Lesson Plan: Project Electric: A Presentation of Outdoor Electrical Safety Knowledge

Seventh/Eighth Grade

Identify outdoor electrical safety hazards.

"Project Electric: A Presentation of Outdoor Electrical Safety Knowledge" Lesson Plan and Support Materials

Objectives

1. Describe what to do if you found someone struck by lightning.
2. Describe what to do if you were in the car when an energized power line fell on it.

Preparation

1. Schedule a date and time with teachers in grades one and two for the seventh and eighth grade students to present their findings on outdoor electrical safety in an assembly for the first and second graders.
2. Provide the Electrical Information Guide.
3. Provide the Lightning Protection Institute's Web site for more information.
   http://www.lightning.org/awareness.htm

Procedure

1. Divide the class into groups of three to four students. Assign each group a different task.
2. The class will create a 20-minute presentation for students in first and second grade about outdoor electrical safety. This can be accomplished in a number of ways depending on the skills and interests of the students in the class.
   • Prepare a one-minute presentation or play on the basics of lightning.
   • Prepare a poster showing lightning safety tips.
   • Think of three ways to convince friends to come inside if thunder and lightning strike.
   • Create a radio commercial about outdoor electrical safety.

Extension: Make your own Lightning! Science Project

Check out "Make Your own Lightning" http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/projects/lightning.html to learn more about how electricity is created in a storm cloud. Someone could demonstrate this experiment at the first/second grade assembly.

It's time to look for a safer place to go during a storm, when flashes of lightning accompanied by thunder occur. According to the Lighting Protection Institute (LPI), it's easy to tell how far away a storm may be. The LPI suggests counting the seconds between when a flash of lighting is seen and when the thunder is heard. By dividing the number of seconds by five you can figure out how many miles away the storm is.

Try creating story problems with this formula to test the understanding of the concept. For example: Pretend you see a lightning flash and count 10 seconds. Divide the 10 seconds by five (10 divided by five = 2) The storm is two miles away.

Note: The storm is very close if you count 40 seconds or less. You should immediately follow the lightning safety rules.

<< return to main menu

Risk Watch, its logo, and icons are
copyrighted by NFPA. © 1998.
All rights reserved.