First Grade Curriculum Resources

Standard of Learning

1.2 The student will explain that good health is related to health-promoting decisions. Key concepts/skills include:

personal hygiene, including care of one's teeth
personal safety behaviors;
the harmful effects of misusing medicines and drugs;
sleep habits;
physical activity and healthy entertainment;
proper nutrition.

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Understanding the Standard

The student will describe the need for and the importance of personal safety behaviors.

Essential Knowledge and Skills

The student will:

describe a safety rule. (a rule that keeps you safe)
list examples of safety rules:
- at home;
- at school;
- during bad weather;
- to prevent a fire;
- in the kitchen;
- when you ride a bike;
- when you ride in a car;
- on the bus; and
- on the playground.
- describe personal safety behaviors. (following safety rules)
- list different types of poisons. (household cleaning chemicals, bug sprays, etc., that can harm your brain and body if you put them in your mouth)

Sample Lessons

Basic Water Safety
Grades: K-3
Water safety is very important for children to learn. This lesson shows children at a young age, basic safety rules for swimming pools or lakes, and how to help out a distressed swimmer by the use of a reaching assist.
Sponsor: Ask Eric
Contact: http://www.eduref.org (select lesson plans – health – safety)
Free

Be Smart, Be Safe!
Grade 1-12
In this lesson plan, students are asked to generate lists of safety rules in an assigned area of safety concern (bus safety, automobile safety, etc). Once complete, the teacher will work with the class to expand the lists, allowing the students to take part in establishing the safety rules they are expected to know.
http://www.dunebrook.org/lessons/be_smart_be_safe.htm
Sponsor: Dunebrook
Free

Bicycle Safety/Safety Tips
Grades: K-1
Children need to learn the importance of bicycle safety. This lesson will show them safety tips and information for safe bicycling.
Sponsor: Ask Eric
Contact: http://www.eduref.org (select lesson plans – health – safety)
Free

Everyday Hazards: Safety Lessons
Grades K-2
VDFP Kids focuses on four broad safety themes: installing and testing smoke alarms; planning and practicing escape routes; bicycle safety and hunting for home hazards. Each theme addresses major safety concerns for children in grades K-6. These lessons are correlated to the Virginia Standards of Learning.
http://www.vafire.com/fire_safety_education/vdfpkidsk-2.html
Sponsor: Virginia Department of Fire Programs
Free

People We Trust
Grades K-3
In addition to learning the difference between medicines and harmful drugs, students will also need to learn about safe behaviors for acquiring medicines. In this lesson, they will take part in activities which will help them learn the people in their lives they can trust to give them medicines.
http://www.acde.org/educate/k3plan2.htm
Sponsor: American Council for Drug Education
Free

Safety First
Grades K-1
It is important that children learn the importance of safety through different skills. Through this lesson, children will gain a perspective in recognizing unsafe situations and selecting the correct response or reaction. Teaching children to be aware is also teaching them to be responsible for themselves and to use their best judgments.
http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Health/Safety/SFY0009.html
Sponsor: Educator’s Reference Desk
Free

Say No to Pyro – Fire Safety
Grades K-1
This lesson will identify potentially dangerous situations involving fire. This will show them what to do when they come across a situation where there is a possible problem.
http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Health/Safety/SFY0007.html
Sponsor: Educator’s Reference Desk
Free

Sun Smart
Grades K-1
In this lesson, students learn how to protect themselves from the dangers of the sun. Although aimed at students living in Australia, this activity can be adapted by teachers worldwide.
http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Health/Safety/SFY0200.html
Sponsor: Educator’s Reference Desk
Free

SunWise
Grades: K-8
The SunWise School Program is an environmental and health education program that aims to teach children and their caregivers how to protect themselves from overexposure to the sun. Through the use of classroom-, school-, and community-based components, SunWise seeks to develop sustained sun-safe behaviors in schoolchildren.
Sponsor: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Contact: http://www.epa.gov/sunwise/
Free

Lesson Ideas

Practice Stop, Drop & Roll.
Students discuss ways to stay safe while riding in cars. They create collages and practice a rhyme about sitting in the back seat.
Students brainstorm situations where swimming with a buddy would be helpful and they learn a song about the buddy system. They are given several situations and asked to use the decision-making process to make safe decisions.
If the school can provide folders to students, suggest that all papers and exercises they complete about safety be kept in the folder. They will show/share things in the folder with classmates during the year. If folders are not available, a strong plastic bag (Le., gallon-sized zip-loc bag) may be used.

Additional Instructional Resources

"Be Safe" - http://www.healthteacher.com
"Bike Smart! Virginia" - Virginia Departments of Education and Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control - http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc andhttp://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/cmprfact.htm
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) - http://www.cpsc.gov/kids/kidsafety/index.html
Educators Reference Desk- School Safety - http://www.eduref.org/cgi- | bin/lessons.cgi/Health/Safety
Health Teacher (membership fee) - http://www.healthteacher.com
K-6 Life Skills Learning Objectives - http://www.lifeskills4kids.com/learning_objectives.htm
Kids Health For Kids- Watch Out - http://kidshealth.org/kid/watch/
Lowes Home Safety Council for Teachers - http://www.homesafetycouncil.org/home/home_april_w002.aspx
National Highway Safety Administration - http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration - http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov
National SAFEKIDS Campaign - http://www.safekids.org
National Safety Council - http://www.nsc.org
"Pirate Pete" - Playground Video - Department of Health
Risk Watch - http://www.riskwatch.org
Safe America - http://www.safeamerica.org
Safety – http://www.pbs.org/teachersource/ (health & fitness k-2)
Safe USA - http://www.safeusa.org
SunWise - http://www.epa.gov/sunwise/
VDH, Division of Injury & Violence Prevention (DIVP) - http://www.vahealth.org/civp
Virginia Center for School Safety - http://www.dcjs.virginia.gov/vcss/index.cfm
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles - http://www.dmv.state.va.us
Watch Out - http://kidshealth.org/kid/watch

Assessment Ideas

The student will:

identify safety behaviors they currently use to protect themselves.
keep a record for a one- or two-week period of their safety behaviors.

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