La Trobe University: Bachelor of Teaching (Primary)

EDU3HAC
UNIT PLAN
Student Name: Kathleen O'Connell
Student Number: 17170108
Year Level: 3
Topic: Safety
Duration: 5 (1hr) Lessons over 3 weeks
Rationale
Safety plays a large roll in our everyday life. Everyone has the right to feel safe at all times, therefore it is vital that safety awareness is covered in the
classroom in order for students to identify potential harms or dangers in many different environments/circumstances. This unit of work
explores many different concepts of safety in which we come across everyday, including: personal safety, road safety, home safety and environment
safety. By engaging in the activities suggested in this unit, students are able to come to terms with what it means to be safe and how they can implement
strategies to stay safe at all times. The AusVELS curriculum for schools looks at health in an holistic manner, identifying many different strands of
personal well-being to maintain a healthy and quality life. This unit is aimed at benefiting each students quality of life, by promoting safe practices
and enhancing ones understanding of the importance of health in a wide-spread manner.

Learning Outcomes
The aim of this unit of work is to develop students prior knowledge about safety and well being by introducing safe concepts through a range of activities.
By exploring the many different types of safety, each student will learn how to identify potential harms/hazards in different situations and start to think
about the relationship between risk and challenge. Each lesson aims to target learning at specific events, circumstances and environments, progressively
allowing students to build a whole bank of knowledge concerning safety. The following lessons have been developed using the E5 instructional model, in
which the activities are scaffolded in the following sequence for learning to occur; engage, explore, explain, elaborate and evaluate. Each lesson focuses on
a specific area of safety including:
Page 1

Personal Safety: The rights and responsibilities of all students in the classroom is explored in relation to having the right to always feel safe. Students
understand that when confronted with strangers they also need to be aware of their own safety. In this process, students will gain knowledge of how
to identify possible dangers and the risks that they could entail.
Road Safety: Students use their prior knowledge of semiotics to identify different road signs, and how accidents could occur when people fail to
follow these signs. Risk is also explored through discussion, in order for students to understand the concept of spatial awareness and the elements of
safety they should consider when near or on roads.
Environment Safety: By using examples such as the beach, students become aware of how different locations can be unsafe. Students explore the
balance between having fun in a particular environment but also understanding potential dangers and risks that they could come across.
Home Safety: Using examples of real-life scenarios, students explore hazards that easily become safety issues within the household. They learn the
cause of effect that these hazards can have and how in the future, they can avoid potential accidents from happening.

AusVELS References
Content Strands:
Health and Physical Education- Students within this level identify potential hazards and harms at home, at school and in the community, using
given criteria such as a home safety checklist. They begin to explore the relationship between safety, risk and challenge, with an emphasis on
developing their knowledge and understanding of strategies and skills to reduce harms, prevent accidents and create safe and supportive
environments. They also understand what facilities contribute to health ie school crossings, safety signs, playgrounds, parks, clubs and a school
environment free of bullying
Arts The creative activities within this unit allow students to apply and develop their arts knowledge by exploring arts processes and ways to
communicate concepts arising from their personal experiences and from the world around them
English Students develop understanding and skills in listening, reading, viewing, speaking, writing and creating. The standards of writing
achieved are that their texts include writing and images to express and develop in some detail experiences, events and information. Through class
discussion they also listen to others views and respond accordingly.
Week 1
Teaching Focus

Engagement

Procedure

Pulling it Together

Lesson 1:
PERSONAL
SAFETY

To kick-start this unit of safety

students will use their prior
knowledge from previous years
to discuss what personal safety

Before any learning can occur, its important that

students revise what they already know to then
progress further. The initial discussion of classroom
safety and rights will engage students in this unit as

Interdisciplinary connections:
This lesson allows students to
explore content through the use of
communication techniques and

Page 2

means to them.
The teacher will engage students
by asking them to state their
rights in the classroom ie. Every
one has the right to learn and
feel good about themselves and
everyone has the right to be/feel
safe. As a class, the reasons why
this is important will be
discussed.
The teacher will then play Be a
Star with lyrics displayed and
students will listen and learn the
song to understand what it
means and its importance.

