District 11 Curriculum & Instruction Department
Health & Physical Education



 

 

 

 

 

 

Grades 2 - 5, Bicycle Safety Overview
 

Overview                                                                              

Bicycling is a fun and healthy recreational activity for all ages.  When children learn how to ride a bike, they should also be taught how to stay safe.  The attitudes that are instilled early on will shape and form how he/she will ride for years to come.  If they work on these safety issues from the beginning, it may prevent accidents in the future.  This unit will explore safe riding tips that are smart routes to safe bicycling.  This unit will probably not be easily taught during your regular classes.  It would be best taught during an after school enrichment or in a bicycle club activity with 10 – 15 students.   The safety rules and tips compiled in this unit are resources from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Consumer Product Safety Commission.  It is important to remember that even though bicycling is fun, a bicycle is not a toy; it’s a vehicle.

For Teachers
No Prerequisite
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Enduring Understandings: important ideas that students should carry with them years beyond the instruction received this year.

  • A complete fitness program promotes participation in grade level skills and activities that build health and wellness including cardiovascular, flexibility, body composition, muscular strength and endurance, and lifetime activity.
  • We can increase our health and wellness by participating in the physical activities we lead or participate in by ourselves and with others.
  • Safety rules help keep bicycling a safe and fun recreation.
     

Essential Questions: most important “big picture” questions students should be able to answer after completing learning activities.

  • Why do we have to be responsible for our own behavior?

  • Why is wearing a bicycle helmet so important?

  • Why is it important to check the adjustments and components of your bicycle?

  • Why is it important to follow the rules of the road?
     

Standards
  Highest Frequency Standards High Frequency Standards Other Standards & E-skills

Standard One: Demonstrates skills in a variety of activities
Benchmark: Loco motor, non-loco motor, manipulative skill development and movement
District Indicator: Repeatedly performs loco motor, non-loco motor, and manipulative skills in isolation and combination
Standard Two:
Exhibits components of physical fitness
Cardiovascular - Participated in games that increase breathing, heart rate, sustains activity for increasingly longer periods of time.
Standard Three: 3.1 Participates in a variety of activities
Standard Five: Demonstrates the knowledge necessary to participate in physical activity; safe use and respect of equipment.
Standard Six:  6.1 Works cooperatively with others.

Essential Skills

Resources

Performance Indicator  Assessments


Lesson 1: General Bicycle Safety Rules (2nd – 5th Grade)
Duration: 45 minutes
General Bicycle Safety Rules Overview:
When you are bicycling it is important to follow safety rules that will help keep you safe. The safety rules and tips compiled in this lesson are resources from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Materials Needed: Have students bring in their bicycle helmets and bicycles, 12 – 15 cones to mark driveway, enough helmet and hand signal handouts for each student, video equipment and video “Zone of Danger”, to view a portion titled “Ride Outs”.

Assessment:

Activities: (5 minutes). Explain and demonstrate the rules for bicycle safety.

  • Bicycle Helmets - Always wear a bicycle helmet.  Never ride a bicycle without a helmet.  It is recommended to wear a helmet that complies with CPSC standards.  In fact, the CPSC states that by wearing a helmet it can reduce injuries by 85 percent.  Furthermore, it is recommended to use the extra padding for children to ensure a proper fit.  This padding may be removed as the child’s head grows. Easy Steps to Properly  fit helmet.doc
  • Don’t assume that you can be seen - Teach your students to assume that cars don’t, or can’t see you, and to ride accordingly.
  • Riding out of driveways - One of the leading causes of accidents is children riding out of their driveways without looking. Make sure that they understand the risk.  Have them look for cars first and carefully enter the street proceeding close to the shoulder.
  • Stay alert when riding - Use your eyes AND ears. You want to keep a watchful eye for such obstacles like potholes, cracks, storm grates, railroad tracks, or anything that would make you lose control. Keep your bicycle in control at all times. Place objects in a backpack.You also need your ears to hear traffic and avoid dangerous situations; don’t wear a headset when you ride.
  • Learning to signal while riding - Bicycling Hand Signals.doc

(10 minutes). Have the students make sure that their helmets fit properly using the tips sheet.  Assist and check that everybody is wearing their helmets correctly

Explain and demonstrate safety concerning driving outs. Ride Outs video clip.asf

(20 – 30 minutes) Ride out activity.doc. Have the students practice riding out in to traffic safely.  Show the ride out portion of the video titled, “Zone of Danger”.

