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All Aboard the Safety Train
Grade: Kindergarten
Subjects:  
OVERVIEW
This lesson is a story-draw, connecting storytelling and an art project to teach students the importance of being careful around train tracks and trains. Students listen to a story and watch a train being drawn, piece-by-piece, until they can see the entire completed picture. Afterwards, the teacher retells the story and the students draw their own train.
SUGGESTED TIME ALLOWANCE
20-30 minutes
OBJECTIVES
- Students will be able to:
- Identify the characteristics of a train.
- Recall train safety messages.
- Restate messages relating to safe actions around trains and tracks.
- Understand that a train is a large vehicle that requires special attention.
National Academic Content Standards addressed by this lesson.
MATERIALS
- Large piece of art paper for drawing the train in front of the class
- 12 x 18 art paper, one piece per student
- Markers or crayons
- Story "The Picnic Lesson" and directions for train
VOCABULARY
Train, railroad tracks, heavy, larger than, smaller than
PROCEDURES
- TEACHER PREPARATION:
Familiarize yourself with some basic railroad safety messages. Pre-read the story-draw titled "The Picnic Lesson." Before presenting it to the class, practice drawing the train while you tell the story. Have materials ready to hand out to the class before beginning the lesson. - MOTIVATION:
Get students thinking with some opening questions and statements: Who has ever been on a picnic? Where do you take picnics? Today we are going to listen to a story about a picnic in a park. While I am telling the story, I want you to watch while I draw some pictures - if you watch carefully, you may just see something special. - ACTIVITY:
1. Read the attached story, "The Picnic Lesson," to the class. While you are reading the story, draw the pieces of the train that coincide with the story. (The items you are to draw are in capital letters.) Tell students to raise their hands when they think they know what you are drawing.
2. Once the students start to realize you are drawing a train, use this opportunity to mention some safety messages as you finish the story. Include the vocabulary words, "larger than" and "smaller than" in your discussion. Bring up the safety messages: Trains are heavy. Be careful when crossing railroad tracks. Trains take a long time to stop. Pay attention around the tracks.
3. Once the story is complete, retell the story and have the students draw the train along with you on their own paper. Students may add background items once the story is completed the second time. Continue discussing safety messages in the context of their drawing: How can you show that the train is heavy and large? What other things might be in this picture at the park? How can you show that people must be careful around railroad tracks? - CONCLUSION:
Check for student understanding: What did you add around your train? Was your train the largest thing in your picture? Why? What is something we should remember when we are around trains? Have students show their pictures and post them on the bulletin board or wall.
HIGHER ORDER THINKING
To assure students are using critical thinking skills, pose questions such as these at appropriate places within the lesson: Who can retell the story by themselves and draw the train without any help? Can someone create his or her own story and picture? Can you use the same shapes that we used to draw the train, but tell a different story?
ASSESSMENT
- Discussion and completion of drawing (Understand that a train is a large vehicle that requires special attention.)
- Responses given during discussion (Identify characteristics of a train. Restate messages relating to safe actions around trains and tracks. Recall train safety messages.)
EXTENSIONS
Arts: Have the students retell the story using play dough figures they make. Each child can be responsible for making various items from the story, i.e., trees, the train, tennis balls, beach ball, the parents, Amy, Todd, the picnic table, etc.
Play Dough Recipe
4 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 cup water (add more if needed)
For colored dough, add a few drops of food coloring to the water.
Mix all ingredients together and have the students shape into the desired items. Bake at 325 degrees for 2 to 3 hours until dough is hardened. (It will depend on the thickness of the items baking.) Once the dough has cooled, the items can be decorated with poster paint or marker pens.
This mixture is NOT to be eaten; it is intended for craft use only.
TEACHER RESOURCES
Background information
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:
- Arts: Visual Arts
Level II: Elementary (Gr. 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
- Health
Level I: Primary (Gr. K-2)
Standard 5: Knows essential concepts and practices concerning injury prevention and safety
Benchmark: Knows basic fire, traffic, water, and recreation safety practices
- Language Arts
Level I: Primary (Gr. K-2)
Standard 1: Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the writing process
Benchmarks:
• Writes in response to literature
• Writes in a variety of formats (e.g., picture books, letters, stories, poems, information pieces)
To see related standards for your state, search Achieve's Clearinghouse:
< http://www.achieve.org/achieve/achievestart.nsf/Search?OpenForm>
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These materials are for educational purposes only. Operation Lifesaver, Inc. grants a limited license for teachers or students to reproduce the materials for use in the classroom. No part of these materials may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, or by license from any collective or licensing body, for any commercial purpose without permission in writing from Operation Lifesaver, Inc.
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