Minimum 6-Lesson Plan for Middle School Students

Assumes 50-55 minute lessons.

Bicycle Safety Education Lesson Overview

Day/Lesson
/
Activity
At least 2 weeks before unit /
  • Administer student survey to find out who does not know how to ride a bike or who may want a helmet or bike.
  • After you have the results of the survey, meet with SRTS Coordinator (Sonia) to coordinatewhen you need volunteers in class and how to get students helmets or bikes after the unit.

At least 1 week before unit /
  • Send letters to parents letting them know about the unit, along with consent forms.
  • Prep students for the bike unit. Let them know they will need to come to class with a helmet-friendly hairstyle. All students must wear helmets if they want to ride a bike. If the class performs well, we will get to go on a bike ride at the end of the unit.

At least 1 day before unit /
  • Trailer dropped off with bikes, helmets, and equipment at school
  • Walk-through trailer with checklist to check-in equipment (PE teacher/EtA leader and SRTS coord)

Lesson 1 (Inside)
(can be done before the bike fleet arrives) /
  • Physical activity to get heart rate up
  • Discuss common crashes for kids.
  • Five “Rules of the Road”

Lesson 2
(Gym) /
  • Helmets: why we wear them and how to fit them
  • Bicycle Fit& proper seat height
  • ABC Quick Check
  • Skills practice: Starting and Stopping technique (in gym, or outside)

Lesson 3
(On school property) /
  • Review helmet fit, bike fit, ABC Quickcheck
  • Skills practice: Review starting, stopping, and restarting.
  • Skills practice: “Scanning” (looking over left shoulder) and gears
  • Skills practice: Entering the road/wait for wave/riding on the sidewalk

Lesson 4 (Gym or playground, then on-street) /
  • Watch intersection video:
  • Review helmet fit, bike fit, ABC Quick check
  • Skills practice: starting,scanning.
  • Practice right- turns

Lesson 5 (Gym or playground, then on-street). /
  • Discuss right-of-way
  • Review helmet fit, bike fit, ABC Quick check
  • Skills practice: starting,signaling.
  • Practice right turns, left turns, right of way.

Final bike ride /
  • Bike ride through community

1

Pre-Lesson Resources

Name: ______

Student Survey (Pre-Bike Unit)

  1. Do you know how to ride a bike without training wheels?(circle one) Yes No Not sure

(If no, you will have an opportunity to learn how to ride during the upcoming bike safety unit)

  1. Do you use a helmet when you ride a bike? (circle one) Yes No I don’t ride a bike

If no, why don’t you use a helmet?

  1. Do you have a bike? Yes No

If no, would you like find out how to get a free or low-cost bicycle from a local non-profit organization? Yes No

  1. In several weeks, we will be starting a bike safety unit. There will be a fleet of bicycles you can use, or you can bring your own bike. If you bring your own bike, you and a parent will need to check it over to make sure it is safe to use. What do you intend to do?

I will use one of the bikes in the fleet provided

I will bring my own bike

------

Name: ______

Student Survey (Pre-Bike Unit)

  1. Do you know how to ride a bike without training wheels?(circle one) Yes No Not sure

(If no, you will have an opportunity to learn how to ride during the upcoming bike safety unit)

  1. Do you use a helmet when you ride a bike? (circle one) Yes No I don’t ride a bike

If no, why don’t you use a helmet?

  1. Do you have a bike? Yes No

If no, would you like find out how to get a free or low-cost bicycle from a local non-profit organization? Yes No

  1. In several weeks, we will be starting a bike safety unit. There will be a fleet of bicycles you can use, or you can bring your own bike. If you bring your own bike, you and a parent will need to check it over to make sure it is safe to use. What do you intend to do?

I will use one of the bikes in the fleet provided

I will bring my own bike

Sample letter to Parents

Dear Parent/Guardian,

Starting on ______(date) your child has the opportunity to participate in a bicycle safety education unit. Please sign and have your child return the attached consent form to their Physical Education teacher by _____ (date). Allowing your child to participate in this unit and learn how to ride their bike safely on sidewalks and on the street will give him or her skills he or she can use as part of a healthy lifestyle.Children who understand the rules of the road not only reduce their chances of injury, but also enjoy bicycling and the freedom it brings. Bicycle riding not only serves as transportation, it can also improve the health of the body, mind, spirit and ultimately the planet.

