Description
What our Lab and Experiment Safety lesson plan includes
Lesson Objectives and Overview: Lab and Experiment Safety teaches students the basics about lab rules and ensuring safe practices during experiments. Students will learn what protocols are in place to keep people safe. They will also understand why it is important to protect themselves and others when conducting experiments. This lesson is for students in 5th grade and 6th grade.
Classroom Procedure
Every lesson plan provides you with a classroom procedure page that outlines a step-by-step guide to follow. You do not have to follow the guide exactly. The guide helps you organize the lesson and details when to hand out worksheets. It also lists information in the yellow box that you might find useful. You will find the lesson objectives, state standards, and number of class sessions the lesson should take to complete in this area. In addition, it describes the supplies you will need as well as what and how you need to prepare beforehand. This lesson requires video cameras or phones with cameras for the practice assignment.
Options for Lesson
This lesson contains several suggestions for additional activities or ideas in the “Options for Lesson” section of the classroom procedure page. One idea is to allow students to modify the safety contract or write their own safety contract using examples that they find online. In addition, you can print one large safety contract for students to sign as a class and post it on the classroom wall. Another option is to allow students to choose their own safety procedures, or you can assign them to each group. If you choose to assign them to the groups, cover all of the information in the content pages and then create a single video for students to watch as a class. One more idea is to invite a local firefighter to come and talk about fire safety in the lab.
Teacher Notes
The paragraph on this page provides a little extra information on what you can expect from the lesson. It reminds you that the goal is for students to be ready to participate in labs, equipped with safety protocols. You could also teach this lesson at the same time as or before a lesson photosynthesis. Use the lines to write out your thoughts as you prepare.
LAB AND EXPERIMENT SAFETY LESSON PLAN CONTENT PAGES
General Rules and Before You Start
The Lab and Experiment Safety lesson plan includes two pages of content. To start off, the lesson mentions how lots of people enjoy science because of the hands-on activities and experiments. While they can be a lot of fun, however, it is always important to remain safe. Each person should be responsible for the safety of both themselves and the people around them.
The lesson then lists a few sets of rules. Regarding general rules, students should never eat, drink, or taste anything in the lab. They should never work alone or take any materials or chemicals out of the room. Students should always follow their teacher’s instructions and ask questions if they don’t understand something. They should never enter or work in a supply area unless told to do so by the teacher. They should help others and warn them of unsafe things. Horseplay and goofing off are never allowed during lab activities. Finally, students should never run in the lab.
Before starting an experiment, there are other rules to consider. Students should read instructions carefully and make sure they have any necessary safety equipment. They should always wear safety goggles and never remove them during the experiment. They should remove loose clothing or jewelry and tie back long or loose hair. Students should also ensure they know where the emergency equipment is.
WHILE WORKING, AFTER FINISHING, AND FIRST AID
While conducting an experiment, students should recheck instructions. They should not handle equipment without permission and should handle living things or preserved specimens with respect. When using sharp objects, they should always cut away from themselves. When dissecting, they should cut using gentle, constant pressure. They should never stab anything.
Students should wear gloves when handling chemicals or preserved specimens. They should always carry microscopes and test tub racks with both hands. And they should never smell a chemical directly from the container. They should only waft their hand over it to smell when instructed.
After the experiment is over, students should clean and put away all the equipment. They should turn off and store the microscopes and properly dispose of any waste. They should also clean their work area and always wash their hands with soap and water.
There are more rules related specifically to first aid in case something happens in the lab.
- Report all accidents, injuries, or incorrect procedures at once.
- In case of severe bleeding, contact the teacher immediately.
- If any substance is spilled on you or gets into your eyes, wash with plenty of water and notify an adult.
- Minor burns should be immersed in cold water at once. For sever burns, seek medical attention immediately.
- In the case of fainting or collapse, give the person fresh air and recline them so their head is lower than their body.
LAB AND EXPERIMENT SAFETY LESSON PLAN WORKSHEETS
The Lab and Experiment Safety lesson plan includes three worksheets: an activity worksheet, a practice worksheet, and a homework assignment. Each one of these handouts will help students demonstrate their knowledge and will reinforce what they learned throughout the lesson. Use the guidelines on the classroom procedure page to determine when to give students each worksheet.
LAB SAFETY VIDEO PRACTICE WORKSHEET
For the practice, students will work in small groups. Each group will make a video about lab safety. The videos must include certain components. All the students in the group must be visible. They must choose three behaviors or actions to demonstrate. They will demonstrate both the correct and incorrect behavior or action. The incorrect action should also show the possible consequences. Finally, they must explain why people should behave or act correctly in the lab or during an experiment.
CARTOON MAYHEM HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT
The homework assignment requires students to look at a cartoon and figure out the answers to six prompts.
Worksheet Answer Keys
There is an answer key for the homework worksheet at the end of the document. It provides the correct answers in red to make it easy to compare it with students’ responses. If you choose to administer the lesson pages to your students via PDF, you will need to save a new file that omits these pages. Otherwise, you can simply print out the applicable pages and keep these as reference for yourself when grading assignments.
