Whole Earth Curriculum WEC

Lesson 06 — First Aid: Choking & Getting Adult Help

Learners explain the basic response to choking — recognize the sign, call for emergency help and get an adult, and give back blows and abdominal thrusts only if trained — and practice how to call for help, saying name, location, and what happened. Help-seeking is framed as part of first aid, never a failure.

D03 P2: Physical & Somatic Awareness D03.S4 50 minutes Draft

Objectives

Essential question

What is the basic response to choking, and how do I get adult or emergency help?

chokinguniversal signback blowsabdominal thrustsemergency numberstay on the line

Materials

Standard materials

Low-tech / no-cost

Enriched / lab & device

Works in different contexts

Two panels. Left, Choking — act fast: a figure with hands at the throat (the universal sign), and steps 1 recognize the sign, 2 call for emergency help and get an adult, 3 if trained give back blows then abdominal thrusts. Right, When you call for help, say: your name, where you are, what happened, plus learn your country's emergency number.
Two panels. Left, Choking — act fast: a figure with hands at the throat (the universal sign), and steps 1 recognize the sign, 2 call for emergency help and get an adult, 3 if trained give back blows then abdominal thrusts. Right, When you call for help, say: your name, where you are, what happened, plus learn your country's emergency number.

Lesson 6 — First Aid: Choking & Getting Adult Help

Summary

Learners explain the basic response to choking — recognize the sign, call for emergency help and get an adult, and give back blows and abdominal thrusts only if trained — and practice how to call for help, saying name, location, and what happened. Help-seeking is framed as part of first aid, never a failure.

Objectives

  • Explain basic first aid for choking and when to seek adult or medical help. (D03.S4.07.01)

Connection

Choking is different from a cut or a burn: a person who is truly choking cannot breathe, talk, or cough, and every second matters. The single most important thing is to get help fast — call the emergency number and get an adult — while doing what you are trained to do. Knowing how to call for help is itself a first-aid skill, and it is one you can practice until it feels calm and automatic.

Materials

  • Choking-and-calling-for-help diagram
  • Emergency scenario cards

Preparation

  • Print or draw the choking-and-calling-for-help diagram.
  • Copy the scenario cards.
  • Confirm and share the correct emergency number(s) for your region.

Facilitator note

This lesson is written to the learner (“you”). Teach choking response safely and factually, and lead with the rule: call for emergency help and get an adult immediately. The facts to land: if someone is choking and cannot breathe, talk, or cough — the “universal sign” is hands clutching the throat — call the emergency number and get an adult at once; back blows and abdominal thrusts can help but must be learned from a certified instructor, and learners at this age should be taught to seek help and, if trained, assist (IFRC Global First Aid Reference Centre). Do not have learners practice thrusts on each other — use a manikin or instructor demonstration only. Teach the emergency call: say your name, where you are, and what happened, and stay on the line until told to hang up. Emergency numbers differ by country (112, 999, 911, and local numbers) — teach the correct one for the region. Frame getting help as skill and courage, never as weakness. See docs/facilitation.md.

Procedure

  1. Gather and recall (5 min). Recall last lesson: what are the first steps for bleeding and for burns? Today: choking — and the skill of calling for help.
  2. Recognize the sign (10 min). Look at the diagram. A person who is choking cannot breathe, talk, or cough, and often clutches their throat — the universal sign. If you see it, act: call for emergency help and get an adult now.
  3. Assist if trained (10 min). Back blows (firm hits between the shoulder blades) and abdominal thrusts can clear the airway — but they are skills to learn from a certified instructor, not to improvise. Say the steps in order, and remember: calling for help comes first.
  4. Practice the emergency call (15 min). Role-play with a partner. When you call, say three things: your name, where you are, what happened — and stay on the line until you are told to hang up. Take turns; make it calm and clear.
  5. Close (5 min). First aid is not about being a hero — it is about acting calmly, getting help fast, and doing what you are trained to do. You now know the plan for choking and how to make the call.

Differentiation

  • Support: Use the frame “If someone is choking, I first ___, then I say ___.” Focus on calling for help and saying the three things.
  • Extension: Explain why calling for help comes first, and why back blows and abdominal thrusts should be learned from a certified instructor rather than improvised.

Assessment

  • Formative (observation): Can the learner state the choking response (recognize, call for help, assist if trained) and recite the three things to say when calling for help?
  • Portfolio: A first-aid note (choking steps + the emergency-call script + local emergency number), kept as a portfolio artifact.

Home connection

If it feels safe, learn and write down your local emergency number with a trusted adult, and practice the three things to say. Being ready is a gift to the people around you.

Resources