The program is a 6- lesson unit offered during physical education classes that will teach traffic laws and skills through classroom activities and on-bike skills practice. Students will learn about helmet fitting, hand signals, traffic signs, and maneuvering through intersections and out of driveways. The on-bike portions of the bicycle safety education unit will be run on the school grounds and surrounding community streets; bicycles and helmets will be supplied by the school district for students use during these classes.If your child never learned to balance a bike on their own, they will have the opportunity to learn in a safe, quick, no-fall method with a teacher or volunteer. To see a video of the method we use, go to:

There are two ways that we encourage you to become involved. First, if your child already has a bike, have them help you make sure it is safe to ride using the “ABC Quick Check”, and have them tell you whether their helmet fits correctly. Second, we encourage you to join us on the final day of the unit for a bike ride around the neighborhood. Look for another notice about this final bike ride in several weeks.

Bicycle Education Unit--Parental Release and Consent Form

Student’s name______

Teacher’s name______

School name______

All participants in the bicycle education unit must have this consent form signed by a parent or legal guardian. The following conditions apply:

1) All participants will be taking part in physical activity, mainly cycling. Individual in average health will be able to comfortably participate; it shall be each individual’s responsibility to be sure they are in a healthy condition.

2) Bicycle riding will occur both on the school grounds and on streets, therefore, all activities are potentially dangerous. Participants must adhere to the rules set out in class in order to assume responsibility for their risk.

3) Neither the Madison Metropolitan School District staff nor the volunteers who will be assisting teachers with the unit will assume legal liability for any program participants.

4) If my child is participating in this program using his/her own bicycle and/or helmet, I agree to inspect the bicycle and/or helmet prior to the course to ensure there items are safe for my child’s use. I understand that MMSD cannot inspect the bicycle or helmet for safety and that I must do so. I specifically understand that bicycle helmets are considered unsafe if they have been worn in a crash, no matter how slight, or if they have been dropped from a height more than three feet onto any hard surface or are over five years old. I understand that this is the case even if the helmet shows no visible signs of damage.

I, ______(parents/guardian name), give my consent for

______(child’s name) to participate in bicycle safety education unit. I hereby release the Madison Metropolitan School District, the volunteers assisting MMSD staff with the unit, the state of Wisconsin and any other program participants from any and all liability with relationship to participation in the bicycle safety education program.

______

Parent / Guardian Signature Date

Sample Letter in Spanish

Estimados padres/encargados:

Empezando el día ______(fecha) su hijo tendrá la oportunidad de participar en una unidad de educación de seguridad de bicicletas. Por favor firme el permiso adjuntado y pida a su hijo devolvérselo a su maestro/a de educación física antes del ____ (fecha). Al permitir que su hijo participe en la unidad y aprende como montar su bicicleta de una manera segura en las aceras y en la calle, le dará conocimiento que él o ella utilizará durante el resto de la vida.. Los niños que entienden las reglas del tráfico minimizan la posibilidad de lastimarse y también disfrutan del ciclismo y la libertad que ofrece. El ciclismo no solo sirve como medio de transporte, también mejora la salud del cuerpo, de la mente, del alma, y hasta la saludde la planeta.

Este programa es una unidad de 6 lecciones ofrecido durante las clases de educación física, en donde se enseña las leyes del tráfico y destrezas de bicicletas con actividadesen elgimnasioy por medio de la práctica en la bicicleta. Los estudiantes aprenderán destrezas como el uso del casco, señales de mano, rótulos de tráfico, y como salir de la acera y cruzar intersecciones. La práctica en la bicicleta tomará lugar en el patio de la escuela y las calles adyacentes; las bicicletas y los cascos serán proveídos por el distrito escolar para el uso de los estudiantes durante las clases. Si su hijo/a nunca aprendió como balancear un una bicicleta, se les dará la oportunidad aprender en una manera segura, rápida, y sin caídas con un/a maestro/a o voluntario/a. Para ver un video del método que usamos, ver:

Los animamos a participar en dos maneras. Primero, si su hijo/a ya tiene una bici, pide su ayuda para ver si está seguracon el chequeo rápido “ABC Quick Check”, y que él/ella le dice si su casco le queda bien. Segundo, los invitamos a juntar con nosotros en el día final de la unidad para el paseo de bici en la vecindad de la escuela. Se les comunicara más información sobre este paseo final en unas semanas.


