Standard of Learning

1.3 The student will explain the need for specific rules and practices to promote personal safety and injury-free situations. Key concepts/skills include:

1. bus and automobile safety;
2. pedestrian safety;
3. playground safety;
4. fire safety;
5. home safety;
6. Internet safety;
7. water safety;
8. bicycle, in-line skating, skateboard, scooter, and other self-propelled vehicle safety;
9. the need for protective gear.

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Understanding the Standard

The student will understand the importance of water safety rules.

Essential Knowledge and Skills

The student will:

• identify rules for being safe around the pool, creek, pond, lake, river, and ocean. (adult supervision, life guard, proper use of life jacket, the buddy system, etc.)
• describe weather conditions that are dangerous when in the water. (lightning, high winds, heavy rain, etc.)
• identify rules for being safe while participating in recreational water sports. (skiing, boating, fishing, tubing, and jet skiing safety)
• determine why one should remain seated when a boat is moving.

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

Beach Safety
Grade 1
Everybody loves to go to the beach, but not everyone is aware of the dangers at the beach, particularly young children. This lesson plan will help inform them of the dangers water posses and equip them with knowledge that will allow them to safely play in water in the future.
http://www.sandiego.gov/lifeguards/safety/lesson.shtml
Sponsor: The City of San Diego
Free

Safety City
Grade 1
It is important for students to be aware of the rules citizens must obey to stay safe and function normal in society, so this lesson plan outlines the basic information that students should be familiar with.
http://www.abilenepolice.com/safetycity/lesson%20plan.htm
Sponsor: Albilene Police
Free

Safety First
Grades K-1
Teaching safety is as important as living day-to-day, they go hand-in-hand. Children can learn to take responsibility for themselves in school, at home and on their own. Given different situations, children can learn the basic fundamentals of safety and how it comes first.
Sponsor: Ask Eric
Contact: http://www.eduref.org (select lesson plans – health – safety)
Free

SunSmart
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.
Sponsor: Ask Eric
Contact: http://www.eduref.org (select lesson plans – health – safety)
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

Water Safety
Grade 1
This lesson aims at informing students about the many dangers that are associated with water. Students will learn about safety procedures that both prevent and respond to injury.
http://www.lifeguardsireland.com/lessonplan.pdf
Sponsor: lifeguardsupport.co.uk
Free

Lesson Ideas

• What Floats? Show a variety of objects; students guess whether the items will float or will not float. Place objects in bowl/or jar of water to determine if the object floats.
• Using a puppet to pose situations about water safety, students practice decision-making skills by suggesting options and consequences to the puppet.
• 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.
• Read the facts about water safety and discuss basic rules with input from children about their water safety habits.
• Review the selected rules to follow when in or near water in different seasons and weather conditions.
• Ask the students to bring pictures of water safety habits from magazines/newspapers to share with the class during the next water safety lesson.
• Divide the students into groups of four. Ask them to draw ONE picture together that shows four children at a pool or lake, using good water safety habits. They have 10 minutes to complete the picture. The group will choose one member to tell the class which safety habits were in the picture. All pictures will be displayed on the bulletin board
• Have students role-play:
  • dangers of not obeying rules
  • how to help people not to take risks
  • how to prevent people from drowning: throw a line or preserver, call an adult, call 911 or emergency personnel (police, ambulance, or fire department)

Additional Instructional Resources

• American Red Cross - http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/0,1082,0_584_,00.html
• A to Z Teacher Stuff - http://atozteacherstuff.com/Themes/Fire_Safety/
• "Buddy Systems" - http://www.healthteacher.com
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control - http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc and http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/cmprfact.htm
• Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) - http://www.cpsc.gov/kids/kidsafety/index.html
• The Educators Reference Desk- School Safety - http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/lessons.cgi/Health/Safety
• Health Teacher (membership fee) - http://www.healthteacher.com
• Kids Health For Kids- Watch Out - http://kidshealth.org/kid/watch/
• Local fire departments (October is Fire Safety Month)
• Lowe's Home Safety Council for Teachers - http://www.homesafetycouncil.org/home/home_april_w002.aspx
• National SAFEKIDS Campaign - http://www.safekids.org
• RISK WATCH - http://www.riskwatch.org
• Safe America - http://www.safeamerica.org
• Safe Kids Organizations - http://www.nsc.org
• Safe USA - http://www.safeusa.org
• Safety – http://www.pbs.org/teachersource/(health & fitness k-2)
• "Staying Safe Near the Water" - http://www.healthteacher.com
• SunWise - http://www.epa.gov/sunwise/
• VDH, Division of for Injury & Violence Prevention (DIVP) - http://www.vahealth.org/civp
• Virginia Center for School Safety - http://www.dcjs.virginia.gov/vcss/index.cfm
• Virginia Water Safety Coalition - http://www.watersafety.org
• Watch Out - http://kidshealth.org/kid/watch

Assessment Ideas

The student will:

• create a Water Safety Day.
• demonstrate the proper way to wear a life jacket (PFD).
• write a short story about why the buddy system is important.

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