Road Awareness Workshop

Curriculum Links

The lesson aligns with the Australian Curriculum, Year 8–10, Health and Physical Education (HPE), focusing on the Personal, Social, and Community Health strand. Specifically:

• ACPPS073: Plan and use health practices, behaviours, and resources to enhance the health, safety, and wellbeing of their communities.
• ACPPS091: Plan, implement and critique strategies to enhance health, safety, and wellbeing of their communities.

This lesson aims to develop students' critical thinking and practical knowledge about road safety in Australian contexts.

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Lesson Objectives

By the end of this session, students will be able to:

1. Identify common road safety risks in Australia, including distractions and risk-taking behaviours in urban and rural settings.
2. Understand the importance of pedestrian, cyclist, passenger, and driver safety.
3. Propose practical strategies to improve road safety behaviours for themselves and their community.

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Materials Needed

• Whiteboard and markers
• Coloured sticky notes (several per student)
• Pre-printed road safety statistics (relevant to Australia: e.g. pedestrian accidents, cycling fatalities, etc.)
• Scenario cards describing road safety dilemmas (customised for age group and local context)
• Access to a laptop or device for group presentations (if possible, though not essential)

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Lesson Breakdown

1. Introduction (10 minutes)

Hook Activity: "How Safe Are You?"

1. Start by posing challenging questions:
   • “How often do you cross the road looking at your phone?”
   • “Have you ever been a passenger in a car when the driver was distracted?”
   • “Do you wear a helmet when cycling? Why or why not?”
2. Discuss as a class how their age and lifestyle impact their exposure to road-related risks.
3. Present a quick snapshot of real Australian road safety statistics (targeted to young people):
   • Pedestrian fatalities
   • Cycling accidents
   • Teen driver and passenger incidents
4. Emphasise: "We’re focusing on strategies today that could save your life or someone else’s."

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2. Main Activities (40 minutes)

Activity 1: "Risk Radar" (15 minutes)

Goal: Students will identify road safety risks and evaluate the severity of these risks.

1. Provide each student with coloured sticky notes.
2. On a whiteboard, write these categories:
   • Pedestrian Risks
   • Cyclist Risks
   • Passenger Risks
   • Driver Risks (for future learner drivers)
3. Ask students to think of situations or actions (based on their own experiences) that create risks in each category. Examples might include:
   • Pedestrian: texting while walking across the road
   • Passenger: encouraging a driver to speed
   • Cyclist: riding without a helmet
   • Learner Driver: speeding or driving tired
4. Students write one risk per sticky note and place it under the relevant category.
5. Facilitate a discussion about which risks they personally encounter and why addressing them is important. Ask:
   • “Which of these risks is most severe?”
   • “Which do you think is the most common for people your age?”

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Activity 2: "Scenario Safety Plan" (25 minutes)

Goal: Students apply critical thinking to real-life road safety scenarios and propose solutions.

1. Divide the class into 5 groups of five students each. Distribute one Road Safety Scenario Card to each group. Each card contains an age-appropriate road safety dilemma. Examples:

   • Your friend keeps taking Snapchats while driving. What do you do?
   • You’re walking home after dark in a rural area without footpaths. How can you stay safe?
   • One of your friends refuses to wear a helmet while cycling. What should you say or do?
   • The driver of the car you’re in starts speeding and running red lights. How do you react?

2. Instructions for students:

   • Role-play the scenario.
   • Discuss possible strategies to mitigate the risk involved.
   • Develop a Safety Plan: a list of 3-5 strategies they would use to address the situation and stay safe. Examples might include:
     • Confronting the driver, but staying calm while offering alternatives (e.g., pulling over).
     • Using landmarks and reflective clothing for walking after dark.
     • Using humour or peer influence to encourage helmet use.

3. Each group presents their Safety Plan briefly (1-2 minutes per group).

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3. Conclusion & Reflection (10 minutes)

Final Reflection: Personal Pledge

1. Ask students to reflect privately:
   • “What is one road safety behaviour I can change today to keep myself or others safer?”
2. Provide each student with a small slip of paper to write their Personal Road Safety Pledge (e.g., "I will always wear my helmet when riding my bike.").
3. Invite a few volunteers to share their pledges with the class.
4. Collect the pledges and display them on a classroom wall for the week to reinforce accountability.

Closing Statement

Remind students:

• "You might not think about road safety every day, but the choices you make in traffic can have serious consequences. These life-saving strategies are more than just for school – they’re about your future."

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Differentiation Strategies

1. For advanced learners: Encourage them to research local road safety initiatives or design awareness campaigns targeting their peers.
2. For students needing extra support: Pair them with peers who can guide group discussions and scaffold complex tasks during the activities.
3. For visual learners: Prepare visual aids with illustrated statistics or pictures of dangerous road situations to spark engagement.

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Assessment

Assessment in this lesson is formative:

• Participation in discussions and group activities.
• Quality of contributions during group presentations.
• Reflective thought demonstrated in the Personal Road Safety Pledge.

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Teacher's Notes

This session uses engaging, real-world applications to ensure relevance and buy-in from Year 8–10 students. It supports their development as proactive, informed members of the community who can positively impact their safety and that of others.