Staying Safe at Home, School, and Online

Summary

Students learn how to use technology safely and respectfully, including asking permission before sharing information, and how to tell safe behaviors from unsafe ones at home, school, and in the community. The chapter also covers school emergency drills, keeping one's body safe, and asking a trusted adult for help when something feels wrong.

Concepts Covered

1. Healthy Technology Use
2. Sharing Information Safely
3. Unsafe Behavior
4. School Emergency
5. Safety Drill
6. Body Safety
7. Unsafe Touch
8. Saying No
9. Asking A Trusted Adult

Prerequisites

This chapter builds on Permission, Safe Behavior, and Trusted Adult from Chapter 1: Foundations of Health and Safe Habits.

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Teacher Notes: How to Use This Chapter

This chapter is written for you, the teacher, to read aloud and guide from. It covers safety topics that matter for every Grade 1 student, including the core child-safety concepts of Body Safety, Unsafe Touch, Saying No, and Asking a Trusted Adult. These are standard, evidence-based parts of K-12 health education. The goal is simple: every student should know that their body belongs to them, that they are allowed to say "no," and that telling a trusted adult is always the right choice — and they will never be in trouble for telling. Please preview this chapter before teaching it, and follow your school's guidance for delivering personal-safety lessons. The tone throughout the second half of this chapter is calm and matter-of-fact, without graphic detail, because that is the tone that helps young children absorb and use this information.

Let's Learn About Staying Safe

Hi, friend. Today we're going to learn about staying safe — with screens, at school, and with our own bodies. Staying safe means knowing the rules that protect you, and knowing exactly who to go to if you ever need help.

Healthy Technology Use: Rules for Screens and Devices

Healthy technology use means using phones, tablets, computers, and other devices in ways that are safe, respectful, and approved by a trusted adult. A Grade 1 student is starting to use technology more — for games, videos, or schoolwork — and healthy technology use means always checking with a grown-up first.

Here are the basic rules of healthy technology use for a Grade 1 student:

1. Ask a trusted adult before using a device you haven't used before.
2. Only use apps, games, or websites a trusted adult has approved.
3. Keep screen time balanced with active play, reading, and family time.
4. Tell a trusted adult right away if something on a screen feels confusing, scary, or makes you feel uncomfortable.

Talking points for read-aloud:

• Ask the class: "What is one device you use at home or school?"
• Explain that devices are tools, like a pencil or a ball — helpful when used the right way.
• Remind students that a trusted adult should always know what apps or games they are using.

Sharing Information Safely: Asking Before You Share

Sharing information safely means understanding that personal details — like your name, address, phone number, or a photo of yourself — should never be given out online or to a stranger without asking permission first. This idea connects directly to permission, which students explored in Chapter 1: just as we ask permission before borrowing something, we ask permission before sharing information about ourselves.

A Grade 1 student doesn't need to memorize every kind of personal information. The simple rule is: if you're not sure whether something is safe to share, stop and ask a trusted adult first. A good habit to build: if a screen ever asks for a name, address, or a picture, that's the signal to pause and ask a trusted adult before doing anything else.

Diagram: Pause Before You Share

Pause Before You Share Interactive Poster

Type: infographic poster-id: pause-before-you-share
Library: p5.js
Status: Published

Four device situations for learning, balanced play, private information, and adult help.

Use Explore mode to select a section and learn more. Use Quiz Me mode to practice finding each idea in the illustration.

Diagram: Safe or Ask First? Technology Sorter

Safe or Ask First? Technology Sorter MicroSim

Type: microsim sim-id: safe-or-ask-first-technology-sorter
Library: p5.js
Status: Specified

Bloom Taxonomy: Apply (L3) Bloom Taxonomy Verb: demonstrate, practice, apply

Learning objective: Students apply the rule of asking permission before sharing information by sorting a series of simple scenario cards into "Safe to Do" and "Ask a Trusted Adult First" bins.

