Activity
Lab Safety Rules Role-Play
Students write and perform skits in which they break the lab safety rules in order to better remember and comprehend the rules.
In this activity, students write and perform skits in which they break the lab safety rules. I have found that my students enjoy the opportunity to “break” the rules and have better comprehension and retention of the lab safety rules through this activity. As the groups of students discuss the rules and decide on which rules to break, the members of the group are contemplating the rules more than if the rules were just read aloud in class.
Materials
- Empty boxes from food
- Empty cans from food
Lab equipment as requested by the students including:
- Goggles
- Aprons
- Adapted beakers
- Measuring spoons, etc…
- A copy of the Lab Rules in appropriate reading medium for each student
Preparation
Students may want to use lab equipment for their plays. If available, provide the materials that they need.
Procedure
- Group students in groups of 2 or 3
- Pass around the Lab Safety Rules that you use in class
- Ask students if they like to break the rules. – To which they will likely reply “Yes!”
- Tell students that their assignment today is to break the rules!!
- Explain task: to write and perform a play in which at least 3 of the rules are broken.
Variations
Students with lower literacy levels may not be required to write the play, but just to memorize it and perform it.
NGSS Standards:
- Plan and conduct an investigation individually and collaboratively to produce data to serve as the basis for evidence, and in the design: decide on types, how much, and accuracy of data needed to produce reliable measurements and consider limitations on the precision of the data (e.g., number of trials, cost, risk, time), and refine the design accordingly. (HS-ESS2-5)
By Laura Hospitál
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