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Lesson 2: General Bicycle Safety Rules (2nd – 5th Grade)
Duration: 45 minutes
General Bicycle Safety Rules Overview: This is a continuation from lesson one. In this lesson, we will discuss additional safety rules and tips that will help keep you safe. Also, this lesson will introduce some road safety tips that will identify different dangers that riding your bicycle on the street create. The safety rules and tips compiled in this lesson are resources from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Materials Needed: Have students bring in their bicycle helmets and bicycles, six point inspection list printouts for each student.

Assessment:

Activities: (10 minutes) Explain and demonstrate the rules for bicycle safety.  Review the bicycle safety rules from lesson one.

  • Adjust your bicycle to fit - Stand over your bicycle. There should be 1 – 2 inches between you and the top cross bar and 3 – 4 inches if riding a mountain bike. The seat should be level front to back.  The seat height should be adjusted to allow a slight bend at the knee when leg is fully extended and the handlebar should be at the same level as the seat.
  • Check your equipment - Before riding, inspect your bicycle.  Six Point Bicycle Safety Check.doc
  • See and Be Seen - Wear bright colors that will make you more visible like bright neon or fluorescent colors day or night. At night, wear reflective clothing. Remember, just because you can see a driver doesn’t mean the driver can see you.
  • Avoid riding at night - It is more dangerous to ride your bicycle at night.  Make sure that your bicycle has proper reflectors on the front and rear (white headlight on the front and red flashing stop light on the back.
     

(15 – 20 minutes). Have the students use the six point inspection list to inspect their bicycles.  Have the students put on their helmets.  Check for proper fit.  Have the students watch the “Zones of Danger” (13:45) Video. Zone of Danger video.asf

Bicycle riding skill activity. Explain and demonstrate looking around while riding.  It is important to be able to look around and back to check on traffic and other hazards while riding in a straight line (not swerving).

(15 minutes) Divide the group into three even lines. Make sure that the lines are spread out far enough that riders will have ample room. On the signal, the first person in each line will ride their bicycle across while they practice looking around and back without swerving. When everybody has made it to the other side, have them repeat back to the other side. For safety, if you have a grassy area where you can conduct this drill, it will add a softer fall surface.

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Lesson 3: Road Safety (2nd – 5th Grade)
Duration: 45 minutes
Road Safety Overview: The greatest cause of all bicycling accidents is wrong-way riding. Stress always riding on the right side of the road in the same direction as traffic. To ride on the road also means to know the rules of the road.  When riding bicycles everybody needs to follow signs, signal turns, stop at lights and ride predictably. Parents should ride local roads with your children to show them which are safe to ride and point out road hazards. Additionally, this lesson will also explore how to navigate intersections. Finally, the safety rules and tips compiled in this lesson are resources from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Consumer Product Safety Commission

Materials Needed: Have students bring in their bicycle helmets and bicycles, six point inspection list, road safety rules, and road sign printouts for each student.

Assessment:

Activities: (10 – 15 minutes) Explain and demonstrate the rules of the road. Explain and demonstrate traffic signs that are found on the roads and their meaning. Give each student a copy of the road safety rules.  Road Safety Rules.doc  Safe with sign1.doc

Discuss how traffic laws apply for bicyclists.

What are the definitions for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists?
Pedestrian - (n) One who walks (adj) walking.
Cyclist - (n) A bicycle rider.
Motorist - (n) One who travels in an automobile.

Hold up each traffic sign (or have an overhead) and discuss the meaning for pedestrian, cyclists, and motorists.

(20 – 30 minutes). Create a roadway in your gym where students will learn how ride with the flow of traffic, apply and interpret road signs, and gain a better perspective about road hazards. Have students walk through the course and obey the signs. You will assign students to be a pedestrian, cyclists, or motorist. Optional - You can have the motorists hold a steering wheel to represent the motorist.

  • Have the students scattered throughout the course.  They will pretend that they are cyclists as they walk through the course.
  • Assign some students to hold the traffic signs.  They will hold various signs when the student comes to the end of the street, she/he must tell what the signs means, and if correct, turn down another street.  If incorrect, the person switches and holds the sign.
  • Have students use proper hand signals when navigating through the course.
  • Continue until everybody has approached all the signs.  If a lot of time has expired and the sign holders have not changed, then switch the sign holders.
Do the activity again with students pretending that they are pedestrians.  Briefly discuss the differences between pedestrians and cyclists reactions to traffic signs.

