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The Shocking Truth About Electrical & Natural Gas SafetyTeacher’s GuideKEY CONCEPTS ABOUT ELECTRICAL SAFETY1. Electricity travels in a closed loop called a circuit.2. Electricity flows easily through conductors, not through insulators.3. Electricity always takes the easiest path to the ground.4. Water is an excellent conductor of electricity. Because the human body is mostly water, we are also goodconductors of electricity.KEY CONCEPTS ABOUT NATURAL GAS SAFETY1. Natural gas is a safe fuel when used properly.2. Natural gas is pumped through underground pipes to our homes and businesses.3. We use natural gas by burning it.4. Leaking natural gas can be ignited by a spark from almost any appliance, even a flashlight or phone,causing a fire or explosion.5. If a gas leak is suspected, people should remove themselves from the area and report the leak.LEARNING STRATEGIESStudents read information and do activities individually, work with partners or in small groups, and discussinformation, ideas, and/or answers as a class.QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW & ASSESSMENT Describe the path electricity travels in these pictures. Pgs. 2, 4 (Electricity will either travel in a closedcircuit or find its way to the ground through a person or another conductor that comes between electricityand the ground. Students should be able to identify the points of contact and the path electricity wouldtake.) Which materials are insulators? Which ones are conductors? Pgs. 3, 9 What happens if you get between electricity and the ground? Pgs. 4-8, 10 (In all likelihood, you will beinjured or killed.) Why is there danger of electrical shock in the situations portrayed? Pgs. 4-6, 8, 9, 10 (Because a personeither has come into contact with or could possibly contact electricity, giving it a path to the ground.) Why are we at risk of electrical shock when we contact electricity? (Because we are good conductors,and we are almost always touching the ground.) What could happen if you squirt water at a power line? Pg. 6 (Electricity can travel down the stream ofwater and shock you.) Describe safe alternatives to the situations shown/discussed. Pgs. 4-6, 8, 9 (Student answers will vary andmay include both general and specific safety “rules” such as: keep water and electricity apart; fly kitesfar away from power lines; be sure the insulation around the power cord to an appliance isn’t frayed orbroken.) What precautions should you take to avoid becoming part of electricity’s path to the ground? Pgs. 4-6, 8,10-12The Shocking Truth About Electrical & Natural Gas Safety, Teacher’s GuideThe name and figure of Reddy Kilowatt and Reddy are federally and internationally registered trademarks and service marks, and may be usedonly under license from Xcel Energy, Inc.Ó 2019 Culver Media, LLC#72725Page 1

List three steps to take in the event of an electrical fire or electrical emergency. Pg. 12(In case of electrical fire: leave the area; telephone for help from a safe location or tell an adult; have anadult use a proper chemical fire extinguisher on the fire. In case of electrical emergency: tell an adult topull the plug or turn off the power at the circuit breaker/fuse box; call for help; when you are CERTAINall danger is gone, give first aid.)What may be the hardest thing to remember in an electrical emergency? Pgs. 10-12(That you must stay away from the victim until you are certain you will not be shocked also.)Where does natural gas come from? Pg. 13(Natural gas forms deep under the ground when plant and animal material decomposes over thousands ofyears and gives off methane gas.)Why is it important not to play on or around natural gas appliances or pipes? Pg. 15(Appliances use natural gas by burning it and may ignite other materials that are too close. If the oxygensupply is blocked, natural gas burns inefficiently and a poisonous gas called carbon monoxide can form.If appliances or pipes are damaged and gas leaks, there is danger of fire or explosion.)What are some signs of a gas pipeline leak? Pg. 14 (A smell of sulfur or rotten eggs, a hissing or roaringsound, dirt spraying or blowing into the air, continual bubbling in water, grass or plants that are dead ordying for no apparent reason)What is the correct response if you suspect a gas pipeline leak? Pg. 14 (Do not use fire or electricity—noteven a flashlight or phone. Go far away from the area immediately and do not go back until safetyofficials say it is safe. Ask a trusted adult to call 911 and the local natural gas utility.)SUPPLEMENTARY APPROACHESTo bolster student understanding or to take them deeper into the information, here are a few other activities andapproaches to learning.Main Concept, Pages 2-4Electricity travels