Life Skills Arcade Middle school Family and Consumer Sciences, grades 6 to 8

Handout 4.3

Handout 4.3: Repair Station Cards and Maintenance Calendar

Unit
Unit 4: Spaces We Live In
Handout
4.3

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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

EnglishTurkishPortugueseSpanish
screwdrivertornavidachave de fendadestornillador
plierspensealicatealicates (pinzas)
wrenchİngiliz anahtarıchave inglesallave inglesa
levelsu terazisinívelnivel
tape measureşerit metrefita métrica (trena)cinta métrica
plungerpompa (lavabo pompası)desentupidordestapador (desatascador)
circuit breakersigorta (devre kesici)disjuntorinterruptor (breaker)
filterfiltrefiltrofiltro

Part 1: The seven small jobs

JobFirst stepThe safety ruleTool
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.

DescriptionToolJob 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.

StepIn plain wordsThe running toilet
a. Define the problemThe toilet keeps ______ after the flush.
b. What should it doIt should ______ within about a minute.
c. Test to find the causeLift 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

  1. ___________________________________________
  2. ___________________________________________
  3. ___________________________________________
  4. ___________________________________________
  5. ___________________________________________

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.

  1. Look at the screw head. Plus sign means Phillips. Flat slot means flathead. Pick the driver that fills the head.
  2. Set the screw tip in a pilot hole. Hold it straight.
  3. Push in and turn clockwise (righty tighty). Keep pushing so the driver does not slip.
  4. Stop when the head is flush with the wood. Do not keep going; that strips it.
  5. 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.

  1. Put the cup of the plunger over the drain so it covers it completely.
  2. Make sure there is enough water to cover the cup. The seal needs water.
  3. Push down slowly to push the air out, then push and pull straight up and down six times, hard.
  4. 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.

  1. Hook the end on the edge of the thing you are measuring, or line it up with the start of the line.
  2. Read the big numbers for inches. The longest marks between numbers are half inches. The next longest are quarters. The next are eighths.
  3. Write each measurement to the nearest eighth of an inch.
Line or objectMeasurement
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.

  1. Set the level on top of the bracket. Watch the bubble.
  2. Pivot the bracket until the bubble sits exactly between the two lines.
  3. Mark the second screw hole with a pencil.
  4. 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.

  1. Find the tripped breaker in the photo. It is the one sitting in the middle, not fully ON and not fully OFF.
  2. Say the reset in order: push it fully OFF first, then push it ON.
  3. If it trips again right away: stop. Unplug what you just turned on and tell an adult. Something is drawing too much.
  4. 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.

MonthTasks
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

Three placements and why:

  1. ___ goes in ___ because ______________________________________
  2. ___ goes in ___ because ______________________________________
  3. ___ 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: $__________