TITLE:
The Safety of Science Activities in an Inclusive Elementary Classroom
AUTHORS:
Retha Meier, Nikki L. Murdick, Cara Lytle
KEYWORDS:
Checklist, Elementary, Inquiry, Safety, Science
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.2 No.9,
September
16,
2014
ABSTRACT: As elementary teachers engage their students in scientific inquiry, they often turn to the internet as a resource for rapidly locating scientific activities to use in an inclusive classroom. In these circumstances, however, how can the elementary level teacher know whether the science activities are safe? Even if safety is included within the activities, how does the elementary level teacher know if all safety issues have adequately been addressed? The purpose of this article is to highlight potential safety concerns involving elementary science activities and to provide a checklist to use when evaluating the safety of science activities prior to implementing these activities within the inclusive classroom. If the use of the checklist calls attention to a safety concern in a particular activity, we suggest trying to modify the activity first to make it safe. If the activity cannot be modified to eliminate all safety concerns, then it is recommended that the elementary level teacher search for a different activity that does not pose any hazards. The checklist and supporting back-ground information provided within this paper is intended to help teachers confidently provide a positive learning environment in which all students can safely learn science through inquiry and exploration.