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Science Y6 – Heat – week 5
FIRE SAFETY
Truth to Teach (Source)
Fires will not burn without air
Fire safety regulations
Way to Work (Means)
1. Review the previous lessons.
2. Set up three candles, one in the open, one covered by a small jar and one covered with a large jar. Light the
three candles after getting the children to predict what will happen. (The one under the small jar goes out first
due to the small amount of oxygen, and then the one under the large jar goes out.)
3. Talk about the need of oxygen for fires to burn. Discuss the use of fire extinguishers and the different kinds
required for different fires, eg water and electricity do not mix. Talk about fire blankets and rolling people in
fireproof clothing to stop the oxygen ‘feeding’ the fire.
Perhaps a fire officer could talk to the children.
4. Set a candle on a saucer in a bowl of water. The candle must be above the surface of the water. Light the candle
and cover it with a glass jar which is rested on balls of clay or plasticene to enable the water to go up the jar.
Mark the level of the water in the jar. The candle will burn for a time but will eventually go out; the water will rise
in the jar. Only the oxygen (about one fifth of the air) is used in burning. The water is pushed up into the jar by
the pressure of the air outside it.
5. Talk about the experiments and the dangers of fire. Remind the children of the school’s fire safety rules.
Perhaps a fire practice could be arranged for the day. Ensure they know what to do in the event of a fire, both
at home and in school.
6. Let the children design fire safety posters for different parts of the school/home, eg the kitchen, the boiler
house, the senior science laboratory.
Learning for Life (Fulfilment)
The children will have been reminded of the fire safety rules and the need for oxygen for fires to burn. They should be
aware of their responsibilities in preventing fires and what they should do if they discover a fire.
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