Pass out a copy of the “Road signs” activity sheet Road Signs.doc. Have the students take the quiz.

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Lesson 4: Road Safety (2nd – 5th Grade) How to negotiate intersections safely.
Duration: 45 minutes
Intersection Safety Overview: Intersections are high danger zones for bicyclists and even motorists. It is important to be very careful riding through any intersection.  Bicyclist need to know how to safely negotiate intersections. Remind students that they must obey all traffic laws and always stress bicycling on the right side of the road in the same direction as traffic. Parents should ride local roads with your children to show them which are safe to ride and point out road hazards. Additionally, this lesson will also explore how to navigate intersections.  Finally, the safety rules and tips compiled in this lesson are resources from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Materials Needed: Have students bring in their bicycle helmets and bicycles. Numerous cones to mark roadway with intersections, video equipment to view “Zone of Danger” portion titled “Intersections”.

Assessment:

Activities: (10 - 15 minutes) Explain and demonstrate how to negotiate intersections safely.

  • Go with the flow - Ride on the right side of the road in the same direction as traffic.
  • Obey all traffic laws - A bicycle is a vehicle and you’re a driver.  When you ride in the street, obey all traffic signs, signals, and lane markings.
  • Yield to traffic when appropriate - Almost always, drivers on a smaller road must yield for traffic on a major or larger road.  If there is no stop sign or traffic signal and you are coming from a smaller roadway (i.e., driveway, sidewalk, bike path), you must slow down and look to see if the way is clear before proceeding.  This also means yielding to pedestrians who have already entered a crosswalk.
  • Be predictable - Ride in a straight line, not in and out of cars.  Signal your moves to others.
  • Look before turning - When turning left or right, always look behind you for a break in the traffic, and then signal before making the turn.  Watch for left or right turning traffic.
  • Busy intersections - At busy intersections, it’s often safer to proceed with traffic and stop on the right side they’re turning onto.  They can then wait for the light to change and proceed straight.  Sometimes, it’s best to get off and walk through the intersection on the crosswalk before riding again.  When in doubt, walk your bicycle across the crosswalk.
Intersection Video.  Show the video titled “Intersections”.  Intersections.asf

(30 minutes) Navigating Intersections Safely - Have the students put their helmets on and inspect their bicycles. On the blacktop, set up cones that represents roadways with three or four intersections. Assign some students to be motorists. The motorist will walk through the course. The bicyclists will rid their bicycles through the course.  Everybody must follow all the traffic laws and signs. Place road signs at each enter section and start everybody going through the course. Monitor the course and stop for learning opportunities. After a period of time, have the students switch roles and repeat. Make one of the roadways a major street with a lot of motorist and a traffic light. Navigate Intersections Safely.doc

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Lesson 5: Road Safety Review (2nd - 5th Grade) How to negotiate intersections safely.
Duration: 45 minutes

Materials Needed: Have students bring in their bicycle helmets and bicycles.  Have numerous cones to mark roadway with intersections.

Assessment:

Activities: Intersection Safety Overview: Intersections are high danger zones for bicyclists and even motorists.  It is important to be very careful riding through any intersection.  Bicyclist need to know how to safely negotiate intersections.  Remind students that they must obey all traffic laws and always stress bicycling on the right side of the road in the same direction as traffic.  Parents should ride local roads with your children to show them which are safe to ride and point out road hazards.  Additionally, this lesson will also explore how to navigate intersections.  Finally, the safety rules and tips compiled in this lesson are resources from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Since intersections are considered a high danger zone, this is a good lesson to repeat or review with your students.  It will give an additional opportunity to give students a deeper understanding on how to navigate through intersections safely and interpret road signs.

(10 - 15 minutes) Explain and demonstrate how to negotiate intersections safely.  Have your safety course set up and review all the safety concerns with intersections.  While using the course to help with demonstration, review the traffic signs and laws.  Create different scenarios that will review some trouble spot that occurred during the last lesson.

