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Colorado Department of Transportation Core Subject Lesson Plans: Kindergarten through 8th grade Photo credits: Sprinkle Consulting, Inc. Joshua Lawton/Consortium Productions Jay Willijaasper (http://www.worldchanging.com) Colorado Department of Transportation Safe Routes to School Core Subject Lesson Plans As recently as 1969 about half the school aged children in the United States walked or bicycled to school. Today fewer than 15% of school children walk or bike to school and as much as 20- 30% of morning traffi c is generated by parents driving their children to school. Children are less active today and the majority of children living within a 1/2 mile of schools are driven in private vehicles. Obseity rates are on the rise and the cost of obesity and other health related challenges have signifi cant impacts on the rising cost of health care in the Unites States, not to mention the lifestyles of our children.1 In response to these challenges, in an effort to encourage healthy living, the Colorado Department of Transportation has developed a series of cross-curriculum bicycle and pedestrian lesson plans in support of the Colorado Safe Routes to School program. Safe Routes to School initiatives have long been a focus of health and physical education in schools. The goal of this project is to develop lesson plans that integrate walking, bicycling and healthy living into additional subject areas such as history, science, math, language arts, geography and social studies. This will expand opportunities for children to develop healthy living and active transportation habits, while also providing teachers with lesson plans designed to effectively meet Colorado’s education standards for kindergarten through eighth grade. The purposes of these lessons are to do the following: • Encourage walking and bicycling to school by developing a K-8 collection of lesson plans that will meet and exceed the state and national standards of learning; • Fit easily into a teacher’s lesson plan or unit; • Promote pedestrian and bicycle safety; and • Improve student wellness by applying aspects of walking and bicycling in different subject areas. Each lesson was designed or included because it encourages students to think and live more actively. The goals of the project were to promote student safety and wellness. The lessons cover 1 subjects from art to science and incorporate concepts that range from food energy to air pollution and use walking and bicycling as the means to explore the lesson. HOW TO USE These lessons are for educational purposes only and may not to be sold. They may be circulated, photocopied and shared and you are encouraged to do so. RELATIONSHIP TO COLORADO ACADEMIC STANDARDS Each lesson satisfi es at least one Colorado Academic Standard content area; some satisfy more than one. In the cases where the lesson may be appropriate for multiple grades or content areas, the applicable grade range and standards are listed for each lesson. In some cases, the lessons may be age appropriate for multiple grades but the standard association is not as clear. In all cases, the lessons may be modifi ed to meet additional standards, grade levels and circumstances as needed. 1 What is Safe Routes to School: Background and Statistics; Safe Routes to School National Partnership Colorado Department of Transportation NOTES ABOUT RESOURCES FOR THE LESSONS The materials section of each lesson will list what is needed for each lesson. Books listed are frequently available at your local library or for purchase. Worksheets are available as part of the lesson or in the Resource section. The internet is listed as a resource for a number of lessons. While every effort has been made to test the links and access the sites, the URLs may change. CDOT is not responsible for the effectiveness of these links. It is recommended that the resources included in the lessons be accessed before the lesson is taught. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This project could only have been possible with the input and feedback received from the following individuals and school districts and it is greatly appreciated. Projects are underway all over the state to incorporate Safe Routes to School initiatives and the interest and efforts made by these individuals and school districts (and more throughout Colorado) is making a huge difference in the quality of life of our school children. THANKS TO... Starr Hill, Director of Teaching & Learning, Salida School district Wellness Committee, Salida School District Katie Macarelli, former teacher, current Bicycle Colorado instructor Sheryl S. Solow, Ed.D., Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, Montrose County School District Carla Frenzel, Secondary Social Studies Coordinator, Teaching and Learning Department Denver Public Schools Foothills Elementary: Kim Kleinman, Suzy Davis, Aimee Newfi eld, Kate Clary, Dave Eggen Southern Middle School: Ina Rodriguez-Myer, Margie Cain, Katie