Canvas layout: - Left area (450px): One scenario card at a time (simple flat illustration plus one short sentence) - Right area (150px): Two labeled bins, "Safe to Do" and "Ask a Trusted Adult First," and an infobox

Visual elements: - 8 scenario cards cycling one at a time, such as: "Playing an approved learning game," "Typing in your home address on a pop-up screen," "Watching a video a grown-up picked," "A message asking for your full name and school" - Two friendly labeled bins with icons (a green checkmark for "Safe to Do," a raised hand for "Ask a Trusted Adult First")

Interactive controls: - Click-to-select: student clicks the bin that matches the scenario - Button: "Next Scenario" - Button: "Reset"

Default parameters: - First scenario: "Playing a game a trusted adult downloaded for you" (clearly safe, to build confidence)

Data Visibility Requirements: Stage 1: Show the scenario card with no label Stage 2: After the student clicks a bin, show whether it matches Stage 3: Reveal a one-sentence explanation of why the scenario is safe or needs an adult's help

Behavior: - Correct match: bin glows softly, gentle chime, explanation caption appears - Incorrect match: gentle prompt, "Take another look — would you need to type in private information?", correct bin glows softly as a hint

Instructional Rationale: This is an Apply-level (demonstrate/practice) objective, so the MicroSim has students practice classifying real scenarios rather than only reciting a rule, with concrete feedback after each choice to reinforce the ask-first habit.

Implementation notes: Use p5.js. Keep all scenarios age-appropriate and free of any frightening imagery; the goal is building a calm, confident habit, not fear. Teacher reads each scenario aloud and discusses the answer with the class.

You've learned two ways to stay safe with technology: using devices the healthy way, and always asking before sharing information. Now let's look at how to tell safe behaviors from unsafe ones everywhere you go — at home, at school, and in your community.

Unsafe Behavior: Actions That Could Cause Harm

Students already learned about safe behavior in Chapter 1 — actions that protect people from harm, like wearing a seatbelt or looking both ways before crossing a street. Unsafe behavior is the opposite: an action that could hurt yourself or someone else, whether at home, at school, or out in the community.

Recognizing unsafe behavior is an important skill. Some unsafe behaviors are easy to spot, like running near a swimming pool. Others are less obvious, like following someone you don't know or playing with matches. A Grade 1 student is learning to notice unsafe behavior and to know when it's time to ask a trusted adult for help.

Here are examples of safe and unsafe behaviors side by side:

Situation	Safe Behavior	Unsafe Behavior
Crossing the street	Looking both ways and crossing with an adult	Running into the street without looking
Riding in a car	Wearing a seatbelt	Unbuckling the seatbelt while the car is moving
At the playground	Waiting your turn on the slide	Climbing up the slide the wrong way
Meeting someone new	Staying near a trusted adult	Walking away with someone you don't know
Around the kitchen	Asking an adult before using the stove	Touching a hot stove or sharp knife alone

Big Idea

Safe behavior protects you and others. Unsafe behavior could cause harm. Learning to notice the difference — and asking a trusted adult when you're not sure — keeps everyone safer.

Diagram: Safe and Unsafe Behavior Explorer

Safe and Unsafe Behavior Explorer Infographic

Type: infographic sim-id: safe-and-unsafe-behavior-explorer
Library: p5.js
Status: Specified

Bloom Taxonomy: Analyze (L4) Bloom Taxonomy Verb: distinguish, examine, differentiate

Learning objective: Students distinguish safe from unsafe behaviors across three settings — home, school, and community — by exploring an illustrated scene of each setting.

Purpose: Help students examine three familiar settings and differentiate between behaviors that are safe and behaviors that are unsafe within each one

Layout: Three tabs across the top labeled "Home," "School," and "Community." Each tab opens a simple illustrated scene with 4-5 clickable hotspots showing children doing different things.

