Social Studies Lesson Plan

Overview: A study in the journal “Pediatrics” indicates more students are hurt on school buses than previously believed. Still, the way to make students safer isn’t as easy as just buckling up a seat belt. Some injuries happen getting on and off the bus, and earlier reports indicate without the proper kind of seatbelt, the number of neck injuries could be far higher.

Suggested time allotment: One week to explore research and what is happening in your district. If students do not like what they find, as a team, they can take another week to develop a plan to convince the school board to change the policy.

Objectives

Students will:

1. Read the research and news articles.
2. Find out from administrators what the school bus safety record is for the district and what precautions the district takes. (Although they may not want to reveal this, it is a public document and available with under the Freedom of Information Act. See below)
3. Interview the superintendent, school board members, teachers, students and parents about what they think the policy or precautions should be.
4. Debate the pros and cons of different practices. What do other area schools have, for instance, when it comes to seat belts?
5. Decide if the practices need to be changed. If so, develop a strategic plan to encourage the district to make the changes.
a. Create a better policy
b. Find out who needs to see and approve such changes
c. Arrange to meet with this person or group.
d. Present the group’s views.

Curriculum Standards from the National Council for the Social Studies: Thematic Strands, from “Expectations of Excellence: Curriculum Standards for Social Studies.”
• VI — Power, authority and governance. Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of how people create and change structures of power, authority, and governance…. High school students develop their abilities in the use of abstract principles. They study the various systems that have been developed over the centuries to allocate and employ power and authority in the governing process. At every level, learners should have opportunities to apply their knowledge and skills to and participate in the workings of the various levels of power, authority, and governance.

Resources and materials:
Web sites with information:
• “Pediatrics” is available online, including an abstract of the article about the study and, for $12, a copy of the complete text. It’s title: “School Bus–Related Injuries Among Children and Teenagers in the United States, 2001-2003.”
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• A news article about the report came from the Seattle Times via the Chicago Tribune Nov. 6, 2006: “Injuries from bus accidents exceed estimates,” by Jeremy Manier and Carolyn Starks.
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• The National Transportation and Safety Board has a portion of its Web site devoted to studies and information about school bus passenger safety.
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• If the district won’t release the safety record of school buses, try to file a State Open Records Law Request Letter. The Student Press Law Center Web site has a letter generator to help you do that.
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