Risk Watch: Make Time for Safety

Water Safety
Grades 7-8
by Kerri Acres, Belleville, Ontario
2000 NFPA "Teacher of the Year" nominee

Students will understand that a personal flotation device (PFD) should be worn when in a boat or canoe.
Students will recognize the importance of swimming with a buddy in supervised areas.
Students will evaluate the safety of a simulated swimming area.
Students will state a minimum of 4 water safety rules.

Divide students into manageable sized groups (4-5).
Provide each student with a copy of the water icon card and assign one section of the water safety information to each group (i.e. PFD's, water safety rules, ice safety rules) to research and become an expert on.
After students have read and understood the information with their group, create a "jigsaw" of learning. Divide students up like you would a jigsaw puzzle, one student from each group joining with one from each of the other groups so that each group now consists of an expert in each section of water safety.
Have the members of these newly assigned groups share their area of expertise. When finished, each member of the class should have learned about all water safety areas on the icon card.
Now that the students are experts, they are ready to prepare their knowledge for the grade 1 class. In small groups, let the class prepare slots that incorporate the objectives outlined above.
Gather costumes and props necessary to provide a clear message about the importance of water safety.
Review the plays to ensure that each message is clear.
You are ready to present!