Scenes to show: - Home: a child washing hands before dinner (safe), a child playing near an unlocked cleaning-supply cabinet (unsafe), a child wearing a helmet while biking in the driveway (safe), a child playing with a lighter found on a table (unsafe) - School: a child walking in the hallway (safe), a child pushing others near the stairs (unsafe), a child raising a hand to leave the room (safe), a child opening an exterior door for a stranger (unsafe) - Community: a child holding an adult's hand crossing the street (safe), a child wandering away from the group at the park (unsafe), a child wearing a helmet while scootering (safe), a child accepting a ride from someone the family doesn't know (unsafe)

Interactive elements: - Click each hotspot to reveal a label: "Safe Behavior" or "Unsafe Behavior," plus a one-sentence explanation - A running tally at the top shows how many safe and unsafe behaviors the student has identified in the current scene

Visual style: Bright, simple flat-style illustrations with diverse characters; unsafe hotspots glow gently amber when revealed (never anything frightening), safe hotspots glow green Color scheme: Green for safe, amber for unsafe, neutral warm background

Implementation: p5.js with clickable regions mapped to label-and-caption reveals; tabs implemented as simple buttons that swap the displayed scene

School Emergency: When Something Unexpected Happens at School

A school emergency is an unexpected event at school — like a fire, severe weather, or another situation — that requires everyone to follow a special safety plan. School emergencies don't happen often, but schools prepare for them so that every student and adult knows exactly what to do to stay safe.

Common types of school emergencies a Grade 1 student may practice for include:

• Fire (requiring students to leave the building)
• Severe weather, like a tornado (requiring students to move to a safe indoor spot)
• A situation requiring students to stay quietly in their classroom

Talking points for read-aloud:

• Ask the class: "Has our school ever practiced what to do during a fire drill?"
• Explain that adults at school have a plan for every kind of emergency, and the plan is practiced so it becomes easy to remember.
• Reassure students that the calm, orderly practice is what keeps everyone safe — there is no need to feel scared during a drill.

Safety Drill: Practicing What to Do

A safety drill is a planned practice of what to do during a specific type of school emergency, done regularly so that everyone knows the steps by heart before a real emergency ever happens. Just like practicing a fire drill helps students walk calmly to a safe spot, practicing other drills helps students know exactly where to go and what to do.

Before we look at how a safety drill works step by step, let's define the key term: a cue is the signal — like an alarm sound or a teacher's instruction — that tells everyone a drill (or a real emergency) is starting.

Diagram: Fire Drill Steps Walkthrough

Fire Drill Steps Walkthrough MicroSim

Type: microsim sim-id: fire-drill-steps-walkthrough
Library: p5.js
Status: Specified

Bloom Taxonomy: Understand (L2) Bloom Taxonomy Verb: explain, describe, summarize

Learning objective: Students explain the steps of a school fire drill in order, using a step-through walkthrough with concrete classroom scenes at each stage.

Canvas layout: - Left area (450px): One classroom scene per step, shown one at a time - Right area (150px): "Next Step" and "Previous Step" buttons, a step counter ("Step 2 of 5"), and an infobox

Visual elements: - Step 1: Alarm cue sounds, shown as a simple sound-wave icon above the classroom - Step 2: Students line up calmly at the door - Step 3: Teacher leads the line out of the classroom - Step 4: Class walks to the designated safe spot outside - Step 5: Teacher checks that every student is present

Interactive controls: - Button: "Next Step" (advances to the next classroom scene) - Button: "Previous Step" (returns to the prior scene) - Step counter always visible

Default parameters: - Starts at Step 1 (alarm cue)

Data Visibility Requirements: Stage 1: Show the alarm cue and a caption: "The alarm is the cue that a drill or emergency is starting." Stage 2: Show students lining up and a caption: "Everyone lines up calmly — no running." Stage 3: Show the teacher leading the line with a caption: "Students follow the teacher's directions." Stage 4: Show the walk to the safe spot with a caption: "The class walks to the same safe spot every time." Stage 5: Show the attendance check with a caption: "The teacher checks that everyone made it out safely."

Behavior: - Each click of "Next Step" reveals the next scene and caption; "Previous Step" allows review - A final summary caption appears after Step 5: "Practicing these steps means everyone knows exactly what to do, so a real emergency feels calm and familiar."

