Safety PSA

A blue, white, yellow, and yed stripped kite is tangled in a powerline against a blue sky. The tail of the kite has little flags in the same colors trailing down the wires to the left.
Phenomena: Kite on Powerlines

A kite becomes tangled in a power line and causes sparks or an electrical outage.
This real-world event prompts students to investigate why it happened and how electricity can travel through certain materials to cause harm.

Learning Goals:

  1. Students will learn how to identify safe and unsafe areas for outdoor recreational activities involving kites, drones, or model airplanes.
  2. Students will develop awareness and responsibility for personal and community safety around electricity.
Materials List

Handouts

  • Map of your local area or school grounds (should have powerlines)

Group Supplies

  • Poster board
  • Craft materials (examples: markers, stickers, colored pencils)

Important Links

Next Generation Science Standards

Next Generation Science Standards

  • 4-PS3-2: Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents.

Lesson 3 of 3 / Time: 45-120 mins or 1-2 periods of 45-60 mins

This lesson builds on concepts learned on electricity and powerline safety.

Students will work in small groups to create a PSA or safety poster helping others to identify safe and unsafe places to fly their drones, model planes, or kites. They will share why powerlines can be dangerous for these activities.

Safety When Flying in the Sky

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