Gallagher Mapleton School District: Hillary Sontag, Pat Weir, Don Hergenreter, Paul Barringer, Sam Molinaro, Holly Cook, Mitch Batilla 2 Centennial Middle School: Scott Griffi th, Kevin McEvoy, Landon Hilliard, Josh Feiger, Rae Studholme FUNDED BY A Safe Routes to School Grant and the Colorado Department of Transportation Colorado Department of Transportation TABLE OF CONTENTS Lesson Title Content Area Page Early Elementary Kindergarten - 3 K-1 Left Foot, Right Foot Reading, Writing and Communicating 4 K-1 My Dad Rides a Bicycle Reading, Writing and Communicating 5 1 Blast off with Healthy Eating Comprehensive Health and Physical 7 Education 1-3 Ways We Get to School Social Studies; Mathematics 8 1-3 Walking Treasure Hunt Social Studies 10 1-3 Colorado Bike History Social Studies 11 2 Students in Motion Science 12 2-3 Getting Around your Neighborhood Social Studies 13 2-3 Mapping my Route to School Social Studies 14 Late Elementary Grades 3 - 5 3-5 Climb a 14er Science 15 4-5 What Color is my Air Today? Science; Mathematics; Reading, Writing and 16 Communicating 4-5 Two Wheels and a Path Social Studies 20 4-5 Walk across the country (or any location) Social Studies; Mathematics 22 Early Middle Grades 4 - 6 4-6 Eco-points Score Card Social Studies; Reading, Writing and 24 Communicating 4-6 Walking Trail Adventure Social Studies 31 4-6 Historical Perspectives: Women’s Social Studies; Reading, Writing and 33 Suffrage Communicating 4-6 Recycled Materials as Art 34 Visual Arts Late Middle Grades 5 - 8 3 4-7 How walkable or bikeable is your Social Studies; Reading, Writing and 36 community? Communicating 5-6 A Bicycling We Will Go Social Studies; Reading, Writing and 37 Communicating 5-6 Traffi c Tally Mathematics 39 5-6 Historical Perspectives: African- Social Studies; Reading, Writing and 47 American on an Integrated Sports Team Communicating 5-6 Transportation: a View in to the Future Social Studies; Reading, Writing and 49 with a Look at the Past Communicating 5-7 Bike around Colorado Social Studies; Reading, Writing and 53 Communicating 6-7 Taming of the Bicycle Reading, Writing and Communicating 59 6-8 Bike as a System Science 63 6-8 Gears and Proportions Science 67 8 The Bicycle as Art Visual arts 68 8 Transportation Effi ciency Science 70 Colorado Department of Transportation GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION: K-2 LEFT FOOT, RIGHT FOOT CONTENT AREA: READING, WRITING AND COMMUNICATING Lesson time: OBJECTIVE: This lesson is designed to help young children to learn more about 1 period their bodies as well as enjoy a classic book by Dr. Seuss. This lesson is adapted from a lesson idea on the Walk Across Texas website. Materials: 1. Manila or white KINDERGARTEN STANDARDS: paper 1. Oral Expression and Listening 1. Oral communication skills are built within a language-rich environment 2. Colored pencils, 3. Writing and Composition markers or 1. Text types and purposes, labels, and familiar words are used to crayons communicate information and ideas. 3. The Foot Book 1ST GRADE STANDARDS: by Dr. Seuss 1. Oral Expression and Listening 1. Multiple strategies develop and expand oral vocabulary 2ND GRADE STANDARDS: 1. Oral Expression and Listening 1. Discussions contribute and expand on the ideas of self and others ACTIVITY: 1. Show students the cover and read the title of The Foot Book. Turn to the fi rst page and explain that this is the title page. Show them the similarities between the cover and the title page. 2. Read the book aloud to students. Use the following questions for discussion: • How many feet do you have? • Show me your left foot 4 • Show me your right foot. • Do you have front and back feet? • Name an animal that has front and back feet. • What does ‘rhyme’ mean? • What are some words that rhyme with feet? • What are some words that do not rhyme with feet? • What are some words that rhyme with foot? • What are some words that do not rhyme with foot? 3. Have students trace his or her own feet and label them ‘left foot’ and ‘right foot’ and compare to other’s drawings. EVALUATION: Evaluate based on students’ participation in discussion and question/answer sessions. Check drawings for accuracy. Colorado Department of Transportation GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATION: K-2 MY DAD RIDES A BICYCLE CONTENT AREA: READING, WRITING AND COMMUNICATING LESSON TIME: OBJECTIVE: Students learn that exercising can be a fun way for families to 1 period spend time together. At the same time, they get to work on their listening and reading skills. This lesson is adapted from a lesson idea on the Walk MATERIALS: Across Texas’ website at http://walkacrosstexas.tamu.edu/. “My Dad Rides a Bike in His KINDERGARTEN STANDARDS: Bedroom” activity 1.Oral Expression and Listening sheet by Melissa 1. Oral communication skills are built within a language-rich environment Knight (following 3. Writing and Composition pages) 1. Text types and purposes, labels, and familiar words are used to communicate information and ideas.