Unidad de Educación de Seguridad de Bicicletas--Forma de Permisión

Nombre del estudiante______

Nombre del maestro______

Nombre de la escuela______

Todo participanteen la unidad de educación de seguridad de bicicletas necesita tener un permiso firmado por su padre/encargado. Se aplicaran las siguientes reglas:

1) Todos los participantes tomaran parte en actividades físicas, principalmente el montarbicicleta. Los estudiantes necesitan estar en buen estado de salud y son responsables deinformar si tienen algún problema.

2) Usaremos las bicicletas en la calle, con posibilidad de algún peligro. Los estudiantesnecesitan seguir nuestras reglas y asumir responsabilidad para su propio bienestar.

3) Ni el Distrito Escolar Metropolitano de Madisonni los voluntarios quienes estarán ayudando a los maestros con la unidad seresponsabilizarán de alguna situación legal que pueda surgir. Los participantes deben deasumir la responsabilidad de la misma.

4) Si mi niño está tomando este curso usando su propia bicicleta o casco, es mi deber revisar la bicicleta y el casco antes del comienzo del programa. Entiendo que el distrito no puede revisar la bicicleta ni el casco para seguridad y yo debo hacerlo. Entiendo que los cascos se consideran inseguros si ya han sufrido algún choque, o si se han caído de una altura de más de 3 pies o tienen más de cinco años de uso. Entiendo que esto es el caso, aunque el casco se perfectamente bien.

Yo ______(nombre del padre/encargado) doy permiso a

______(nombre de mi hijo/hija) a participar en el la unidad de educación de seguridad de bicicletas. Ni el Distrito Escolar Metropolitano de Madison, ni los voluntarios que ayudan con la unidad, ni el estado de Wisconsin seresponsabilizarán por alguna situación legal que pudiera surgir durante la duración delprograma.

______

Firma del padre/encargado Fecha

1

Lesson 1: Intro to the Bicycle Safety Unit, Common Causes of Crashes, Five Rules of the Road

Materials Needed:

  • Roll-paperand markers for transportation chart (optional—see resources)
  • For common causes of crashes, have a scaled version of a roadway and intersection. (Eventually, the trailers will include twobig groundcovers diagrammed as intersections)
  • Printed out sign of Five Rules of the Road

The “Common Causes of Crashes” part of this lesson can occur before you actually have the bike fleet. It would be easiest to see if you can get Steve Meiers to come and present the common causes of crashes. He knows examples of nearby kids’ bike crashes off the top of his head. If you are unable to find a time he is free, we will be developing a lesson plan that we can do with a giant ground cover that has been painted to look like an intersection.

  1. Physical Activity to get heart rate up (10 min) and Transportation Investigation

If this lesson is being taught in Physical Education class, it’s probably a good idea to give students an activity where they can run around and burn some energy before sitting down and listening and reflecting.

Transportation Investigation: If you’re charting modes of transportation, have students chart their mode on the roll paper or transportation chart as they transition from this activity to the next activity during this and future.