  • Go with the flow - Ride on the right side of the road in the same direction as traffic.
  • Obey all traffic laws - A bicycle is a vehicle and you’re a driver.  When you ride in the street, obey all traffic signs, signals, and lane markings.
  • Yield to traffic when appropriate - Almost always, drivers on a smaller road must yield for traffic on a major or larger road.  If there is no stop sign or traffic signal and you are coming from a smaller roadway (i.e., driveway, sidewalk, bike path), you must slow down and look to see if the way is clear before proceeding.  This also means yielding to pedestrians who have already entered a crosswalk.
  • Be predictable - Ride in a straight line, not in and out of cars.  Signal your moves to others.
  • Look before turning - When turning left or right, always look behind you for a break in the traffic, and then signal before making the turn.  Watch for left or right turning traffic.
  • Busy intersections - At busy intersections, it’s often safer to proceed with traffic and stop on the right side they’re turning onto.  They can then wait for the light to change and proceed straight.  Sometimes, it’s best to get off and walk through the intersection on the crosswalk before riding again.  When in doubt, walk your bicycle across the crosswalk.

(30 minutes). Navigating Intersections Safely - Have the students put their helmets on and inspect their bicycles. On the blacktop, set up cones that represents roadways with three or four intersections.  Assign some students to be motorists. The motorist will walk through the course. The bicyclists will ride their bicycles through the course. Everybody must follow all the traffic laws and signs. Place road signs at each enter section and start everybody going through the course. Monitor the course and stop for learning opportunities. After a period of time, have the students switch roles and repeat. Make one of the roadways a major street with a lot of motorist and a traffic light. Have the light at the intersections change constantly. Remind students to use proper hand signals and ride predictably.  Navigate Intersections Safely.doc

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Lesson 6: Roadway Hazards and Balance/Quick stop (2nd - 5th Grade)
Duration: 45 minutes
Bicycle Riding Skill Activity
Overview: This lesson will explore safety concepts that will give the students a deeper understanding how to maintain proper and appropriate control of the bicycle while looking to the rear. Furthermore, be aware of roadway hazards that are associated with riding and safely control the bicycle when navigating around objects  Finally, the students will learn how to stop the bicycle safely within a prescribed distance and speed.

Materials Needed: Have the students bring their bicycles and helmets.  Have numerous cones to mark both activities.

Assessment:

Activities: (5 minutes) Talk to the students about different road hazards. Stress to the students that they need to stay alert and keep a watchful eye on the road. Here are some hazards to be on the lookout.

  • Watch for potholes, cracks, or bumps in the road. 
  • Broken glass, loose gravel, wet leaves, or puddles can cause an accident.
  • Watch for railroad tracks, drainage grates, or anything else that can make you fall.  Always cross all railroad track at a 90 degree angle and ride slowly.
  • Before going around any object, scan ahead and behind you for traffic.
  • Plan your move and signal your intentions.
  • If unsure of the skill involved, pull over to the side safely and walk you bicycle around the rough area.
 

(15 – 20 minutes) Object in roadway activity - While riding your bicycle, there is always a possibility that there will be hazards in the road. You must stay alert and be a defensive bicyclist.  Here is an activity that will help give a better understanding of how to handle your bicycle when there are hazards on the road.  Object in Roadway.doc

(5 minutes) Explain to the students how important it is to maintain proper balance and control of the bicycle. In this activity, students will explore how to keep control and balance of their bicycle while riding through a challenging course.

(15 minutes) Balance/Quick stop activity.  While riding, it is very important to have good balance and be confident enough to be able to stop your bicycle quickly and safely.  This activity will create an obstacle course that will give the rider an opportunity to practice good balance with quick stops.  Balance.doc

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Lesson 7: Basic bicycle maintenance and repair (2nd - 5th Grade)
Duration: 45 minutes
Bicycle Maintenance and Repair Overview - It is always a good idea to keep your bicycle in a good state of repair and well maintained. Keeping your bicycle in good riding condition will keep you safe. When we ride our bicycles, we expect to be able to ride where ever we want to go and to get back home safely. In this lesson, some repair and maintenance suggestion are placed as links from the Boys’ Life web page. Their website is http://www.boyslife.org/outdoors/outdoorarticles/845/how-to-maintain-your-bike/. These links give great explanations with color photos to help repair and maintain your bicycle.

Materials Needed: Have a few bicycles, tires, tubes, etc. that you can have the kids get hands on during this lesson, and repair print outs for each student.

Assessment:

Activities: (? minutes) With these links, we will demonstrate some very basic bicycle repairs. If it is possible, have the students practice the repairs while explaining each different section. Have the students separate into two or three groups depending on how many bike stations that is available. Rotate to answer any question that the students have during the repairs. If it is not possible, then have the students watch while the repairs are being made. These links will give detailed instruction and you will be able to keep your bicycle well maintained.

