WalkSafe General Curriculum TeacherTraining2013

Who is….? INJURY PREVENTION PROGRAM FOCUSED IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS PEDESTRIAN SAFETY CURRICULA WalkSafe is an injury prevention program primarily focused on improving pedestrian safety in elementary schools within Miami Dade County.

WalkSafe’s Missions

WalkSafe’s 5E Model Pedestrian Safety Curriculum Education EvaluationEvaluation EnforcementEnforcement EngineeringEngineering EncouragementEncouragement To achieve our goal of injury prevention, WalkSafe uses a multidisciplinary approach to address the 5 Es of education, encouragement, engineering, enforcement, and evaluation. The focus of this training will be on WalkSafe’s Pedestrian Safety Curriculum in elementary schools.

Injury rates and data

The Facts Each year in the U.S., more than 70,000 people are killed or injured in pedestrian-struck crashes. The annual healthcare cost of pedestrian death and injury among children 0-14 is more than $7.2 billion Motor vehicle traffic crashes are the leading cause of death in children ages 4-15 in the U.S.

National Injury Rates Florida is home of the top 4 of 10 most dangerous metro areas for pedestrians in the nation.

Injury Rates in MDC Source: Crash Reports -65% Since the inception of the WalkSafe program in 2001, there has been a parallel decrease in the total number of injuries reported in children over the same time period. This data is obtained from police crash reports.

Curriculum Overview

Key Features Day 1 Video and Teacher-Led Classroom Discussion 3 CONSECUTIVE Day Curriculum (30 minute lessons each day) Multi-modal teaching techniques: Video discussion led by the Homeroom Teacher Simulation activity led by the PE Teacher Creative activity led by the Art Teacher Evidence-based curriculum, 3 age appropriate versions available for (K-1) (2-3) (4-5) The curriculum is disseminated using a “Train-the trainer” model: Teachers receiving this training are responsible for returning to their schools to train their Homeroom/PE/Art Teachers on the curriculum Day 2 Outside Street- Crossing Simulation Poster Contest or other Creative Activity Day 3 Homeroom Teacher PE TeacherArt Teacher

Key Features Strategies and resources that support the needs of diverse learners (contained within the curricula materials).TeacherTools ExtendedLearning Optional interdisciplinary activities and exercises (not included within the curricula materials). Throughout the lesson plans you may run into the “Teacher Tools & Extended Learning” symbols. The ‘Teacher tools’ are resources available to you within the curricula materials to help you implement each lesson. The ‘Extended Learning’ will offer you additional exercises that you could carry out during the lesson to reinforce pedestrian safety concepts.

Day 1-Homeroom Teachers! Day 1 Video and Teacher-Led Classroom Discussion Step One: Follow grade-specific curriculum to teach Vocabulary Street signals Step Two: Show pedestrian safety video* K-1 st : Stop and Look With Willy Whistle 2 nd -3 rd : Stop and Look With Willy Whistle 4 th -5 th : Walking With Your Eyes * Available for viewing at and (search video title) Step Three: Follow grade-specific curriculum to review Safety concepts from video Benefits of walking to and from school

Day 2 Outside Street- Crossing Simulation Step One: Follow grade-specific curriculum to review Street-Crossing Safety Steps Visual Screen Safety Steps Safe Places to Walk Traffic Signals Step Two: Outside Simulation Kindergarten through 3 rd Grade 4 th Grade and 5 th Grade Kindergarten through 3 rd Grade4 th and 5 th Grade Day 2- PE Teachers!

Day 3 Poster Contest Creative Activity Step One: Students create a pedestrian safety themed poster Safety steps to follow before/while crossing the street Dangers to look out for while crossing the street Health benefits of walking to/from school Step Two: Students share posters and messages with classmates Step Three: Choose a winning poster for each grade group: K/1 st 2 nd /3 rd 4 th /5 th Original student’s artwork only NO clipart, stickers, or copyrighted material Paper size 8 ½ × 11 or 11 × 17 NO glued on or taped objects (e.g., pompoms, pipe cleaners) Day 3- Art Teachers!

2013 Statewide Poster Contest- Art Teachers! Select 3 winning entries (one from grades K-1, one from grades 2-3, one from grades 4-5) Mail us your poster contest submissions by Friday, November 15 th, 2013! WalkSafe Program Office Dominion Tower – 609A, (R-48) 1400 NW 10th Avenue, Miami, FL New address!

