Summary
Students will identify common lab mistakes via simulated lab stations.
Essential Question(s)
Why is lab safety so important?
Snapshot
Engage
Students will observe and comment on teacher lab demonstration or lab video.
Explore
Students will identify issues with lab set-ups around the room.
Explain
Students will discuss the issues with the demo and set-ups and how they can be fixed.
Extend
Students will create either a comic strip or rap about lab safety.
Evaluate
Students will present their creations.
Materials
Various lab supplies (preferably the ones you'll use most frequently)
A drink or snack (Engage)
Damaged lab ware such as chipped glassware, device with exposed wires, enough for 4-6 unique stations (Explore)
Copies of Explore handout; enough for one per student (Explore)
Colored pencils or markers (Extend)
Copies of comic strip templates; probably enough for two thirds of the students (Extend)
Engage
Go to slide 2, The teacher will demonstrate careless lab behavior in the classroom. For example, wearing safety goggles on forehead, smelling chemicals directly, eating and drinking in the lab, etc.
Allow students to Think, Pair, Share with each other. Allow some quiet thinking time, then discuss with each other, then share out what they observed that went wrong, and maybe even a few things that went right.
Go to slide 3 and click on the image to show the Amoeba Sisters General Lab Safety video.
Explore
Place students into groups of no more than four, Go to slide 4 - give each student a copy of the explore wkst handout and send them around in a modified Gallery Walk to observe each station. Less is more, set a timer for each station rotation to keep students engaged and on-task!
A variety of lab 'situations' should be at the lab stations. Each situation will have something that violates lab safety. Ideas could be:
a station with a chemical spilled everywhere (sodium bicarbonate, baking soda, is safe to consume *even though it doesn't taste that great* and is cheap, but is just an unknown white powder if you didn't know any better)
a station with an electrical device that has exposed wires
a hot plate on, but unattended
biological material left out and not disposed of
also subtle things like a thermometer left in a beaker or glassware, and not left on the bench top
microscopes left in the highest magnitude instead of the lowest
scoopulas left in the chemicals
Really anything that is a common error that students make that compromises safety
Explain
Go to slide 5 ask students to share their answers. Take the idea further and ask students why the items they listed would be considered unsafe. This would be a good time, if you didn't pause the Amoeba Sisters video, to point out the safety features of your classroom. ie: fire extinguisher, sharps box, eyewash station, MSDS location, etc.
Extend
Go to slide 6 allow students to summarize what they've learned about lab safety by either creating a comic (see image below) or piece of music.
A four and a five square blank comic strip is provided in the handouts. It's up to you to choose how complicated you want their finished product to be.
Evaluate
Slide 7 Students present their comics or musical creations for the rest of the class. On the back of their Explore worksheet have students complete an Exit Ticket by answering "What are you going to do to make sure your group is safe during our next lab?"
Resources
YouTube video (Engage): Retrieved from https://youtu.be/MEIXRLcC6RA
Gallery Walk Instructional Strategies: K20 Center Instructional Strategies. Copyright 2015 Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma. (Explore): Retrieved from https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/d9908066f654727934df7bf4f505a54d
Comic Strip Template (Extend): Retrieved from printablepaper.net
Chant It, Sing It, Rap It Instructional Strategies: K20 Center Instructional Strategies. Copyright 2015 Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma. (Extend): Retrieved from https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/d9908066f654727934df7bf4f5066ebf
Exit Ticket Instructional Strategies: K20 Center Instructional Strategies. Copyright 2015 Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma. (Evaluate): Retrieved from https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/d9908066f654727934df7bf4f505d6f2
Think, Pair, Share Instructional Strategies: K20 Center Instructional Strategies. Copyright 2015 Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma. (Engage): Retrieved from https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/d9908066f654727934df7bf4f5064b49
Cognitive Comics Instructional Strategies: K20 Center Instructional Strategies. Copyright 2015 Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma. (Evaluate): Retrieved from https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/fe96d3de46cfdc1f385aab7e7500a422