  • Tires - Tires are the part of the bike that creates cushion between the ground and the bicycle’s frame. When set in motion, the tires allow the bicycle to travel through space. If you do not keep the tires well maintain you could lose tire pressure which could result in a flat tire. Here are directions to help you when you have a flat tire. CHANGING A FLAT TIRE.doc
  • The brakes - The brakes are very important to every bicycle. Nothing is more dangerous if the brakes are unreliable.  Monitor your brakes frequently to keep you safe and road worthy. Failure to maintain your brakes could result in a serious accident. Here are directions to help maintain your brakes. THE BRAKES.doc
  • The gears - The gears are the mechanism on the bicycle that allows the chain to switch sprockets. The different size sprockets propel the bicycle at different speeds. THE GEARS.doc
  • The chain - The chain is the component on the bicycle that makes the whole thing move. We depend on the chain and should keep it well maintained. The links here will describe how to keep the chain well oiled and demonstrate how to fix a dropped chain. THE CHAIN.doc  How to fix a dropped chain.doc

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Lesson 8: Bicycle Rodeo (2nd - 5th Grade)
Duration: 60 minutes
Bicycle Rodeo Skills Course Overview: A bicycle rodeo skills course should provide a fun and safe environment for all participants to learn and review various skills. Riders should practice these skills until they can ride with confidence and experience. The skills course will have activities/skills that have been introduced in previous lessons. These activities are designed to simulate actual road conditions and “zones of danger”. This will be a culminating activity that will be fun and exciting.
 

Materials Needed: Have students bring in their bicycle helmets and bicycles. Have numerous cones to mark roadways and intersections or sidewalk chalk. Prepare note cards containing instructions for each station. A few bicycle locks, Roadway signs for the intersection activity. Copy safety quiz for each student.

Assessment:

Activities: (10 – 12 minutes) Explain each station to the kids. For this rodeo, you may want to hold it in your school parking lot or one that is near by that will accommodate the space needed. Additionally, having the rodeo on a Saturday might be the best for securing a safe area free of traffic. Asking your parents to help volunteer probably is the best course of action. The volunteers will give directions to the students at each station from the prepared card. Here are the brief descriptions for the rodeo stations. Each station has a recommended number of volunteers needed to run each activity.

  • Six Point Inspections and Bicycle Helmet Safety - Students will inspect each participants bicycle and review how to wear a bicycle helmet correctly. (one volunteer) Easy Steps to Properly to fit helmet.doc. Six Point Bicycle Safety Check.doc 
  • Security, Parking, and Licenses - Introduce the importance of bike registration, discuss how to properly and legally park a bicycle, and display various locks used by riders. You can take your bicycle to any fire station or police station to register your bicycle. This will help in case your bicycle is stolen. Always use bike racks to lock up your bicycle. (one volunteer) Security.doc
  • Ride-Out and Roadway Entry - Discuss the proper way to enter a roadway.  Have the students practice the ride-out activity. (three volunteers)  Ride out activity1.doc   Bicycling Hand Signals.doc 
  • Scanning to the Rear - Explain the proper way to scan to the rear while riding. The rider should be able scan the area behind them without weaving. Have three lines. The cyclist will ride between narrow straight lines. The volunteer will call out the rider’s name and the rider looks to the rear and identifies by looking back at the volunteer. (one volunteer)  Scan to the Rear.doc 
  • Controlled Intersection - the rider approaches the intersection and makes the appropriate signals. The volunteer will ask them to turn right, left, or keep going straight. The rider will decide how to proceed through the intersection safely. The other volunteers will pretend to be motorists.(tyhree or four volunteers) Navigate Intersections Safely.doc 
  • Object in Roadway - In this activity, the cyclist rides along the narrow station lines until the object in the road is seen.  At this point, the rider scans to the rear and decides how to precede though this hazard. (two volunteers) Object in Roadway.doc 
  • Balance/Quick stop - Have the students enter circle and circle it twice. The students will exit the circle and weave through the cones until they have reached the straight away. They will pick up their speed and then quickly stop at the stop box. (one volunteer) Balance.doc 
  • Bike Safety Quiz - Have the students take the safety quiz. (one volunteer)  Bicycle Safety Quiz.doc

  (50 minutes) Each student will have a score card.  They will go to each station and complete the activity.  After each student completes a station the volunteers will either score a pass/needs improvement.

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