Safe Science Starts Here

Overview

Teachers should select the appropriate Grade 5 (30-minute), Grade 6 (35-minute), or Grade 8 (40–45-minute) pathway in the Grade-level adaptations section. The Grade 5 pathway preserves this concrete, highly visual lesson: students sort visual examples of safe and unsafe behavior, observe teacher modeling, and practice a brief mock lab routine. All pathways emphasize evidence-based safety decisions and communication through spoken words, gestures, pointing, or AAC. Use only harmless mock materials and preserve sensory accommodations and inclusive response options.

Learning intentions

Teachers should use the goals for the selected Grade 5, Grade 6, or Grade 8 pathway:

• Grade 5: Identify safe and unsafe lab behaviors, state or show why one rule matters, follow the five-step routine (stop, listen, check, do, clean up), and communicate one safety choice.
• Grade 6: Apply safety rules to unfamiliar scenarios, distinguish a hazard from a safe control, and justify a safety decision using evidence.
• Grade 8: Identify hazards, evaluate risk, select appropriate controls, explain how procedures protect people, materials, and data, and respond appropriately to an incident.

Students may communicate through speech, sign, gesture, pointing, pictures, eye gaze, or AAC.

Success criteria

Teachers should assess the criteria for the selected pathway:

• Grade 5: I can identify safe and unsafe behaviors, show or explain why one rule matters, follow stop–listen–check–do–clean up, and communicate one safe choice.
• Grade 6: I can apply a rule to an unfamiliar scenario, identify a hazard and a control, explain my decision with evidence, and sequence a safe procedure.
• Grade 8: I can identify hazards, evaluate risk, choose controls, explain how procedures protect people, materials, and data, and communicate an appropriate incident response.

Students may demonstrate success with words, gestures, pointing, picture selection, or AAC.

Curriculum links

• The Practice of Science: use observations, organize information, and defend a conclusion with evidence.
• Characteristics of Scientific Knowledge: connect explanations to observable evidence.
• Forms of Energy: prepare for future investigations involving light, heat, sound, electrical, chemical, and mechanical energy.
• Organization and Development of Living Organisms: recognize that safety practices protect the people and physical structures involved in investigations.

Lesson structure (30 minutes)

Teachers should select the Grade 5, Grade 6, or Grade 8 pathway in Grade-level adaptations and use the corresponding timing and activities. The Grade 5 pathway below remains the core 30-minute lesson.

1. 0–4 min · Safety hook. Teacher opens the safety hook and learning target and displays two contrasting pictures: a student wearing goggles and a student reaching toward an unknown substance. Ask, “Which student is ready to investigate? What do you observe?” Students silently point, gesture, use AAC, or share spoken responses. Accept all communication modes and do not require eye contact or verbal answers.

2. 4–10 min · Visual sort. Teacher introduces the rules “Think safety first,” “Listen and look before touching,” “Use materials as directed,” “Keep hands and objects to yourself,” and “Stop and tell an adult if something spills, breaks, or feels unsafe.” Provide the Lab Safety Poster Pack as a visual reference and distribute the safe and unsafe behavior recording sheet. In pairs, students sort teacher-prepared picture cards into safe and unsafe categories, then record or select one reason for a choice. Students may sort by pointing, placing, eye gaze, gesture, speech, or AAC.

3. 10–16 min · Teacher modeling. Teacher returns to the rule modeling slides and models each rule twice: first incorrectly and then correctly. Use only harmless mock materials, such as an empty cup, plastic spoon, paper towel, and closed container. After each demonstration, pause and ask, “What evidence shows this is safe or unsafe?” Students signal safe or unsafe with a card, gesture, AAC button, or spoken response.

4. 16–23 min · Guided mock lab routine. Teacher previews the visual sequence: stop, listen, check, do, and clean up. The teacher models the routine once, then supports students through a pretend investigation, such as moving cotton balls from one cup to another with a spoon. No chemicals, heat, glass, electricity, or real hazards are used. Students practice waiting for the direction, checking materials, using one item as directed, stopping on the signal, and returning materials. Provide extra processing time and repeat the visual cue before each step.

5. 23–27 min · Communication choice practice. Teacher displays the communication choice and practice prompt and invites each student to communicate one safe choice: “I will wear goggles,” “I will wait for directions,” “I will keep materials on the table,” or “I will tell an adult about a spill.” Students choose spoken words, a gesture, pointing to a picture, or an AAC device. The teacher models accepting and expanding any clear communication without correcting the mode.

6. 27–30 min · Review and exit check. Teacher shows two final behavior pictures on the review and exit prompt and asks students to identify the safe choice and give evidence from what they observe. Students complete the final item on the worksheet by circling, matching, pointing to, or communicating one rule they can use. Close with the shared statement: “Safe scientists stop, check, and communicate.”

