Lesson: Facing Fire Facts

Subjects

Mathematics
--Applied Math
--Statistics
Health
--Safety

Grade

3-5
6-8

Brief Description

Students read the graphs and charts on a Fire Facts worksheet and answer questions about the information they find.

Objectives

Students will

read the graphs and charts on a Fire Facts worksheet;
answer questions about the information they find.

Keywords

fire safety, fire prevention, smoke detectors,

Materials Needed

Internet access
the Fire Facts worksheet, online or in print format (provided)

Lesson Plan

Provide each student with a printed copy of the Fire Facts worksheet or help students access the document online. Use the following questions and others to check students' comprehension of the four graphs/charts on the fact sheet. (Answers are shown in parentheses.)

How many fires in the home are caused each year by cooking? (101,000)
How often does a fire department somewhere in the United States respond to a fire? (every 22 seconds)
Who is more at risk of dying in a home fire -- children younger than 5 years old or adults age 65 and older? (young children)
What is the leading cause of home fire deaths? (smoking)
How many people died in home fire deaths in the United States in 1995? (3,640)
In 1977, what percentage of homes had smoke detectors in them? (22 percent)
In 1995, what percent of homes had smoke detectors in them? (93 percent)

Think About It!

How many more home fire deaths happened in 1977 than happened in 1995? (2,225)
Why has the number of home fires decreased from almost 6,000 in 1977 to less than 4,000 in 1995? (Accept reasoned responses, e.g., because the number of smoke detectors in homes has increased or because people know more about fire safety today than they did years ago.)
Fire departments in the United States respond to about four fires every minute. Use that information to figure out the answers to these questions: How many fires do U.S. fire fighters respond to every hour? (about 240) Every day? (about 5,760) Every month? (about 172,800) Every year? (about 2,102,400)

Extension Activity: Invite each student to count the number of smoke detectors in his or her home. As a class, create a simple bar graph showing how many families have one, two, three, four, or five or more smoke detectors. Discuss with students where smoke detectors are located in their homes and why their families chose to put smoke detectors in those locations.

Assessment

Assess students based on their answers to the questions, and their participation in class discussions and activities.

Lesson Plan Source

EducationWorld.com

Submitted By

Gary Hopkins

National Standards

MATHEMATICS: Data Analysis and Probability
GRADES 3 - 5
NM-DATA.3-5.2 Select and Use Appropriate Statistical Methods to Analyze Data
NM-DATA.3-5.3 Develop and Evaluate Inferences and Predictions That Are Based on Data
GRADES 6 - 8
NM-DATA.6-8.2 Select and Use Appropriate Statistical Methods to Analyze Data
NM-DATA.6-8.3 Develop and Evaluate Inferences and Predictions That Are Based on Data

MATHEMATICS: Representation
GRADES Pre-K - 12
NM-REP.PK-12.1 Create and Use Representations to Organize, Record, and Communicate Mathematical Ideas

PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND HEALTH: Health
GRADES K - 4
NPH-H.K-4.3 Reducing Health Risks
NPH-H.K-4.5 Using Communication Skills to Promote Health
NPH-H.K-4.6 Setting Goals for Good Health
GRADES 5 - 8
NPH-H.5-8.3 Reducing Health Risks
NPH-H.5-8.5 Using Communication Skills to Promote Health
NPH-H.5-8.6 Setting Goals for Good Health