Road Safety: Decision Making for Kindergarten

Grade: Kindergarten · Subject: Community & Helpers · Time: 30 min · Difficulty: Standard

Learning Objective

Students will identify safe choices when crossing the road by using visual cues in the printable and explain why those choices keep them safe.

Teacher-Selected Inputs

Grade: Kindergarten
Subject: Community & Helpers
Skill: Decision Making, Vocabulary Development, Observation, Listening
Educational Setting: General Education
Difficulty: Standard
Duration: 30 min

Why this printable fits

This printable shows a road safety scene with a child using a crosswalk, along with traffic lights and vehicles, which helps students learn about safe decision making in community and helpers contexts.

Vocabulary

PRE-TEACH

crosswalk: The place where people walk across the street.
traffic lights: Lights that tell cars and people when to stop or go.
stop sign: A sign that tells cars to stop.

USE DURING LESSON

car
bus
walk
stop
go

Materials

Road Safety Coloring Page printable
Crayons or colored pencils

Prep

Print one Road Safety Coloring Page per student.
Prepare a word bank card with key vocabulary terms for support if needed.

Lesson Steps

Introduction and Vocabulary6 min
Teacher actions: Show the printable to the class. Point to parts of the picture while naming them. Introduce 3 new words with simple definitions. Ask students to repeat the words.
Teacher script: This is a crosswalk. It is a safe place to walk across the road. Look, these are traffic lights and a stop sign. Can you say 'crosswalk', 'traffic lights', and 'stop sign'?
Example / model: Pointing to each item: 'This is the crosswalk where the girl walks.' 'These are the traffic lights that tell cars when to stop and go.' 'This stop sign tells cars to stop.
Printable use: Used to visually introduce vocabulary and scene.
Move on when: Students can repeat key vocabulary words aloud with some accuracy.
Support if needed: Use the word_bank_card showing pictures and words to help students say each word.
Modeling Safe Road Crossing6 min
Teacher actions: Point to the girl on the printable and narrate her actions. Model pointing to the traffic lights and stop sign and interpreting their meaning. Ask students to show thumbs up if they think crossing here is safe.
Teacher script: The girl is crossing the road at the crosswalk. The traffic light is red and the stop sign tells cars to stop. This means it is safe to cross. Show me thumbs up if you agree!
Example / model: Teacher points to the red traffic light and the stop sign, then points to the girl walking across the crosswalk with her arms out.
Printable use: Used to demonstrate how to notice signs and lights to make safe crossing decisions.
Move on when: Most students give thumbs up and can point to the stop sign or traffic lights when asked.
Support if needed: Use a sentence_frame: 'I know it is safe to cross because ___.' to support student responses.
Guided Practice: Identify Safe Choices6 min
Teacher actions: Ask students where the girl is walking and why it is safe. Prompt students to identify if the bus and car are stopped or moving. Help students decide if crossing is safe or not by pointing to signs and vehicles.
Teacher script: Where is the girl walking? Is it safe? Why? Look at the bus and the car. Are they stopped? How do the signs help us decide?
Example / model: Student says, 'She is walking on the crosswalk, and the car is stopped. It is safe.
Printable use: Students point or talk about parts of the picture showing safe crossing decisions.
Move on when: Students can correctly identify the crosswalk and stopped vehicles as reasons why it is safe to cross.
Support if needed: Assign partners to discuss answers together, helping each other stay on task.
Midpoint Formative Check and Coloring6 min
Teacher actions: At midpoint, pause to ask students to orally say one reason the girl can walk safely. Then instruct students to color the printable while thinking about safety signs and signals.
Teacher script: Tell me one reason the girl can cross the road safely. Now color the picture and remember to think about the stop signs and lights.
Example / model: Student says, 'The car stopped at the stop sign.
Printable use: Used for coloring while reinforcing safety concepts.
Move on when: Students can state one safety reason aloud before coloring.
Support if needed: Provide labeled word bank cards to support oral responses about safety.
Review and Wrap-Up6 min
Teacher actions: Review key vocabulary by pointing to items on the printable. Ask students to share what they learned about crossing safely. Praise correct ideas and correct gently if needed.
Teacher script: What tells us when to stop and when to go? What should we do before crossing the road?
Example / model: Student responds, 'Look for stop signs and wait when cars stop.
Printable use: Printable used as a visual reference during review discussion.
Move on when: Students share relevant safety rules verbally or by pointing to the printable.
Support if needed: Use sentence frames such as 'I know it is safe to cross when ___.

Formative Check

Step: Midpoint Formative Check and Coloring
Ask students to: Orally state one reason why the girl can cross the road safely.
Look for: The student clearly identifies a safety reason related to the stop sign, traffic light, or stopped vehicles.

Success Criteria

Students can identify at least 2 key details or vocabulary words connected to Community & Helpers.
Students can explain why stop signs or traffic lights help people decide when it is safe to cross in at least 4 out of 5 attempts.

Differentiation

Support: The teacher uses word bank cards with pictures and words to help students recall and say key vocabulary terms.

Scaffold tool: Word Bank Card

Standard: Students complete the task as designed, discussing safety signs and making decisions about crossing the road.

Extension: Students explain why it is unsafe to cross without looking at signs or when cars are not stopped, using examples from the printable.

Early Finishers: Ask students to teach a partner one rule about crossing the street safely using the printable as a guide.

Accommodations

Provide visual cues and sentence frames for oral responses.
Allow use of pointing as response if verbal expression is limited.
Repeat directions and model tasks several times.
Pair students for peer support to increase participation.

Common Misconceptions

Students may think it is always safe to cross at any street location, not just crosswalks.
Students may not understand that vehicles must stop for pedestrians at stop signs.
Students might confuse the meaning of red and green lights for crossing safely.

Assessment

Observe students naming and pointing to safety signs correctly.
Listen to students explain safe and unsafe crossing decisions orally.
Check if students can identify stopped vehicles and relate that to safe crossing.
Notice if students use vocabulary words correctly when describing the scene.

Teacher Notes

Standards

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.1: Recognize signs and symbols in the community that indicate safety rules.

IF SHORT ON TIME

Keep: Step 2: Modeling Safe Road Crossing
Skip or shorten: Skip Step 4: Midpoint Formative Check and Coloring or shorten it.

FOLLOW-UP OPTIONS

Explore other community helper roles (e.g., police officer, crossing guard).
Practice role-playing safe crossing behaviors outdoors.
Create a classroom safety poster showing traffic signs and safe behaviors.

HOME CONNECTION

Ask your child to point out traffic signs and signals during a walk and describe what they mean.

Source summary

Based on: Road safety

Printable summary (sanity check): Road safety coloring page featuring a girl crossing the road at a crosswalk with a car, a bus, traffic lights, and a stop sign to teach safe decision making in community settings.