Lesson 2:
Students will take part in a fun
ROAD SAFETY and interactive game about
traffic lights. This is a focus
game, commonly used in drama
for enjoyment and for the
development of movement
sequences. In this case its also a
great way to introduce students
to the concepts of Road Safety.
Traffic Light Game Instructions:
Students stand in rows, around a
large space, arm distance apart

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they begin to understand what being safe is all about

and how they can implement strategies to remain safe.
This discussion and the exploration of the song Be a
Star will take up the first half of the lesson, as
students become familiar with the rhythm and learning
of the lyrics, as well as discussing the importance of
telling someone if they dont feel safe.
The second half of this lesson involves the whole class
working together to make a list of safety rules for the
classroom. The teacher will encourage students to
think of as many rules as they can that would be
important to implement in their class environment. The
teacher will make a long list before the whole class
decides together, the most important rules. The rules
that have been selected by the class will then be
written on a creative poster and displayed for students
to refer to in the future.

processes
Students are also engaged and
continuously enhancing their skills
creatively by being involved with
the art domain of music
Catering for Inclusion:
All students are encouraged to contribute
to discussion throughout this lesson,
overall enhancing the quality of learning
for all.
Observation of student learning:
Throughout class discussion the teacher is
able to informally assess according to
contribution, the amount of prior
knowledge and the learning concerned
with this particular topic. This well help
gage the amount of focus needed on
specific areas of inquiry for the duration of
the unit

Once students have engaged in the opening activity

they will discuss why they think traffic lights are
important. They will then complete the traffic light
worksheet by colouring in and answering questions.
Students will only have a short time to complete this
worksheet before they will be asked to come and sit
down together to view a slideshow of road safety
signs.

Interdisciplinary connections:
Students explore concepts of
Drama through movement and
timing in order to engage in road
safety within this lesson
By using skills related to the
domain of thinking processes,
students enhance their learning of
semiotics
English skills of reading,
comprehending and writing are also

Previously prepared, the teacher will present to

students via PowerPoint presentation, images of
different road signs. Students will be asked to raise

from each other. The instructor

calls out 1 of the following
options:
Red light: students take
one step backwards
Green light: students take
one step forwards
Amber: students remain
still, in a freeze position
Students who move incorrectly
are subject to elimination. They
then sit down in their spots and
help the instructor detect other
players moving incorrectly in
the following rounds.

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their hand to describe what they think that sign means.

The teacher must scaffold exploration points relating
to each sign to cater for inquiry. For example:
What do you think this sign means?
Where might you see this sign? Why?
What could happen if you dont follow this
particular instruction?
Can you think of some places where you have
seen this sign eg. City, parking spaces etc.
For the duration of the lesson students will then go
back to their seats and complete the Road Safety Signs
handout, identifying and focusing on symbols of road
safety.

evident within the individual

work component of this lesson
Catering for Inclusion:
All students are encouraged to be a part of
a fun and interactive game, allowing the
body to learn through movement at the
same time as taking in information. Visual,
hands-on and auditory learners are able to
focus and interpret information as it is
creatively being explored within the
classroom through different modes of
delivery, stimulation and instruction.
Observation of student learning:
The teacher has the opportunity to collect
students worksheets at the end of the
lesson and assess the level of student
learning. Within the lesson there is also the
opportunity to allow struggling learners to
contribute to the discussion involving the
interpretation of different signs. This could
be by prompting hints in order to enhance
their level of understanding.

Resources:
Resource 1: Be A Star (song lyrics). Retrieved from
http://www.safetykids.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=42&Itemid=101
Be a star,
Like Im a star.
Show what a great kid you are.
Tell someone when something is bad,
A teacher or your mum or dad.
Resource 2: Traffic Lights (worksheet)
Teacher Vision. (2013). Traffic Lights [worksheet]. Retrieved from
https://www.teachervision.com/safety/printable/45158.html
Resource 3: Road Safety Signs (worksheet)
Teacher Vision. (2013). Road Safety Signs [worksheet]. Retrieved from
https://www.teachervision.com/travel-safety/printable/64676.html

Name __________________________________________________________ Date __________________________

Traffic Lights

2000 - 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Page 5

www.TeacherVision.com

Name: _________________________

Date: ________________

Road Safety Signs

Do you recognise these common road signs? Use the words
in the box to help you. Write the correct word(s) on each shape.

GIVE WAY
ONE WAY

STOP

RAILWAY CROSSING

2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Page 6

NO ENTRY

http://www.teachervision.fen.com

Week 2
Teaching Focus

Engagement

Procedure

Pulling it Together

Lesson 3:
ENVIRONMENT
SAFETY

To start this lesson the

teacher will perform a read
aloud of the picture book:
I Can Be Safe by Pat
Thomas. This is a great
text that informs children
about personal safety in
many different
environments as well as
addressing stranger danger.
This picture book is filled
with colourful, supporting
illustrations of young
characters that engage a
wide audience. Students
within this year level will
be able to relate to these
particular characters and it
has the potential to bring
forth inquiry from students
that could be discussed as
a class.