Instructional Rationale: This is an Understand-level (explain/describe) objective, so the MicroSim uses a step-through walkthrough with concrete scenes and captions rather than continuous animation, letting students trace each step of the process in order and in their own time.

Implementation notes: Use p5.js. Keep every scene calm and orderly — no depictions of fire, smoke, or danger, only the organized practice behavior. Teacher can pause on any step to connect it to the school's real drill procedure.

Body Safety: Your Body Belongs to You

The rest of this chapter covers body safety — one of the most important safety topics a Grade 1 student will learn. Please read this section carefully before teaching it, and keep the tone calm, warm, and matter-of-fact.

Body safety means understanding that your own body belongs to you, and that you have the right to say how, when, and by whom your body is touched. This idea builds directly on something students already learned: every body part has a correct name, and a person's body belongs to them.

Three simple ideas make up body safety for a Grade 1 student:

1. Your body belongs to you.
2. Most touches are safe and welcome — like a hug from a family member or a high-five from a friend — but you always get to decide what feels okay for your own body.
3. If a touch ever feels wrong, confusing, or makes you uncomfortable, you can say "no," and you should always tell a trusted adult about it, right away.

Big Idea

Your body belongs to you. That means you always have the right to say "no" to a touch that doesn't feel right, no matter who is asking.

Unsafe Touch: When Something Doesn't Feel Right

An unsafe touch is any touch that makes a person feel confused, scared, or uncomfortable, or that involves the private parts of the body covered by a swimsuit. This definition stays simple and clear for a Grade 1 student, without graphic detail: an unsafe touch is one that feels wrong, and a student's feelings about their own body are always worth listening to.

It helps to know that an unsafe touch can come from anyone — even someone the student knows and normally trusts, like a family member, neighbor, or older student. This is why the rule stays the same no matter who is involved: if a touch feels wrong, it's an unsafe touch, and it should always be reported to a trusted adult.

A simple way to help students hold onto this idea is the "uh-oh feeling" — the uncomfortable feeling in your stomach or chest that shows up when something isn't right. Students already have practice naming feelings from earlier chapters; body safety asks them to notice that same "uh-oh feeling" specifically in connection with touch, and to act on it by telling a trusted adult.

Diagram: Body Safety Rules Interactive Guide

Body Safety Rules Interactive Guide

Type: infographic sim-id: body-safety-rules-interactive-guide
Library: p5.js
Status: Specified

Bloom Taxonomy: Understand (L2) Bloom Taxonomy Verb: explain, describe, recognize

Learning objective: Students explain the three core body-safety rules (my body belongs to me, I can say no, I always tell a trusted adult) by exploring a calm, simple interactive guide.

Purpose: Reinforce the three body-safety rules in a warm, non-frightening way that a Grade 1 student and teacher can revisit together

Layout: Three large, friendly panels arranged side by side, each with a simple icon: a heart over a body outline ("My body belongs to me"), a raised hand ("I can say no"), and a trusted adult figure with a speech bubble ("I always tell a trusted adult")

Interactive elements: - Click each panel to reveal one calm sentence explaining the rule in simple words - Click a fourth "What if?" panel to reveal: "If a touch ever feels confusing or wrong, remember: it is never your fault, and telling a trusted adult is always the right choice — you will not be in trouble for telling." - No panel contains frightening imagery; all illustrations are calm, warm, and reassuring

Visual style: Soft, warm color palette; simple flat-style icons; generously spaced panels so the page never feels crowded or intense Color scheme: Soft blue and green tones throughout, avoiding any alarming colors like harsh red

Implementation: p5.js or HTML/CSS with click-to-reveal panels; each reveal is text-only, no animation, to keep the tone calm and steady

Implementation notes: This infographic must be reviewed for tone before publishing — every sentence should sound reassuring and empowering, never frightening. Teachers may want to pause on the "What if?" panel and read it aloud slowly.

Saying No: Your Right to Refuse an Unsafe Touch

Saying no is the clear, direct way a student can refuse an unsafe touch or an unsafe situation. A Grade 1 student is old enough to practice saying "no" firmly, even to an adult, and even to someone they know well. This is an important shift from earlier grades: students are now expected to actually demonstrate this skill, not just talk about it.

