures provided.
Mount on cardboard.

Procedure

Discuss the following information with the students:

Don't Blame the Cow

"One dark night, when people were in bed,
Old Mrs. O'Leary lit a lantern in her shed:
The cow kicked it over, winked its eye, and said,
There'll be a hot time in the old town tonight.

Quoted in the Chicago Evening Post
Author anonymous

Traditionally, the Great Chicago Fire, which began on Oct. 8, 1871, has been blamed on a cow owned by Patrick and Catherine O'Leary. Legend has it that the cow kicked over a kerosene lamp, the lamp ignited nearby hay, and a fire occurred. Over 250 people died in this fire and nearly $200 million worth of damage occurred.

Whether Mrs. O'Leary's cow kicking over a lantern that caused the Great Chicago Fire is a true story or not, there are many, many ways that a fire can start. A common way fires start today is through the misuse of electricity.

It would be easy enough to blame Mrs. O'Leary's cow for starting the fire, but truth be known, people are often to be blamed for the fires.

If Mrs. O'Leary had moved the lantern from within kicking distance of the cow, or had the lantern not been so near flammable hay, a different story might be known today.

Toasters, lamps, coffee pots, and electric blankets often get the same treatment today that Mrs. O'Leary's cow received for "starting the fire."

Your mission today will be:

Review the ways electrical fires begin.
Complete the "Don't Blame the Cow!" Electrical Safety Hunt.
Write a friendly letter to parents / caregivers telling what you've found after completing the "Don't Blame the Cow!" Electrical Safety Hunt. Make suggestions of what could be changed.

Get more information on the Great Chicago Fire and NFPA's Fire Prevention Week.

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