Teaching fire safety in the upper elementary grades is all about learning how to make good choices. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has some great resources that help you teach your grade 3-5 students how to make those good choices. These resources will help students learn how to be aware of their surroundings and understand the seriousness of fire safety.
Here are five resources from the NFPA that you can use in your classroom to teach about fire safety during Fire Prevention Week (Oct. 9-15) and beyond.
Teach your students about creating a home safety fire plan.
Use NFPA’s Home Safety Action Plan to encourage your students to practice fire safety at home with their families. The Home Safety Action Plan gives students two actions to complete, as well as helpful reminders for fire safety. Go over the Home Safety Action Plan with your students and use this Kahoot! to test their knowledge! Then have them take it home to their families. They can use the action plan checklist to make sure their smoke alarms are ready to go and equipped with new batteries. They can also use the action plan to develop a home fire escape plan with their families.
Create a fire safety anchor chart.
You can download and print this easy-to-assembly fire safety anchor chart to complete with your students. The anchor chart shows your students the steps they need to take to practice fire safety at home. Making the anchor chart with your students gives you the opportunity to talk with your students about the importance of making a plan, knowing where the exits are in their homes, and how they can involve their families in talking about fire safety. Here’s a helpful video for how to assemble it.
Learn about the science of fire.
Do your students know that fire needs three things in order to burn? Grade 3-5 students are ready to dig into the science behind fire. Show them this video. They’ll learn about what fire is, the fire triangle, and how you can stay safe.
Use NFPA’s lesson plans to teach the history of fire.
NFPA has some great lesson plans to teach your students about fire safety by talking about past events, like the Chicago Fire of 1871 and firefighting’s “weird” history. These lesson plans give you everything you need to execute a great lesson, get your students engaged, and most importantly, communicate the importance of fire safety.
Make an origami Sparky the Fire Dog.
This one will probably be your students’ favorite. Follow the simple instructions for making an origami Sparky. Extend this activity by having your students write a short summary about the importance of fire safety. Display their origami Sparky dogs and writing pieces on a bulletin board when they’re finished.