Recommended Curriculum Implementation Dates, 2013 Day 1 Video and Teacher-Led Classroom Discussion Day 2 Outside Street- Crossing Simulation Poster Contest or other Creative activity Monday Oct 7 th Tuesday Oct 8 th Wednesday Oct 9 th Day 3 Homeroom TeacherPE Teacher Art Teacher Within Miami-Dade County Elementary Schools, the implementation of this curriculum is mandated through the School Board. The recommended dates for implementation are towards the beginning of October each year so that Day 3 coincides with International Walk To School Day. Nonetheless, implementation is still strongly encouraged past these dates, as statistics show that the risk for injury still remains high in the months to follow.

3 Key Curriculum Concepts

STOP! Q: What is the FIRST thing a person should do before crossing the street? Why? A: STOP! Children commonly mistake “looking both ways” as the FIRST thing they should do before crossing, and they forget to stop. This can result in unsafe behavior, as many pedestrian-struck crashes occur when a child takes that first step out into the street.

LEFT-RIGHT-LEFT Q: Which way(s) should a person look before crossing a street? Why? A: LEFT-RIGHT-LEFT Look LEFT, right, then LEFT again since cars that are closest to you will be coming from the left side. Remind students to look all the way over their shoulder since children’s peripheral vision is not fully developed.

Crosswalk or Corner Q: Where is the safest place to cross the street? Why? A: Crosswalk or corner A majority of pedestrian-hit-by-car injuries happen mid-street since cars move at higher speeds and do not expect pedestrians to be crossing there.

Signing up on the WalkSafe website ANY teacher implementing ANY portion of the WalkSafe curriculum should sign up and create their OWN login and password to access the materials.

Accessing the Curricula Scroll Down

Accessing the Educational Videos

Curriculum Completion Form (CCF), Teacher Survey and Poster Contest Rules

Only ONE representative per school that teaches the WalkSafe curriculum should fill out the curriculum completion form. Curriculum Completion Form (CCF) Questions to expect on the curriculum completion form: (1) What dates were Days 1, 2, and 3 implemented at your school? (2) Which grades K-5 th received Days 1, 2, and 3? (3)How many kids in each grade K-5 th received Days 1, 2, and 3 of the curriculum? (4)How many teachers at your school participated in teaching the WalkSafe curriculum? Please provide the NUMBER. NOTE HERE: It is important that the person filling out the Curriculum Completion Form (CCF) on behalf of the school communicates with teachers implementing the other days of the curriculum to obtain information necessary to successfully complete and submit the form online. Forms cannot be submitted unless the required cells marked by asterisks (*) are filled out.

Curriculum Implementation Checklist Receive the WalkSafe General Curriculum Teacher Training “Train the trainer” – It is important that you share this training information/PowerPoint with your Homeroom, Art, PE Teachers to help you implement the full curriculum at your school and show them how to access the website with the curricula materials specific for their portions Day 1, 2, or 3) Share the Statewide Poster Contest Rules with your Art Teachers so they can submit their students’ artwork to WalkSafe’s Annual Statewide Poster Contest for the students to win great prizes! Sign up and login into to access curricula materials (i.e. lesson plans, videos, etc.) Each teacher implementing any day of the curriculum should create THEIR OWN login and password to access the curricula materials. If you have forgotten your password, click ‘Forgot Your Password?’ or contact us Implement the WalkSafe 3 Day General Curriculum to Grades K-5 th at your school Submit the Mandatory - Curriculum Completion Form for your school (only ONE representative per school should fill this out) at  ‘Teach WalkSafe’  ‘My Resources’ Fill out the Teacher Survey at  ‘Teach WalkSafe’  ‘My Resources’ Art Teachers! Select only 3 winning entries, one from each grade level (K-1),(2-3), (4-5) to enter the 2013 WalkSafe Statewide Poster Contest! Send to: WalkSafe Program Office Dominion Tower – 609A, (R-48) 1400 NW 10th Avenue, Miami, FL by Friday, November 15 th, See contest rules online at

Questions…?

Frequently Asked Questions Q. The students at my school don’t walk to or from school. Should they still receive the WalkSafe curriculum? YES. It is important that all children learn basic pedestrian safety skills, regardless of whether or not they walk to school. The skills taught through the WalkSafe lessons are useful to children when walking to/from the bus stop, walking through parking lots or drop-off/pick-up areas, and when walking around their neighborhood. Also, the pedestrian safety lessons empower children, allowing them to walk safely in a variety of environments and encouraging them to engage in regular physical activity. Q. Will WalkSafe provide curriculum training to all my school personnel? WalkSafe uses a “train-the-trainer” model to disseminate its curricula. We do not conduct teacher trainings at individual schools. If you have received the teacher training by WalkSafe staff, you will be responsible for training/informing your Homeroom/PE/Art Teachers at your school to help carry out the WalkSafe lesson plans. As an additional resource, the WalkSafe Teacher Training video can assist you in training the teachers at your school and it can easily be downloaded from the ‘My Training’ page under the ‘Teach WalkSafe’ tab of the WalkSafe website or it can be viewed instantly on Youtube. There are also additional downloadable materials on the WalkSafe website that can help you conduct your teacher training.

