| Safe Routes to Schools Pedestrian Safety
Teacher’s Toolkit
For Grades: K-3
 
Introduction
This packet is produced by the Alameda County Safe Routes to Schools Partnership. Our partnership is dedicated to increasing the safety and number of children regularly walking and biking to school in Alameda County. The Transportation and Land Use Coalition (TALC), the Alameda County Public Health Department, and Cycles of Change have joined forces to offer comprehensive programs and a menu of resources that schools can choose from which address the five E’s: Education, Encouragement, Engineering, Enforcement, and Evaluation. Together we provide a wealth of educational activities, materials, encouragement events, and trainings at no cost to schools.
This packet is designed for classroom and PE teachers to use during PE or classroom hours. The packet includes classroom and out-of-class activities designed to provide students with the background verbal and special vocabulary to make smart decisions on the roads.
Please contact Safe Routes to Schools Education Director at sr2s@transcoalition.org or call (510) 740-3150 ext. 332
Special thanks to the following programs for inspiration and lesson plan ideas:
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Safe Routes to Schools: Marin County www.saferoutestoschools.org
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Child Safety Solutions, Inc.www.imsafe.com
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City of Portland Safe Routes to Schools http://www.bta4bikes.org/at_work/pedsafetyeducation.php
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Jason Agar: Safety Education consultant
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Atlanta Bicycle Campaign and Metro Atlanta SR2S
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Department of Transport: London: Road Research Report #68
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Maryland Highway Safety
www.walktoschool.org/downloads/ped-bike-safety_lessonsK-5.pdf
Table of Contents
Pedestrian Safety Goals, Objectives and Risks Page 5
Indoor Walking Safety Teaching Tools Page 6-8
Sample Lesson Plan Page 9-10
Outdoor Activities
Introduction to Outdoors Safety Classes Page 12
Walk around the Block / Blacktop Activities Page 13-15
Setting up Practice Intersections Page 16
Student Safety Checklist Page 16
Chaos Corner /More Outdoor Activities Page 17
Parent Follow up Materials Page 19
State Standard References Page 20-21
Supplementary Teaching Materials in Packet
1. Use your Head Before Your Feet Rhyme Worksheet
2. We all go Walking Two by Two Song
3. Coloring Sheets
4. Traffic Signals – Laminated Sheets
4. Step to Safety Asimo Video
5. Cars Stencils
6. Safe Routes to Schools Program Information
7. Safe Routes to Schools Bicycling PE Description
Teaching Pedestrian Safety / Using this Toolkit
This Tool kit focuses on providing activities for teaching the basic skills of pedestrian safety. As this packet is geared towards PE teachers, the information focuses on how to use different active tools to reinforce safety skills. During the training, there will be an overview of how to piece together these tools in a training, however our program recommends that teachers choose at least one indoor and one outdoor tool to provide instruction during 2-3 classroom periods.
Teaching Skills
in the Classroom
Part 1
Pedestrian Safety Goals, Objectives and Risks Elementary School Ages K-3
Risks
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Youth have trouble judging distances and speed of cars and can not readily tell the direction a sound is coming from.
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It is difficult for younger kids to see over parked cars and hard for drivers to see kids.
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Youth tend to be impulsive and impatient and have a limited sense of danger.
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They imitate the (often bad) behavior of others, especially older children and adults
Goals
Build basic skills and encourage observation of their surroundings.
Learning Objectives
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Identify and practice using left and right
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Identify and stop at all edges ( street curb, corner, parker cars and driveways)
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Identify safest places to cross the street
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Identify traffic signals relating to stopping and going action
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Practice and model looking “ left, right left and behind you” before crossing the street.
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Keep looking left and right while crossing the street’
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Model making eye contact with a driver assertively.
Middle School Ages
Risks
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Youth are affected by the behavior of their peers.
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Youth travel more often in groups and are sometimes distracted from traffic issues due to social situations creating behavior or inattention and carelessness. ( Department of Transport, London).
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Greater perceptions of safety competence paired with lack of instruction.
Goals
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Traffic instruction using busier streets with faster traffic.
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Emphasis on driver’s behavior and understanding braking and reaction speed of vehicles.
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Discuss other street-wise situations besides traffic such as how to deal with bullies, strangers and drug activity on the way to school.
Introducing Pedestrian Safety
Use these discussion topics to introduce your unit or come up with your own!
1. Emphasizing Health
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Ask the class: Why might it be important to walk places instead of driving?
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Answer: Four Fantastic Reasons to Walk and Bike to School
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(less traffic, less pollution, more exercise, more fun)
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Walking is good for you, good for the planet and good for the community!