  1. Introduce the Bike Safety Unit (3 min)
  • In this unit, you will learn how to “drive your bike”.
  • You will learn how to drive your bike because bicycles are vehicles.
  • Today, we won’t be getting on the bikes. Before we get on the bikes we need to talk about how bicycles are vehicles and how to keep yourself safe by following traffic laws.
  • As long as we get through the presentation today, we should be able to get on the bikes during your next class. If the class gets through all the lessons, we will get to go on a bike ride at the end of the unit.
  1. Why do we have Traffic Laws? (5 min)
  • Laws exist to help keep us safe.
  • What’s an example of a law that sometimes gets broken? What are the consequences and punishment for breaking it?
  • There are many different laws and a variety of consequences for breaking laws.
  • In addition to punishment, it’s important to recognize that your actions will affect other people’s lives as well. We must take responsibility for our actions and behaviors.
  • Bicycles are vehicles and must follow the same traffic laws as other vehicles. ARE BICYCLES VEHICLES?
  • What are some laws that all vehicles, including cars and bikes should follow?
  • One way that traffic laws keep us safe is by keeping our actions predictable and visible.
  • Predictable—what does that mean?
  • Visible: What does that mean?
  1. Sidewalk Riding. (5 min)

"Does anyone know what the laws are about riding on the sidewalk in Madison or in surrounding towns?"In Madison, you can ride on the sidewalk unless the building is right up against the sidewalk (like in the downtown area).

Do you think it is safer to ride on the sidewalk, or on the street? If you are younger than 9 years old, it’s usually safer to ride on the sidewalk. If you are older than 9 years old, it’s usually safer to ride on the street. Does anyone have any ideas why that is so? (Younger kids move slower, are less predictable, don’t understand traffic as well. Older kids move faster and are more likely to crash with vehicles that are exiting driveways or turning at intersections. Also, more of a danger to other pedestrians on sidewalk, and are ready to understand traffic. Of course, on busy streets, even some adults like to ride on the sidewalks!)

  1. Common Causes of Crashes (15 min)

Ask students if they have ever been in a bike crash. Ask them to describe how it happened. (Usually, they are self-inflicted at this age, by doing silly stunts).

Most bicycle crashes do not involve vehicles. But the worst bicycle crashes occur when crashing with a car. Youths are at fault almost all the time when they do crash with cars. Therefore, the really bad accidents can be avoided by smart cycling.

What do you think the frequent causes of major bicycle crashes for youths, where a youth was seriously injured or died? The top three reasons are:

  • Cyclists come out of a driveway, don’t stop and crash with a car
  • Cyclists riding on the sidewalk crash into a car at a driveway or intersection.
  • Cyclists don’t follow the rules at intersections—they run stop signs

Using a scaled version of a roadway (with volunteer “cyclists” and “drivers”, illustrate all three of the top reasons for crashing. After you’ve illustrated each reason, ask students how the cyclist could have avoided the crash. Some ideas that might come up:

  • Making eye contact with drivers on the sidewalk
  • Looking for traffic before going into the street.
  • Identifying and abiding by all traffic signs,
  • signaling before turning,
  • Riding predictably.
  1. Rules of the Road (7 min)

Let’s go over the five rules that bicyclists should follow to keep themselves and others safe.

1)Ride Ready

What is the most important thing to be wearing when you are ready to ride?

A helmet. Why?

What else can you do to make you and your bike “ride ready”?

Check that your tires have sufficient air, brakes are working, chain runs smoothly, and quick release levers are closed. Wear a helmet. Roll up your pant leg and tie your shoelaces.

2)Follow the Law

Do bicyclists need to follow traffic laws, or are there exceptions?

Obey all traffic signs. Why?

What are some traffic signs? What do they mean?

What side of the street do bicycles ride on?

Is it legal to ride on the sidewalk?

You have the same rights and duties as drivers. Obey traffic signals and stop signs. Ride with traffic; use the rightmost lane headed in the direction you are going. Know when it’s legal to ride on the sidewalk. People aged 10 and up should usually ride in the road, except on busy roads or where you feel it’s safer to be on the sidewalk.

3)Be Predictable

  • What does it mean to be predictable and how does it keep us safe?

When we’re predictable other drivers will know what we are going to do and where we are going to be and can therefore avoid hitting us.

  • How many feet away from the curb or parked cars should we ride our bicycles?

3 feet. Why shouldn’t you ride in the gutter?

  • You are approaching a turn. You look behind you and left-right-left and see that it is clear, what do you do next?

Use hand signals. Why? (predictable)