Saying no can look like:

• Saying the word "No" in a clear, firm voice
• Saying "Stop, I don't like that" while stepping away
• Simply walking away and going straight to a trusted adult

A student never needs a perfect reason to say no to a touch that doesn't feel right — feeling uncomfortable is reason enough. Practicing this skill out loud, in a safe classroom setting, helps a student feel ready to use it in real life.

You Can Practice This

Saying "no" in a strong, clear voice can feel hard to practice at first — that's normal. The more you practice it here, in a safe place, the easier it becomes to use when you really need it.

Diagram: My Safety Voice

My Safety Voice Interactive Poster

Type: infographic poster-id: my-safety-voice
Library: p5.js
Status: Published

A calm four-step sequence for noticing discomfort, saying no, moving away, and telling.

Use Explore mode to select a section and learn more. Use Quiz Me mode to practice finding each idea in the illustration.

Diagram: Practice Saying No Role-Play Simulator

Practice Saying No Role-Play Simulator

Type: microsim sim-id: practice-saying-no-role-play-simulator
Library: p5.js
Status: Specified

Bloom Taxonomy: Apply (L3) Bloom Taxonomy Verb: demonstrate, practice, apply

Learning objective: Students demonstrate saying "no" to an unsafe or uncomfortable touch by selecting and practicing a firm refusal phrase in response to simple, non-graphic scenario prompts, matching the Grade 1 benchmark that calls for demonstration of this skill.

Canvas layout: - Left area (450px): One calm scenario prompt at a time, shown as a short sentence with a simple, non-graphic illustration (e.g., "Someone wants to hug you but you don't want a hug right now.") - Right area (150px): Three response-choice buttons showing firm, calm refusal phrases, plus an infobox

Visual elements: - A simple illustrated scene with two friendly characters, never depicting distress or danger, only an everyday moment where a choice is needed - Three phrase-choice buttons per scenario, such as: "No, thank you," "Stop, I don't like that," "I need to go find [trusted adult]"

Interactive controls: - Click-to-select: student selects a phrase in response to the prompt - Button: "Try Saying It" (optional — pairs with the text-to-speech skill to play the chosen phrase aloud in a calm, confident voice, letting the student hear it modeled) - Button: "Next Scenario" - Button: "Reset"

Default parameters: - First scenario is a low-stakes, everyday example (an unwanted tickle from a sibling) to build comfort with the practice before any more serious scenario

Data Visibility Requirements: Stage 1: Show the scenario prompt and three phrase choices, no feedback yet Stage 2: After a choice is selected, show a caption affirming that all three phrases are strong, acceptable ways to say no Stage 3: Reveal a closing caption for every scenario: "Any of these responses is okay. What matters most is telling a trusted adult afterward."

Behavior: - All three response choices are treated as correct and strong — there is no "wrong" phrase, since the goal is building confidence, not testing for a single right answer - Every scenario ends with the same reinforcing message about telling a trusted adult

Instructional Rationale: This is an Apply-level (demonstrate/practice) objective, so the MicroSim has students actively choose and rehearse a refusal phrase rather than passively reading about the idea, directly matching the Grade 1 benchmark's call for demonstration; keeping every scenario low-stakes and non-graphic protects the calm, empowering tone required for this topic.

Implementation notes: Use p5.js. Every scenario must be reviewed to ensure it is age-appropriate, non-graphic, and never depicts a specific perpetrator or frightening imagery. Teacher should introduce and debrief this activity rather than leaving students to use it fully independently.

Asking A Trusted Adult: The Most Important Step

Every idea in this chapter leads to the same final step: asking a trusted adult for help. Students met the idea of a trusted adult in Chapter 1 — someone at home, at school, or in the community who a student can go to for help. In body safety, asking a trusted adult is not optional or just one choice among many — it is the step that must always happen, every single time a touch feels unsafe or confusing.