2. Emphasizing Safety
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Ask the class: “Who can tell me what a pedestrian is?”
Answer: A person who is walking
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Ask the class: What tools do we need to be a safe street crosser? (hint: I have them all with me)
Answer: Our pedestrian toolbox is our head, our eyes, our ears, and our feet Point to each part of your body and have the kids point to their tools and say them again!
3. Where do Kids Walk?
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Conduct a brief oral survey. Ask students to raise hands if they sometimes bicycle, walk, skate, scooter or carpool to get around to stores, friends and relatives’ houses, school or lessons.
I Video : Steps to Safety
Materials: DVD ASIMO
Grade: 1st and 2nd Grade
Time: 10 minutes + 8 minute review
Description This video goes over the following points in a fun and clear manner: stopping at the edge, looking left, right and left, crossing at the intersection and crossing between parked cars
Review (8 minutes)
Ask the students to repeat some things they learned from the movie:
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What do you do when you get to the edge of the street? (STOP!)
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Which way do you look first? (Left)
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Where is the safest place to cross the street? (at a crosswalk)
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What should you do if there is parked car? (look L,R,L at the street edge and also at the edge of the parked car: remember if you can’t see the driver, the driver can’t see you!)
ndoor Safety Teaching Tools Game: Learning Traffic Signals
Materials: Laminated Traffic Signal Signs
Grades: K-1
Time: 15 minutes
Discussion – Hold up each provided traffic signal and ask the kids to
tell you what each one means. The three answers will be stop, go, and
slow down. For younger students you can hold up a red, yellow and green sign along with each signal. This will help them to identify common actions with colors.
Discussion (Optional for 2nd grade ) – Take some time to explain the pedestrian and don’t walk signals. Many kids don’t know what
to do when a light changes from a walk to a flashing red don’t
walk signal. Explain that they should keep walking across the street
rather than turning around when the hand turns to blinking red.
Game –Use the traffic signs to play the child’s game Red Light, Green Light. When the students stop, you can have them look left, right and left.
Rhyme Use your Head before Your Feet
Material: worksheet : included in this packet!
Grades: K-1st grade
Time Required: 10 minutes
Description: Use this rhyme and model hand movements:
Demonstrate the rhyme one line at a time, having the students repeat it after you. Recite the whole rhyme and have the students repeat it after you until the students can recite the whole rhyme on their own. After you recite this rhyme as a whole group, the students can recite this as a pair and then as an individual.
Game : Teaching Intersections with Simon Says
Material: None
Grades: K-2
Time: 10 minutes
Goals: Students will learn to look behind them at intersections and practice looking left, right and left before crossing the streets
Discussion: Does anyone know what an intersection is? Draw a picture of an intersection so that students understand that they need to look behind them when crossing the street
Practice: Conduct a game or activity (such as Simon Says) that requires students to demonstrate understanding of left and right. The activity should also require students to look behind them—over their left shoulder, and over their right shoulder. The goal is to increase awareness of the fact that cars may approach from the rear and teach a technique for looking to see if cars are approaching.
* Use this diagram to help draw an intersection on your blackboard *
Example Lesson Plan: Street Safety Indoor Class
This lesson is the first part of a recommended two part lesson. Safe Routes recommends that you follow this class with a Walk Around the Block Neighborhood fieldtrip or a blacktop activity.
Grade level: Recommend 1-2
Materials
• Video: Step to Safety with Asimo
• VCR/or DVD & monitor, with hookups and power source
• White board or chalk board
• Dry-erase pen or chalk
Time : 40 minutes
Introduction: This lesson will introduce Safe Routes to Schools, encourage walking and biking and teach students how to cross the street safely. The Lesson engages students through a class discussion, a seven-minute traffic-safety video, and an interactive game to teach these principles.
Objective: Students will be able to explain the benefits and hazards of walking, identify edges, and demonstrate the procedure of stopping at every edge and looking and listening for traffic before crossing the street.
Vocabulary
Intersection - a place where two streets or pathways cross
Crosswalk - marked lines across the street that tell walkers where to cross the street
Edge - the side of the road, the end of the sidewalk, or the end of a parked car
Safety Training Outline
1. Discuss the Four Fantastic Reasons to bike and walk to get around. (Ask students to provide reasons if they have previously discussed them or have ideas.) When walking and biking, we’re:
• cutting down on pollution
• getting good exercise
• cutting down on traffic
• having fun!
2. Survey: Where do people walk ?
Conduct a brief oral survey. Ask students to raise hands if they sometimes bicycle, walk, skate, scooter or carpool to get around to stores, friends and relatives’ houses, school or lessons.
