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Warning: Smart Kids Inside!
Grade: First Grade
Subjects:  
Safety Message: Some crossings have gates, lights and bells. When these are on, that means STAY BACK, STAY OFF; a train is coming.
OVERVIEW
This lesson entices students to watch for railroad warning signs through visual introduction of signs and discussion. After the students have some basic knowledge of three railroad warning signs, they write a class book.
SUGGESTED TIME ALLOWANCE
35-45 minutes
OBJECTIVES
Students will be able to:
- Identify three railroad advance warning signs.
- Demonstrate understanding of advance warning signs through writing and drawing.
National Academic Content Standards addressed by this lesson.
MATERIALS
VOCABULARY
Advance warning signs, crossbuck, railroad warning gates, danger, warning
PROCEDURES
- TEACHER PREPARATION:
Read background information on railroad signs. Prepare the student materials prior to lesson.
- MOTIVATION:
Begin with a discussion: Do you see any signs in our school? What kinds of signs do you see outside of our school? There are signs telling us where stores are, signs telling us what direction to go and there are some very important signs that warn us of things that can be dangerous. Today we are going to discuss some signs that warn us of danger around train tracks. We will also talk about how we can keep ourselves safe near tracks.
- ACTIVITY:
1. Place the overhead on the screen and call students' attention to the three signs that warn us of danger around train tracks: advance warning, crossbuck, gates. Ask: How many of you have seen these signs? Do you know what they mean?
2. Explain the assignment to students: They will be writing a class book titled, "Warning: Smart Kids Inside." Show students the cover and ask: What does the cover remind you of? (It's an advance warning sign.) Explain that everyone will be responsible for a page in the book.
3. Students will fill in one word of the following sentence: "Watch for _____ near the tracks." Tell them that the word they fill in is up to them. We have discussed many things that you should watch out for near and around the tracks. It is up to you to decide what you want to write on your page. (Keep the overhead up on the screen in case students want to copy the spelling of one of the signs.)
4. After students write a word in the blank, have them complete their pages by drawing a picture that goes with their sentence.
- CONCLUSION:
Wrap up with a summary of the warning signs: There are warning signs all around us. We need to be aware of how important these signs are. Today we have learned about one kind of warning signs: signs that warn us of the dangers around railroad tracks. Have the students read their papers one at a time to the class to demonstrate what they have learned. After students have read their pages, assemble them into a class book.
HIGHER ORDER THINKING
To assure students are using critical thinking skills, present questions such as this at an appropriate place within the lesson: Can you think of ten other warning signs besides railway warning signs? How are these signs similar to the railway signs? How are they different?
ASSESSMENT
- Responses to discussion (Identify three railroad advance warning signs.)
- Finished writing product (Demonstrate understanding of advance warning signs through writing and drawing.)
EXTENSIONS
Arts: Have the students draw warning signs they see over the course of a weekend and make a class collage of the various warning signs found.
Social Studies: Have students identify a problem or potential danger in the classroom or school and then create a warning sign to post in the classroom to tell people of the problem.
TEACHER RESOURCES
Background Information on Rail Signs and Signals
Sly Fox & Birdie video
Video utilization tips for Sly Fox & Birdie
NATIONAL ACADEMIC CONTENT STANDARDS
These standards are provided by the Mid-continent Regional Educational Laboratory (McREL) online publication, Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education. <http://www.mcrel.org/standards-benchmarks/>
The following standards are addressed by the activities of this lesson:
- Language Arts
Level I: Primary (Grades K-2)
Standard 1: Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the writing process
Benchmark: Writes in a variety of formats (e.g., picture books, letters, stories, poems, information pieces)
- Visual Arts
Level II: Elementary (Grades K-4)
Standard 2: Knows how to use structures (e.g., sensory qualities, organizational principles, expressive features) and functions of art
Benchmark: Uses visual structures and functions of art to communicate ideas
To see related standards for your state, search Achieve's Clearinghouse:
< http://www.achieve.org/achieve/achievestart.nsf/Search?OpenForm>
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