The teacher may deem it appropriate to have a

discussion about points raised in the picture book
and encourage students to give examples of when
they have encountered safety issues in different
environments. Each student will then receive the
Simple Rules To Stay Safe handout. The teacher
will go through this handout reading and
explaining the rules to students. This is a key time
for questioning to occur. The teacher may explore
the following points with students:
Why shouldnt you ever go somewhere
with someone you dont know?
What could you do if a stranger came up to
you?
So why should you always stay near a
parent or friend when you are down the
street or in another environment outside
your home?
Students will be asked to cut and paste the
handout and glue it into their health book. They
may be encouraged to colour it in to make it stand
out. Following this activity, (depending on how
long the discussion goes for) the teacher will then
introduce different environments and the safety
requirements when visiting these particular places.
Students will then receive the Beach Safety Tips

Interdisciplinary connections:
Within this lesson students are
engaging in English literacy skills of
viewing, reading and comprehending
By exploring different environments
and personal safety within these
environments, students are also
touching on early science concepts
and elements including; harms to the
body, substance abuse and sun
protection
Catering for Inclusion:
All students are able to participate in class
discussion and are encouraged to share their
own experiences within this lesson.
Struggling learners also have the
opportunity to work with the teacher through
guided instruction.
Observation of student learning:
The teacher can observe student learning
according to their understanding of safety
rules and the examples of their own personal
encounters with these safety concepts.

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worksheet and work through it for the remainder

of the lesson. This activity may be too challenging
for some students to take on individually. In this
case the teacher can form a group to work through
the activity in an interactive and guided manner.
Lesson 4: HOME
SAFETY

Page 8

Students will watch the I

Spot Something Hot video
to start this lesson. This
video is interactive as it
invites viewers to help in
the investigation of hot
hazards around the house.
The characters engage
students as they are
cleverly animated, similar
to the characters they
would see in programs on
the television. Students
begin to understand what
are some hot and
dangerous hazards around
the house and how they
can identify and avoid
them safely.

Whilst viewing I spot something hot the teacher

should pause the video and ask students to identify
potential hazards and what could happen if they
arent dealt with safely. This means that learning is
enabled at the pace suggested by the teacher,
which is determined by student response to the
content. In this case, rather than overloading
students with information the teacher can control
the speed of effective learning from this particular
resource.
Students should be encouraged to discuss the
many hazards that were stated in the video and
where possible, give examples from prior
knowledge/experiences of the harms involved.
The teacher may then ask a handful of students for
some prevention strategies, if confronted with
these hazards in the future.
Following on from this discussion, students will
be asked to return to their desks and complete the
Kitchen Safety worksheet. This activity involves
analysing the illustration and making a list of
possible accident and danger spots. If students are
struggling to write the list they may (from the
teachers discretion) circle the hazards. If there is
time at the end of the lesson the whole class can
generate a list of as many possible hazards
discovered in this illustration.

Interdisciplinary connections:
This lesson involves the use of
English skills: viewing, listening,
discussing, identifying and
interpreting in order to make
meaning from an audio/video text
and also from a print based
illustration
Students use elements of basic
science to identify the harms
involved with hot objects and
substances
Catering for Inclusion:
All students are encouraged to participate in
the class discussion and to share their prior
experiences with hazards. This type of
involvement tends be seen (from a students
perspective) as a less threatening approach
toward learning as their isnt as much
potential for judgement from others to occur.
Struggling learners also have the
opportunity to complete the task, simply by
circling hazards rather then listing them and
still achieving the same amount of learning.
Observation of student learning:
The teacher may decide to mark the

worksheets at the end of the lesson as

evidence of learning. They may also record
the level of student involvement within the
class discussion and contribution to the final
list of hazards presented in the illustration.

Page 9

Resources:
Resource 1: Picture book: I can be safe by Pat Thomas
Thomas, P. (2003). I can be safe. Canada: Barrons Educational Series, Inc.
Resource 2: Simple Rules to Stay safe (handout)
Resource 3: Beach Safety Tips (worksheet)
Resource 4: Youtube video: I spot something hot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0PRx_ZiJ6U
Resource 5: Kitchen safety (worksheet)
Chalkface. (2013). Kitchen Safety [worksheet]. Retrieved from
http://www.chalkface.com/products/PSHE/BRPS/

Page 10

Name:_____________________________

Date:__________________

Beach Safety Tips

Instructions: Circle each phrase that
describes what you should do to stay safe at
the beach. Draw an X through each phrase
that describes dangerous beach behaviour.