3. Activity Step to Safety with Asimo
This video, produced by the National Safety Council and Honda, demonstrates basic pedestrian safety information.
4. Discussion: Basics of Crossing Safely
Hold an interactive discussion that builds on and reviews the information delivered in the video.
• Discuss the video and demonstrate their understanding of the basic concepts:by asking the following questions:
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What do you always do before crossing the street? (STOP)
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What do you do before crossing between parked cars? (Check to make sure that the car isn’t going to pull away)
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Which way do you look first? (left)
5. OPTIONAL ACTIVITY: Looking Left, Right, Left, and Behind You
Draw a picture of an intersection in order to explain why students must look behind them before crossing an intersection. Conduct a game or activity (such as Simon Says) that requires students to demonstrate understanding of left and right. The activity should also require students to look behind them—over their left shoulder, and over their right shoulder. The goal is to increase awareness of the fact that cars may approach from the rear and teach a technique for looking to see if cars are approaching.
6. Practice Traffic Signals/Red Light Green Light Game
Introduce each traffic signal provided in the packet and ask the students what each one means. Go outside and play red light, green light using the traffic signals. Students can look left, right, left every time they stop.
7. Assessment
This classroom lesson should be followed by the lesson Walk Around the Block, a neighborhood walk during which students can practice and demonstrate crossing the street, stopping at edges, and identifying dangerous locations. Teachers can observe students, evaluate their abilities, and correct mistakes.
8. Closing
Encourage students to practice these skills with their favorite adult or older sibling. Remind students to walk only with people that their parents know and say it’s OK to walk with. (This is not designed to be a lesson on stranger danger. A separate lesson on stranger danger may be appropriate. Inquire with a school safety or local law enforcement officer for assistance.)
Around the Block,
Around the Blacktop
Part 2
Overview of Outdoor Tools for Pedestrian Safety
Safe Routes to Schools recommends that you reinforce these safety skills in the neighborhood as much as possible. Most schools have walking field trips. If you can’t leave the property, you can usually find teaching opportunities near the drop off zone and perimeter of the school property. Real life traffic situations prepare the kids to understand and work on their ability to judge the speed of cars much more effectively than practicing these skills on the blacktop.
A 1) Discussion
Review the basic pedestrian safety concepts. All outdoor activities are best taught following an indoor activity. This provides youth the opportunity to become familiar with vocabulary and to learn in a more focused atmosphere. Safe Routes recommends that you use the “Use your Head before Your Feet Rhyme.”
2) Activity
Walking around the Block. Please see attached lesson plans
3) Debriefing
Ask the students to share one thing they learned that day. You may choose to give students a Safe Walking Certificate. You can read the safe walking rules out loud with the students for review.
ll outdoor activities should be taught using the following sections:
Outdoor Tools:
Walk around the Block (Most Recommended)
Materials
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1 volunteer plus teacher
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A good route around neighborhood *
Grades: 2
Time: one class period: 30 minutes + 10 minutes for review and debriefing
Goals: This lesson emphasizes the importance of always stopping at every edge, looking and listening for moving cars. It provides students a chance to practice the safe crossing procedure of stopping at the edge, looking left then right, then left again and listening for cars before crossing the street.
Preparation: Scout a route in a neighborhood that includes the following situations: As much as possible, the walking route needs to be on sidewalks. The route works best if the students move from least complicated to most complicated crossing.
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One basic intersection where students will have to look behind them.
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At least one crosswalk
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A blocked driveway (a driveway that is difficult to see because of a fence or a bush)
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One opportunity to cross around parked cars.
Activity – Coaching Youth through Intersection Practice
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As you approach each situation, explain and model what the students should do. The best way to work with youth is through coaching: this strategy encourages youth to make their own decisions at an intersection. Rather than telling a student when it is clear or safe to go across an intersection, a teacher can ask “ Do you think it is clear and good to go across the street?”
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There should be an adult on each side of the intersection in order “to catch” the students. Students may pass through each traffic situation alone, in pairs or as a larger group. Safe Routes recommends that this activity be done in pairs so as to reduce group mentality while supporting the individual student.
Around Your Neighborhood The following are teaching points for each type of intersection: The intersections are listed in the suggested order.
Crosswalk
This is the safest place to cross the street. Remind students that
cars don’t always stop at crosswalks. This is a good place to teach about
making eye contact with drivers.
