Fire Drills - Safety is Free!

Discovery Education's Clip Art Gallery created
by Mark A. Hicks, illustrator.

Went shopping today at a local mall with my daughter and her friend.  We were in the mall for about two hours when all of a sudden a loud, blaring alarm was ringing out!  I looked around and the shoppers and store workers were nonplussed.  Clearly, it was a fire alarm and no one seemed the least bit bothered by it as they continued to go about their business.        

Since my daughter and her friend were in another part of the mall I texted them and told them to leave the mall immediately.  "Already leaving" was what I got in return. (Most likely because they had practiced what to do at school.) Outside the mall, as I waited for the girls, I noticed there were only a handful of shoppers who also left the building.

In the distance sirens blared as fire engines were making their way into the parking lot.  Still hardly anyone had exited the mall.   I wondered WHY.  Did they think it was just a 'false alarm'? Was it inconvenient? Why would they put their family and themselves at risk?

(Although the video below happened at a Walmart in Maryland it depicts a similar reaction to the event that happened today in our mall. Please note that people react is if nothing out of the ordinary is happening.)


Keeping our students safe is of an utmost priority. At school we practice Fire Drills, Bus Evacuations and Lockdown drills several times throughout the year.  Children learn how to proceed calmly and act appropriately in these emergency situations.  The practices are taken very seriously by administration, students and staff.  We know that students feel safer when they are prepared.

It is also a good idea for children and their families to practice fire drills at home.  Having an escape plan and meeting place are important and reassuring for children.  Below are some resources that may help.

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RESOURCES:
About.com:   How to Be Prepared (for teachers)
KidsHealth.org:  What to Do in a Fire (for kids & parents)
FireSafetyForKids.org:  Fire Safety for Kids (for kids with coloring pages; activities)
Scholastic: Sparky the Fire Dog Comic Book (children can make comic strip to help practice fire safety skills)
Sparky.org: Family Stuff (for kids & families - create a home fire escape plan; coloring pages)
Cybraryman.com: Fire Safety Resources (a list of sites for teachers, families & kids)



Please take fire alarms seriously.  Although they may be a nuisance,  leaving the building may just save your life....After all....SAFETY IS FREE! 

Citizenship Starts Early

At the start of each new school year my students are introduced to a lesson in Citizenship.  This lesson will lay the groundwork as we work together to establish rules in our classroom. 

made with Doodlebuddy

Here are some definitions which help students understand this often-confusing term.  The highlighted definition will be the focus of instruction this year.

"Citizenship" as defined by Dictionary.com:  

 noun:  1. the state of being vested with the rights, privileges, and duties of a citizen.

            2. the character of an individual viewed as a member by society; behavior in terms of the duties, obligations and functions of a citizen.

Students will be introduced (via a Smartboard Notebook lesson) to the following 5 categories that help define citizenship; Respect, Fairness, Caring, Responsibility,  and Honesty (categories based on information provided by the Scott Foresman Social Studies, 'Regions' text.)

While there are numerous resources available to teach character education/citizenship in our classrooms (see below),  my GOAL this year is to take that lesson further than the classroom and expand it to our community in an effort to show what a difference good citizenship makes.  In this instance, there is no better way to learn than by doing!  It has been my experience that children love to help and be a part of something bigger.  (See my post about The Generation Changing the World for an example.)

I'm looking for your suggestions, ideas and resources about how to incorporate Respect, Fairness, Caring, Responsibility, and Honesty with my pupils in relation to the general public.  What do you think would be an activity that would be beneficial to both?  Please share via the Answer Garden at the bottom of this post or in the comment section!  Thank you!

RESOURCES TO SUPPLEMENT CURRICULUM:
Good Character:  A great resource for guiding questions and activities on all of the above areas and more.  It is broken into categories such as K-3; 4-8; K-5 (offers some pages in Spanish).

Respect Song via Youtube: (see below)



The Six Pillars of Character:  A youtube video, mostly text and music, sharing ideas about Citizenship (geared for older children).

Inspirational Quotes:  These quotes for Character Education by Leah Davies, M.Ed., can be used in a variety of ways.

Children's Book List:  compiled by Lane Public Library for the Hamilton Schools,  and categorized by age: K-6; Middle School; High School then further broken into categories (respect; responsibility, etc.)

Characters of Character Online Games: Play games with Warm-Hearted Walrus, Manners Monkey & other friends to learn about Character Education. Although the characters look young they have lots of big concepts to share. Read this review!

Citizen Power: An interactive website that provides information about basic citizenship.  Although this is a UK site there are other features that are appropriate for children everywhere.

 

I look forward to learning new ways and ideas on expanding Citizenship beyond the classroom walls.


How can I involve my students to help in their community?... at AnswerGarden.ch.