Q. What if I don’t have access to video equipment? If you don’t have access to video equipment you can bring your students to the library or another media room to watch the video. Another option would be to show the video during a morning announcement. Q. What if I don’t have art materials to complete Day 3 of the curriculum? Students can be asked to bring in paper and color pencils to complete the activity or assign them to do it for homework and bring the artwork to class to share with their classmates. Q. The video for 4 th and 5 th graders is not updated or current We are aware that the 4-5 th grade video is not the most up-to-date and are currently seeking funding to update this portion. What is important here is that students learn the key concepts shown in the video. Q. What should I do if I have problems logging into the WalkSafe website? If you have not done so already, create a username and password on the WalkSafe website. If you encounter difficulties, contact a WalkSafe team member by Phone (305) or Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Are the Day One videos available online? YES. The videos can be downloaded from the WalkSafe website ( ‘Teach WalkSafe’ tab, ‘My Curricula’ page) or viewed through Youtube. Q. What if it is raining on Day Two of the curriculum? Can I switch the days around? NO. If it is raining on Day Two of the curriculum, we suggest that you conduct the activity in a gymnasium, a classroom, or another indoor setting. It is important that Day Two, the street- crossing simulation lesson, always be conducted prior to Day Three of the curriculum (poster contest or creative art activity). Q. My school does not have an Art teacher. Should the students still complete Day Three: Poster Contest or Creative Art Activity? YES. This activity can be completed in the students’ regular class/homeroom setting. The value of completing Day Three of the program is to ensure that the children can demonstrate understanding and retention of the information learned on Days One and Two. From our research, we know that students receiving all three lessons show an improvement in pedestrian and traffic safety knowledge; however, this is not true for students only receiving Day One and/or Day Two of the WalkSafe curriculum. Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Do you have a curriculum for students with special needs? YES. The WalkSafe® Special Education Curriculum was created to teach tailored pedestrian safety lessons to students with intellectual and/or physical disabilities in self-contained special education classrooms. It consists of five lessons with instructional, modeling, and creative modules. The curriculum has shown to improve mastery of pedestrian safety concepts among students with special needs. The WalkSafe Special Education Curriculum is currently under evaluation and will be available at a later date. Q. When should I implement the WalkSafe curriculum at my school? In Miami Dade County, where our program is mandated, we recommend implementing the curriculum in October so that Day 3 coincides with International Walk To School Day (IWALK) on October 9 th, IWALK is a celebration that occurs worldwide on the same day where parents, students, teachers and community members come together to walk to school for different reasons, all hoping to create safer walking communities. The 2013 recommended implementation dates are: Day 1  Oct 7 th, Day 2  Oct 8 th and Day 3  Oct 9 th. If these dates conflict with your schedule we still recommend the implementation to occur within the month of October or before the holiday season since students are back in school and the risks of accidents are higher during the beginning of the new school year. Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Can students work on the Day Three poster as a group? If you are in the State of Florida and plan to enter the WalkSafe Statewide Poster Contest, then the answer is NO. We strongly encourage that students work on their own posters so that each student is able to creatively express what they have learned through the course. Contest prizes are awarded to individual winners. However, if you are outside of Florida or do not plan to enter the WalkSafe Statewide Poster Contest, feel free to allow your students to complete the posters as a group activity. Q. Do I have to print the WalkSafe curriculum in order to teach the lesson plans? NO. Teachers may choose to print the WalkSafe curriculum in full, partially, or not at all. Only the first 8-10 pages of the curriculum contain the lesson plans, and the rest are optional reproducible and supplemental materials and activities. In fact, some teachers prefer not to print and elect to teach from an electronic version of the curriculum. Q. Do you have an advanced curriculum for gifted students? NO. There is not a separate curriculum for gifted students; however, the general curriculum can be enhanced by using the reproducible materials, teaching tools, and extended learning opportunities. Q. Does WalkSafe pay for postage for poster submissions? NO. WalkSafe does not pay for postage. You may want to speak with your school administrators about obtaining postage to send your school’s poster submissions. Frequently Asked Questions

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