Hidden Driveways
The main thing is to emphasize that they need to slow down when getting to a driveway where a something is blocking the driver from seeing them. Ask them how they will know if a car is in the driveway, even if they can not see it (listening for the engine or door slamming)
Four Way Intersections
Ask the students to use their hands to point to all the places they need to look. When crossing, make sure each group models looking \behind them. You can ask students why they have look left first and twice. Point out that because cars always drive on the right side of the road the car coming from the left is the one which will hit you first.
Parked Cars
Students must check to make sure no one is in the car. Model looking at the driver’s window. The edge students will stop at is now the edge of the parked car.
Intersection Practice on the Blacktop/Gym
Materials: Cones or desks to delineate streets, cut outs of cars for moving cars
Grades: K-1
Time: one class period: 30 minutes + 10 minutes for review
Goals: Students will learn to make their own decision for crossing the street safely using a simulated car
Activity:
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Pick two students to be a car.
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Give the “car” clear directions for walking back and forth on the street. (Have the teacher assist with the car when needed) A car can move back and forth across Street A or Street B. Ask the students which side cars drive on. Explain to the car that they must stop when a walker makes eye contact with them. Practice eye contact.
Station #1: Crosswalk
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Have 1/3 of the students come up to cross the crosswalk. Line the pedestrians up at the crosswalk.
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Stand on the other side of the crosswalk holding the crosswalk signs. Alternate between walk, don’t walk, and flashing.
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Have the pedestrians go through the crosswalk one by one or in groups making a decision about when it is safe to go across. If there is a car coming:
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Make sure they practice looking left, right and left.
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If there is a car coming, teach students to make eye contact with the cars and go only if the car has come to a full stop.
Station #2: Parked Car
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Have the last 1/3 of the students line up to cross between the parked cars, come to the edge of the parked cars and look left, right and left before crossing the street.
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If there is a car coming, teach students to make eye contact with the cars and go only if the car has come to a full stop.
Station #3: Intersection
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Have 1/3 of the students cross at the corner where there can be cars turning.
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Make sure they look over their shoulder for cars turning.
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If there is a car coming, teach students to make eye contact with the cars and go only if the car has come to a full stop.
Review:
Indoor/Blacktop Intersection Description
Safety Stations You can split your students into three stations that start at different points of this intersection (see numbers in diagram) or you can move through the intersection as a whole class. . Once you model all three stations, students can move through the course as partners and use the safety checklist below to observe their partner’s behavior.
Increasing the Levels of Difficulty:
If the students go through this lesson and follow all the rules, you can increase complexity by doing the following things: increase the number of cars on both streets or hold up the intersection signs and have students cross at the proper signal
Easy Props!
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Use desks or chairs to serve as parked cars.
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U
se the attached stencil for students that want to act as cars moving up and down the two streets.
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Use hula hoops as steering wheels for student “car drivers”
Student Safety Checklist
This checklist an be used with Intersection Practice in 1st -2nd Grade
SMART (SAFE) BEHAVIOR
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YES
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NO
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Stops at all edges
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Looks left, right and Left before crossing the street
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Makes eye contact with the cars
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Crosses at the correct spot when there is a parked car
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Looks behind them when crossing the street
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| M Chaos Corner
Materials Cones
Grades: 3-4
Time: one class period: 10 minutes + 10 minutes for review
Goals Students will understand the need for traffic rules, signals and signage.
Set Up Designate an area by placing four tall safety cones, which the riders must remain within. The area should be made small enough so that it is difficult for students not to run into eachother
Activity. The teacher will allow riders to enter coned off area one at a time. The students are allowed to run in any direction they want. You can use different motions like skipping and running backwards to keep things interesting. If the Marshal sees riders making contact, they must be removed. Stop the traffic after about 3-4 minutes and ask the riders what rules would make the situation less chaotic. Try their ideas.
Debriefing At the end of the station, ask the riders if the new rules helped.
Use this discussion to prompt a larger discussion about why traffic rules exist
Your Wonderful, Creative, New Ideas! ore Outdoor Tools
From the Top Down:
Parents and State Standards
Part 3
Safe Routes to Schools Parent Information
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Your child has recently completed a WALKING SAFETY UNIT during their PE class. The goal of this unit, offered jointly through the Physical Education program and the Safe Routes to Schools Alameda County Partnership, is to give children the skills and knowledge to recognize and stop at the “edges” of curbs and roadways.
In this unit, students were taught the following skills:
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To recognize an edge: the side of the road, the end of the sidewalk or the end of a parked car.
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To understand traffic signals, especially ones at intersections.
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To follow these steps when crossing the streets:
STOP at every edge; LOOK left, right and left for vehicles or other hazards before crossing; MAKE eye contact with the driver; and KEEP their eyes on the road while crossing.
