Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________ Team: ______
Directions: Day 1: fill in Parts 1, 2, and 3 during the slides and the tool tray. Day 2: take this sheet to every station, follow the card, do the test, and initial the box. Then fill in the calendar in Part 4.
Word bank in other languages
[Check with a native speaker before printing.]
| English | Turkish | Portuguese | Spanish |
|---|---|---|---|
| screwdriver | tornavida | chave de fenda | destornillador |
| pliers | pense | alicate | alicates (pinzas) |
| wrench | İngiliz anahtarı | chave inglesa | llave inglesa |
| level | su terazisi | nível | nivel |
| tape measure | şerit metre | fita métrica (trena) | cinta métrica |
| plunger | pompa (lavabo pompası) | desentupidor | destapador (desatascador) |
| circuit breaker | sigorta (devre kesici) | disjuntor | interruptor (breaker) |
| filter | filtre | filtro | filtro |
Part 1: The seven small jobs
| Job | First step | The safety rule | Tool |
|---|---|---|---|
| Change a light bulb | |||
| Reset a tripped breaker | |||
| Unclog a drain (no chemicals) | |||
| Stop a running toilet | |||
| Tighten a loose screw | |||
| Hang something on a wall | |||
| Clean a filter |
Part 2: Tool ID
Write the tool name next to its description, then the job it goes with.
| Description | Tool | Job it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Tip shaped like a plus sign | ||
| Tip shaped like a flat blade | ||
| Two jaws you squeeze to grip or bend | ||
| One jaw slides to fit any nut | ||
| A bubble in a tube tells you if it is straight | ||
| A metal ribbon that pulls out and snaps back | ||
| A rubber cup on a stick; the toilet one has an extra flap |
Part 3: The troubleshooting process (six steps)
The state's Problem Solving theme gives six steps for fixing something that broke. Write them in plain words, then fill in the running-toilet example.
| Step | In plain words | The running toilet |
|---|---|---|
| a. Define the problem | The toilet keeps ______ after the flush. | |
| b. What should it do | It should ______ within about a minute. | |
| c. Test to find the cause | Lift the lid. Check the ______ and the ______. | |
| d. Fix it | ||
| e. Check that the fix worked | ||
| f. Stop it happening again |
The five safety rules for Day 2
- ___________________________________________
- ___________________________________________
- ___________________________________________
- ___________________________________________
- ___________________________________________
Day 2: The station cards
Four minutes per station. Everyone performs once. Teammates coach. Initial the box when you pass the test.
Station 1: Drive a screw
Safety: safety glasses on. Fingers behind the screw, never in front of the tip.
- Look at the screw head. Plus sign means Phillips. Flat slot means flathead. Pick the driver that fills the head.
- Set the screw tip in a pilot hole. Hold it straight.
- Push in and turn clockwise (righty tighty). Keep pushing so the driver does not slip.
- Stop when the head is flush with the wood. Do not keep going; that strips it.
- Now take it out: turn counterclockwise (lefty loosey).
Test: the head sat flush and the driver never slipped out. My initials: ______
Station 2: Plunge a drain
Safety: hands dry before you touch anything else. Never plunge a drain that has had chemicals in it.
- Put the cup of the plunger over the drain so it covers it completely.
- Make sure there is enough water to cover the cup. The seal needs water.
- Push down slowly to push the air out, then push and pull straight up and down six times, hard.
- Pull the plunger off. In a real drain, run hot water to see if it flows.
Test: you felt the seal grab and the push-pull got harder, not easier. My initials: ______
Station 3: Read a tape measure
Safety: let the tape back in slowly. It snaps.
- Hook the end on the edge of the thing you are measuring, or line it up with the start of the line.
- Read the big numbers for inches. The longest marks between numbers are half inches. The next longest are quarters. The next are eighths.
- Write each measurement to the nearest eighth of an inch.
| Line or object | Measurement |
|---|---|
| Line A | |
| Line B | |
| Line C | |
| Line D | |
| Line E | |
| The book (long side) | |
| The box (tall side) |
Test: within one eighth of an inch of the key at the station. My initials: ______
Station 4: Use a level and hang a frame
Safety: the level is a tool, not a sword. Two hands.
- Set the level on top of the bracket. Watch the bubble.
- Pivot the bracket until the bubble sits exactly between the two lines.
- Mark the second screw hole with a pencil.
- Now the frame: hang it on the nail, set the level on top, nudge until the bubble is centered.
Test: bubble between the lines on both. My initials: ______
Station 5: The breaker and the bulb
Safety: nothing at this station is live. At home, a breaker panel is the one place you never put a wet hand or a tool.
- Find the tripped breaker in the photo. It is the one sitting in the middle, not fully ON and not fully OFF.