in a closed path called a circuit.Supplementary Approaches, Page 2Ask students to describe the path electricity travels to get to the lights in the classroom and back to thedistribution grid.Supplementary Approaches, Page 3Water is such a good conductor that most insulators will not work if they are wet. Have students wet their bestinsulator from their experiment, observe what happens, and explain why it happened. Tell students that metal isanother excellent conductor, which is why metallic Mylar balloons are unsafe outside. If Mylar balloons getcaught in power lines or substations, they can cause fire or power outage because of their electricity-conductingcapacity. For this reason, they should be kept inside and tied down to a heavy weight so as not to escape. Ifstudents ever spot one caught in a line, they should report it to the local electric utility immediately.Main Concept, Pages 4-11Electricity always takes the easiest path to the ground. If you become part of that path, you will be injured.Supplementary Approaches, Page 5Ask students to think about ways not to touch the ground. Remind them about insulators and how they might beuseful in this situation. (Students might suggest wearing rubber-soled shoes [not athletic shoes] or some way tohold a layer of air between them and the ground. Point out that there aren’t many ways to avoid becoming part ofelectricity’s path to ground.)The Shocking Truth About Electrical & Natural Gas Safety, Teacher’s GuideThe name and figure of Reddy Kilowatt and Reddy are federally and internationally registered trademarks and service marks, and may be usedonly under license from Xcel Energy, Inc.Ó 2019 Culver Media, LLC#72725Page 2

Main Concept, Pages 4, 7, 10Electricity is measured in volts, watts, and amps.Supplementary Approaches, Page 4Help students understand the relationship of amps, watts, and volts, explain that electricity flowing through a wireis like water flowing through a garden hose. The amount of water depends on the diameter of the hose (amps).The pressure of the water depends on how far open the faucet is (volts). The amount of work that can be done(watts) depends on both volts and amps.Supplementary Approaches, Page 7Watts volts amps. Assume you have a 1000 W hairdryer plugged into a 120 V circuit. How much amperage isavailable? (1000/120 8.33 amps) What would happen if you accidentally came into contact with that muchamperage? (The contact would probably be fatal.)Main Concept, Pages 6-7, 12Water is an excellent conductor of electricity. Because the human body is mostly water, we are also goodconductors of electricity. This is one reason children should never squirt water at power lines.Supplementary Approaches, Pages 3, 6Water is such a good conductor that most insulators will not work if they are wet. Have students wet their bestinsulator from their experiment, observe what happens, and explain why it happened. Where should GFCIs beplaced? Why? (GFCIs are used outdoors and inside near water because those are the areas of greatest risk ofelectrical contact with water.)Main Concept, Pages 8-10Identify kinds of electrical equipment, their dangers, and safe behavior.Supplementary Approaches, Page 8Take students outside the school building and locate lines, transformers, and where electrical lines enter buildings.If they don’t see power lines, where are they? (Underground)Supplementary Approaches, Page 9Ask your local electric company to send someone to your school to demonstrate safety equipment used by lineworkers.Supplementary Approaches, Pages 10, 12Ask students to go home and discuss safe behaviors around downed power lines with their families. Ask studentsto plan an emergency escape route with their families to use in case of a fire. Ask them to draw a map of the routeand discuss it in class with a small group. What features do different plans have in common?Main Concept, Page13Natural gas is a safe fuel when used properly. To avoid puncturing an underground gas pipeline and causing a gasleak, anyone planning a digging project should call the underground utility locator service at 811 several days inadvance. They will mark the location of buried utilities so people can dig a safe distance away.Supplementary Approaches, Page 13Approximately one million miles of steel pipeline brings natural gas to our homes and businesses across theUnited States. Tour your school to learn where natural gas is used. Ask students to identify where natural gasenters homes and businesses.The Shocking Truth About Electrical & Natural Gas Safety, Teacher’s GuideThe name and figure of Reddy Kilowatt and Reddy are federally and internationally registered trademarks and service marks, and may be usedonly under license from Xcel Energy, Inc.Ó 2019 Culver Media, LLC#72725Page 3