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Whenever possible, to always cross at the nearest crosswalk; if a crosswalk is not available, how to safely cross between parked cars. Students were taught to make sure parked cars were empty of drivers and not about to move, and then encouraged to walk out into the street to the edge of the parked car in order to check for moving vehicles.
5) To be assertive with drivers by making eye contact and using hand signals to request that the drivers stop or continue on.
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Students were continually reminded to walk only with trusted older friends or adults and not strangers. Students were not told that they could now walk alone.
You can help your child be a safer walker by modeling good behavior and walking places with them. Here are some fun activities you can do with them!
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Help them learn left from right by placing a dot on a child’s left hand and reminding them to look in that direction first.
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Help them to recognize stop signs and traffic lights by color … tape them on your walls, play follow the leader, ask them questions in the car or while walking. Go for a scavenger hunt to find traffic signs.
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Role Play- Try out different events before they happen….what if a ball goes into the street, what if your puppy runs into the street? Etc.
H
AVE FUN AND ENJOY! MAY YOU FIND JOY IN YOUR WALKS AROUND YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD!
Sincerely,
Melanie Grubman,
Education Coordinator, Safe Routes to Schools
(510) 740- 3150 EXT. 332
Safety and Physical Education State Standards Kindergarten
Content References
1.1 Travel with a large group, without bumping into others or falling, while using loco motor skills
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Travel forward and sideways while changing direction quickly in response to a signal
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Demonstrate contrasts between slow and fast speeds while using loco motor skills
1.10 Travel in straight, curved, or zigzag patterns
2.3 Identify and describe parts of the body: the head, shoulders, neck, back, chest, waist, hips, arms, elbows, wrists, hands, fingers, legs, knees, ankles, feet and toes.
3.1 Participate in physical activities that are enjoyable and challenging
Pedestrian Education Focus - Identifying Signs, Stopping and Going, healthy reasons to walk, coloring pages to emphasize concepts
Teaching Tools – Red Light Green Light Game, Four Fantastic Reasons to Walk and Bike, Safety Rhyme and Song, Safe Moves Pedestrian Rodeo
First Grade
Content References
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Change speeds in response to tempos, rhythms, and signals while traveling in straight, curved and zigzag pathways, using the following loco motor movements: walking, running, leaping, hopping, jumping, galloping, sliding and skipping.
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Demonstrate differences between slow and fast, heavy and light, and hard and soft while moving.
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Identify the right and left sides of the body and movement from right to left and left to right.
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Participate in physical activities that are enjoyable and challenging
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Demonstrate the attributes of an effective partner in physical activity
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Demonstrate and Identify effective practices for working with a group without interfering with others
Pedestrian Education Focus – Review of Safety Sign Identification, Parked Car
Crossing, Simple Intersection Crossing (two directions), Identification of Left and Right, Four Fantastic Reasons to Walk and Bike
Teaching Tools - Simon Says Game , Four Fantastic Reasons to Walk and Bike, Safety Rhyme and Song , Safe Moves Pedestrian Rodeo, Safety Video
2nd Grade
Content References
4.3 Identify ways to increase time for physical activity outside of school.
5.1 Participate in a variety of group settings (ie: partners, small groups, large groups) without interfering with others
5.2 Accept responsibility for one’s own behavior in a group activity.
5.5 Demonstrate respect for self, others and equipment during physical activities.
5.6 Demonstrate how to solve a problem with another person during physical activity.
Pedestrian Education Focus - Review of Parked Car Crossing, Intersection Crossing, Identification of Left and Right and behind, Four Fantastic Reasons to Walk and Bike, Making decisions on one’s own
Teaching Tools - Simon Says Game, Four Fantastic Reasons to Walk and Bike, Safe Moves Pedestrian Rodeo, Neighborhood Walk, Safety Video
5th Grade
Content References
5.1 Improve the level of performance on one component of health-related physical fitness and one identified motor skill by participating in fitness and skill development activities outside of school
5.3 Distinguish between acts of physical courage and physically reckless acts and explain the key characteristics of each.
Educational Focus- Providing youth with bike handling skills and traffic navigation skills
Teaching Tools- Two week on-the-bike PE training program provided by SR2S
6th grade
Content References-
2.1 Explain how to increase force based on the principles of biomechanics.
2.3 Analyze and correct errors in movement patterns.
2.5 Identify practices and procedures necessary for safe participation in physical activities.
5.1 Participate productively in group physical activities.
5.2 Evaluate individual responsibility in group efforts
Educational Focus- Providing youth with bike handling skills and traffic navigation skills
Teaching Tools- Two week on-the-bike PE training program provided by SR2S
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