For Grade 6 and Grade 8 timing, replace selected activities with the written or illustrated scenarios, equipment inspection, procedure design, risk assessment, critique, and incident-response tasks described in Grade-level adaptations. Continue to use only realistic but harmless scenarios and preserve all AAC, multimodal, sensory, and no-real-hazard supports.

Resources

• the beginning-of-year lab safety slide deck
• the safe and unsafe behavior recording sheet
• the Lab Safety Poster Pack
• Teacher-prepared picture cards showing safe and unsafe behaviors
• Safe mock materials: plastic cups, cotton balls, plastic spoons, paper towels, and closed containers
• Safe/unsafe response cards or symbols
• AAC devices or communication boards
• Timer or visual countdown
• Student goggles, if available and appropriate

Assessment

Teachers should use the assessment expectations for the selected Grade 5, Grade 6, or Grade 8 pathway:

• Grade 5: During sorting and modeling, note accurate identification of safe and unsafe behaviors and observable evidence. During the mock routine, record whether students follow directions with decreasing prompts, respond to “stop,” wait, handle materials as directed, and clean up. For the exit check, accept speech, gesture, pointing, picture selection, or AAC.
• Grade 6: Assess application to unfamiliar written or illustrated scenarios, distinction between hazard and control, the student equipment inspection, and a written or AAC-supported evidence-based explanation. Check that the cotton-ball procedure is correctly sequenced.
• Grade 8: Assess the risk-assessment table, identification of hazards and controls, evidence-based justification, critique of an unsafe procedure, improved procedure, and appropriate incident response. Require an independent written, spoken, illustrated, or AAC-supported exit response.

Preserve accommodations, additional processing time, sensory supports, and all purposeful communication as valid evidence of learning.

Differentiation

Teachers should select the Grade 5, Grade 6, or Grade 8 pathway based on learners’ readiness, while maintaining the following supports:

• Provide a consistent visual first–then sequence, one-step directions, enlarged photos, and a low-distraction workspace. Preview transitions and allow additional processing time.
• Offer multiple response methods throughout: speech, sign or gesture, pointing, picture symbols, eye gaze, or AAC. Treat all purposeful communication as valid.
• For Grade 5, reduce the number of picture cards or rules at one time for students who need less visual or cognitive load. For Grade 6 and Grade 8, provide vocabulary previews, visual word banks, sentence frames, partially completed tables, or modeled examples as needed.
• Use hand-under-hand support only with permission and fade prompts quickly. Challenge students through unfamiliar scenarios, evidence-based explanations, procedure design, risk assessment, or incident response as appropriate to the selected pathway.
• Avoid real hazardous materials and provide sensory accommodations such as distance from strong smells, optional gloves, or a quieter practice area. All Grade 6 and Grade 8 scenarios must remain realistic but harmless.

Grade-level adaptations

Teachers should select one pathway and use its timing, goals, activities, vocabulary, and assessment expectations. Preserve AAC, multimodal response options, sensory accommodations, additional processing time, and no-real-hazard safeguards in every pathway.

Grade 5 (30 minutes)

Keep the current concrete, highly visual approach. Students will identify safe and unsafe lab behaviors, state or show why one rule matters, and follow the five-step routine: stop, listen, check, do, clean up. Use 6–10 picture cards, teacher modeling, a simple mock investigation, sentence frames such as “This is safe because…,” and a visual exit check. Assess accurate identification, observable evidence, and following directions with decreasing prompts.

Grade 6 (35 minutes)

Increase independence and reasoning. Students will apply safety rules to unfamiliar scenarios, distinguish a hazard from a safe control, and justify a safety decision using evidence. Replace some picture sorting with short written or illustrated scenarios; add a student safety inspection of mock equipment; and have pairs create a safe procedure for the cotton-ball investigation. Include the vocabulary hazard, risk, precaution, procedure, evidence, and emergency response. Assess a written or AAC-supported explanation and a correctly sequenced procedure.

Grade 8 (40–45 minutes)

Emphasize risk assessment, responsibility, and transfer to authentic investigations. Students will identify hazards, evaluate risk, select appropriate controls, explain why procedures protect people, materials, and data, and respond appropriately to an incident. Use realistic but harmless scenarios involving heat, chemicals, glass, electricity, biological materials, and spills; do not use actual hazards. Students complete a simple risk-assessment table with hazard, possible harm, likelihood/severity, control, and response; critique an unsafe procedure; and write or communicate an improved procedure. Include PPE, safety data sheets as a concept, disposal, reporting, and emergency procedures. Require evidence-based justification and an independent exit response.