Section II: Self-Protection Strategies, Lesson 11: Community Safety
Directions: Read the following stories and ask students to indicate when characters make safety mistakes.
Story 1
Bob was walking home from school when a car pulled up alongside. The driver leaned over and asked Bob for directions. Bob started to reply when the man said, "I can't hear you way over there. Would you mind coming over near my door to tell me?" So Bob walked over to the driver's side of the car.
Story 2
Mary was walking home, soaked from the rain. A car pulled up and the driver said, "Need a ride?" Mary said, "I'm not allowed to ride with strangers." The man in the car asked how far she had to walk. She said, "I only live two blocks away, in the yellow house." The man said, "I'll just follow you to be sure you get there OK."
Story 3
Bill was sitting on the bus when a nice lady sat down next to him. She asked his name and where he went to school. Bill told her. Then she said, "I could use some help in my yard. How would you like a job today?" Bill said he could use the money and agreed to go home with the lady to work in her yard.
Story 4
Linda stayed so late at the library that all of her friends had gone home. She began walking home in the dark. Suddenly a man who she had seen in the library walked up behind her. He took her arm and said, "You look like you could use a ride home. Get in my car, I'll take you." He seemed nice so Linda got in his car.
Story 5
Mark and his friends were late getting home from school. It was starting to get dark and he knew his mother would worry about him. His friends were walking too slowly so Mark walked on ahead. He thought he could make the trip shorter if he cut through the alley instead of walking along the main street. When he was halfway up the alley two teenagers jumped out in front of him.
Story 6
Holly was walking into the drugstore when two teenagers came up to her. She had seen the two girls before. They said they needed money for an emergency. They told Holly they would pay her back tomorrow if she would lend it to them. Holly counted the money in her purse-five dollars. The girls said that was exactly the amount they needed and grabbed the money out of her hand.
Story 7
Ed was hungry as he stood at the lunch counter, but he only had 50 cents. A man behind him said, "You look hungry-do you have enough money?" Ed said he only had enough for a container of milk. The man offered to buy lunch for Ed saying he could pay him back another time. Ed thanked the man and they sat together to eat the lunches. The man said, "How would you like to go to the park and have a game of catch?" Ed thought about how nice the man was to buy his lunch and agreed to go to the park with him.
Story 8
Lori was riding on the bus when a man sat next to her. The man had been drinking and was acting weird. The man asked her name and Lori felt dumb saying "I don't tell people that" so she told him. Then the man put his hand on her leg. Lori knew there were only two more stops before she would get off the bus, so she said nothing. When she stood up, the man touched her buttocks. Lori got off the bus and ran home.
Story 9
Barry was coming home from his friend's house when a stranger approached him. The man was looking for his dog and asked Barry if he had seen it. Barry said no. The man asked if Barry was going to walk up First Street and Barry said yes, that his house was on First Street. The man said, "I'll walk along with you and look for my dog." When they got to Barry's house the man asked to come inside and use his phone.
Story 10
Emma was walking home when Mr. Brown, a neighbor, called to her. He asked where she was going. She told him she had to go home and cook dinner since her mother worked late on Tuesdays. He said he had just picked some large tomatoes and asked if she wanted some for dinner. Emma said "Sure" and went with Mr. Brown into his house to get the tomatoes.