Three things are true every time a student tells a trusted adult about an unsafe touch, and these are worth repeating often:

• It is never the student's fault.
• The student will not be in trouble for telling.
• The trusted adult's job is to listen, believe the student, and help keep them safe.

If the first trusted adult a student tells doesn't help, the student should keep telling other trusted adults until someone helps. This is an important backup rule: telling is always the right choice, and a student should never stop at just one try.

Diagram: Who Are My Trusted Adults? Web Builder

Who Are My Trusted Adults? Web Builder MicroSim

Type: microsim sim-id: who-are-my-trusted-adults-web-builder
Library: vis-network
Status: Specified

Bloom Taxonomy: Apply (L3) Bloom Taxonomy Verb: apply, identify, construct

Learning objective: Students apply their understanding of trusted adults by building a personal web of at least three trusted adults from home, school, and the community, reinforcing that there is always more than one person to tell.

Canvas layout: - Center node: a friendly icon labeled "Me" - Surrounding candidate nodes arranged in a ring: family members (parent, grandparent, aunt/uncle), school adults (teacher, school counselor, principal), and community adults (coach, doctor, family friend) - Right-side panel (150px): instructions and a running count of trusted adults added

Visual elements: - Center "Me" node in a warm color - Candidate adult nodes shown as simple labeled circles grouped by setting (home, school, community), each a different soft color - Connecting lines that appear once a node is selected, linking "Me" to that trusted adult

Interactive controls: - Click a candidate node to add it to "My Trusted Adults" web (line connects it to "Me") - Click again to remove it - Button: "Show My Web" (highlights all connected trusted adults) - Button: "Reset"

Default parameters: - No adults connected at start; all candidate nodes visible and unselected

Data Visibility Requirements: Stage 1: Show the empty web with "Me" in the center and all candidate adults around it Stage 2: As each adult is clicked, show the connecting line appear and the counter increase Stage 3: Once 3 or more trusted adults are connected, show a caption: "You have more than one trusted adult! If one person can't help right away, you can always go to another."

Behavior: - The MicroSim accepts any combination of at least one adult from each setting (home, school, community) as a complete answer, since every family's trusted adults are different - A gentle prompt appears if only one adult is selected, encouraging the student to think of at least one more

Instructional Rationale: This is an Apply-level (identify/construct) objective, so the MicroSim has students actively build their own personal network rather than only reading a list, reinforcing the crucial backup rule that there is always more than one trusted adult to ask.

Implementation notes: Use vis-network for the node-and-line web, styled with soft rounded nodes and gentle colors. Teacher should discuss real trusted adults from the students' own lives after the activity, since the MicroSim uses generic role labels rather than actual names.

Remember This

If a touch ever feels wrong, it is never your fault, and you will not be in trouble for telling. Always tell a trusted adult — and if the first person doesn't help, tell another trusted adult.

Wrap-Up for Teachers

This chapter connected nine ideas across two themes. The first theme covered everyday safety skills: healthy technology use, sharing information safely by asking permission first, telling safe behavior from unsafe behavior, and understanding school emergencies and the safety drills that prepare everyone for them. The second theme, body safety, is the most important part of this chapter: every student's body belongs to them, an unsafe touch is any touch that feels wrong, saying "no" is always allowed, and asking a trusted adult is the step that must always happen. By the end of this chapter, most Grade 1 students should be able to demonstrate saying "no" to an unwanted touch, name at least three trusted adults they could tell, and explain that telling a trusted adult is never something they'll get in trouble for. Please revisit these ideas throughout the year in short, calm check-ins rather than treating this as a one-time lesson.

Chapter Complete

You've done important work today, friend. You've learned how to stay safe with technology, how to spot unsafe behavior, what to do during a safety drill, and — most importantly — that your body belongs to you, you can say "no," and a trusted adult is always there to help.

Quick Check for Read-Aloud Time — Click to expand

Ask the class: "If a touch ever feels wrong, what should you do?" Then reveal: Say "no" in a clear voice if you can, then tell a trusted adult right away. It is never your fault, and you will not be in trouble for telling.