Week 3

raise your hand to

signal for help

swim at
unpatrolled
beaches

swim between the

flags

swim under the

influence of
alcohol or drugs

ask a lifeguard for

advice

look at the safety

signs

swim against a
current or rip

swim with a friend

swim at night

swim immediately
after a meal

avoid rip currents

wear sunscreen

ask a surf lifesaver

for advice

swim alone

run and dive into

the water

2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Page 11

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Teaching Focus

Engagement

Procedure

Pulling it Together

Lesson 5: Revisiting
SAFETY

The song: Be A Star will be

played to students in order to
start this lesson. Its
important that resources such
as this one are continuously
used in the class until the
students are able to memorise
and gather full meaning from
it. Because this song was
introduced in the first lesson,
its also a great way to end
this unit of work. By this time
students should have more of
an understanding about why
it is so important to tell
someone when something is
wrong. This is a major
personal safety measure that
all students should be
comfortable to use in order to
avoid danger.

The key priorities of this lesson are to review the safety

concepts that students have learnt about within this unit of
work. After students have sung the song and discussed the
importance of letting others know if something is wrong, the
class should re-cap what circumstances in different
environments are considered unsafe. For example the class
will discuss the following:
Road safety why are signs important to follow?
Stranger Danger what do you do if a stranger
approaches you?
Environment safety wherever you go, you need to
be aware of what? What do you need to be careful of
when you are at the beach?
Home Safety how can you prevent accidents or
dangers from occurring in your home?
Using an A3 version of the handout with multiple boxes
printed on it, students will be asked to draw pictures of as
many unsafe things as they can think of (relating to any of
the types of safety listed above). They may choose to make
some of these pictures as cartoons, a sign, phrase or simply
just a picture. These posters must be given a title and made
very colourful as they will be hung up around the room for
display and for students to reference in future of what not to
go near or do. This will also be the main form of assessment
for this unit.
At the end of the lesson students will be encouraged to take
home the Home Safety Checklist and work with
parents/guardians to create a safety list that is suited to their
own home. They can then also have a reference at home
about their safety and the safety of others.

Interdisciplinary
connections:
Students are building
on music concepts by
engaging in learning
the song Be A Star
The creative arts is also
being explored as
students are encouraged
to create an imaginative
poster filled with
illustrations and colours
Catering for Inclusion:
All students are given the
choice to creatively design
their own poster according to
their own interest. This means
that all students can complete
the given task at their own
personal level of difficulty.
Observation of student
learning:
As this lesson is the main
assessment of the unit, the
details and criteria of this
assessment is described in
further detail in the section
below.

Page 12

Resources:
Resource 1: Blank Boxes (A3 handout)
Resource 2: Home Safety Checklist (handout)

Page 13

Assessment:
The assessment for this unit of work is of a summative form, in which students will complete the poster (activity described in the last lesson) and the teacher
will pinpoint the students level of progress from engaging in this unit. Each student will choose one of the pictures/cartoons/phrases on their poster and
present it to the class. The teacher will ask each student to state the following:
What they have drawn and why it is unsafe
What potential accident or harms could occur from this unsafe object/situation/environment
How this hazard/harm could be avoided
This allows students to explain their understanding of safety and also to collaboratively develop the whole classes understanding by exploring the many
different concepts of safety.
In Level 3 of AusVELS Health and Physical Education, there are no set standards of achievements. In this case students are working towards the standards
that are introduced in Level 4. For this reason, it is important that students continuously build on their skills and knowledge in order to be able to achieve
outcomes set in the higher levels. The purpose of this assessment is to gage the level of student understanding as they build their knowledge of safety. The
devised rubric below aims to show students ongoing understanding of this particular content, rather than the strict progression points of their learning. Not
only does it encourage all students to further their learning it also puts less pressure on their self recognition of achievement.

Page 14

Assessment Rubric:
Criteria

Great Progress

Good Progress

Developing

The student is able to recognise and

identify potential hazards in various
environments including harms at home,
school, within the community and when
visiting specific places.
The student is aware of what potential
harms or dangers can occur when
safety measures arent taken within
these environments.
The student is able to describe how
potential dangers/accidents can be
avoided. Whilst also understanding,
what creates a safe and supportive
environment.
References:
Churchill, R, et al. (2011). Teaching Making A Difference. Queensland, Australia: John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.
Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. (2013). The E 5 Instructional Model. Retrieved from
http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/support/pages/e5.aspx
Victorian Curriculum And Assessment Authority. (2013). The Australian Curriculum in Victoria. Level 3: Health and Physical Education: Retrieved from
http://ausvels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Level3

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