- Say the reset in order: push it fully OFF first, then push it ON.
- If it trips again right away: stop. Unplug what you just turned on and tell an adult. Something is drawing too much.
- The lamp: the switch is off. Is the bulb cool? Read the label on the socket: max ______ watts. Turn the old bulb out counterclockwise. Turn the new LED in clockwise until snug, not tight.
Test: you said "off, then on" in that order, and the new bulb is snug. My initials: ______
Part 4: The maintenance calendar
Put every task from the bank into a month. Some go in more than one. Then pick three and say why they go where they go.
Task bank: test smoke and CO detectors (monthly); check or change the furnace filter (every 1 to 3 months); clean the range hood filter (monthly); clean the dryer lint trap (every load) and the dryer vent (yearly); new detector batteries (yearly); clean gutters (twice a year); furnace check (before heating season); reverse ceiling fans (fall and spring); bring in garden hoses and shut off outside water (before the first freeze); salt or sand the steps (winter); check the roof and gutters after winter; test the air conditioner (before it gets hot); check the deck and railing (spring); drain the water heater (yearly); check the fire extinguisher gauge (yearly); replace smoke detectors that are ten years old.
| Month | Tasks |
|---|---|
| January | |
| February | |
| March | |
| April | |
| May | |
| June | |
| July | |
| August | |
| September | |
| October | |
| November | |
| December |
Three placements and why:
- ___ goes in ___ because ______________________________________
- ___ goes in ___ because ______________________________________
- ___ goes in ___ because ______________________________________
Grade 8 stretch, cost column: furnace filter $10 each; detector batteries $6 a year; gutter cleaning $150 a visit if hired, free if you own a ladder and an adult does it; furnace check $120; fire extinguisher $30 to replace; water heater drain free; roof check $0 to look, $200 and up to fix. Add up the year for a family that hires the gutters and the furnace check: $__________
Teacher key
Part 1 (accept close wording):
| Job | First step | Safety rule | Tool |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light bulb | Switch off | Let it cool; check the max watts on the fixture | Hands, a step stool that is not cracked |
| Breaker | Find the one in the middle | Fully off, then on; if it trips again, stop | Hands only, dry |
| Drain | Pull out hair with a plastic drain tool | Never mix chemicals; never plunge after chemicals | Drain tool, plunger |
| Running toilet | Lift the tank lid | Turn off the water at the valve if it overflows | Hands; a screwdriver for the float screw |
| Loose screw | Match the driver to the head | Push in while turning; stop when snug | Screwdriver |
| Hang on a wall | Find the stud or use an anchor | Mark with a level; avoid where wires or pipes run | Stud finder, level, hammer or driver |
| Filter | Find the arrow (points toward the furnace) | Switch the system off first | Hands |
Part 2: Phillips screwdriver (tighten a screw); flathead screwdriver (tighten a screw; pry a paint can); pliers (grip, bend, pull a nail, hold a nut); adjustable wrench (tighten a nut or a bolt, a faucet fitting); level (hang something straight, level a shelf); tape measure (measure a space or a piece before buying or cutting); plunger (unclog a drain; the toilet plunger has the flange).
Part 3: a. name what is wrong; b. name what it should do; c. test to find the cause; d. fix it; e. check that the fix worked; f. stop it happening again. Toilet: keeps running; should stop within a minute; check the chain and the flapper; fix by freeing the chain or reseating the flapper or lowering the float; flush and time it; check the flapper yearly, replace it every few years ($8). Safety rules: eyes protected at the screw station; no tool leaves its station; nothing is plugged in; dry hands at the drain station; one person works while the team coaches.
Station 3 key: [Sal: write the five line lengths and the book and box measurements here after you tape them; keep them at eighths, for example 6 3/8 in, 11 1/2 in, 4 7/8 in, 9 1/4 in, 2 5/8 in.]
Part 4 (accept any month that fits the season; the reasoning is what is scored): detectors monthly, every month; furnace filter every one to three months; range hood monthly; lint trap every load, dryer vent yearly (fall); batteries yearly (many families use the fall clock change); gutters in late fall after the leaves and again in spring; furnace check in September or October; fans in October and April; hoses in October or November before the first freeze; salt in December to February; roof in March or April; AC in May; deck in April or May; water heater any month, once; extinguisher gauge any month, once; ten-year detectors when the date on the back says so.
Three placements: for example, gutters in November because the leaves have fallen; hoses in October because a frozen hose can crack the pipe in the wall; AC in May because you want to find out it is broken before July.
Grade 8 stretch: filters 4 to 12 a year at $10 is $40 to $120; batteries $6; gutters hired twice $300; furnace check $120; extinguisher $0 if the gauge is green; water heater $0; roof $0 to look. Total about $466 to $546.