Life Skill
- Personal Safety
Project Skill
- Road safety
Objective
- Participant researches etiquette for various modes of transportation.
Success Indicators
- Participant learns how to handle a bicycle, skateboard, car, etc., responsibly.
Eti-Kit
- Internet access or library research
- Paper
- Pencil
- Gear or supplies for your sport or hobby of choice
Courtesy Corner
- The word etiquette originates from the French word for “ticket.” Louis XIV was reportedly upset when people trampled the palace lawn. So he put up warning signs called etiquettes. Then ordered all passersby to remain on paths or to “keep within the etiquettes.”
Manners Matter: Ages 13 to 19
Manners in Motion
The Right Foot
Many people are stubbornly independent about the way they travel. Yet we all have to share the same highways, trails, sidewalks, parking lots, elevators, and hallways. Sometimes collision and conflicts occur. Public rules like traffic laws govern some of this movement. But courtesy also is an important law of the land.
Civil Action
You may enjoy a hobby like walking, cycling, in-line skating, horseback riding, or some other outdoor hobby. If you're old enough, you might be looking forward to driving soon, or you may already be driving with a permit or license. Many hobbies or activities that involve sharing public roads or trails have a code of conduct. Some even have laws. For example, in some places its illegal to ride a bike on the sidewalk. Do some research on your chosen area of interest. If possible, take a class on safety or on improving your performance in a favorite sport or activity. Develop a personal code of ethics or etiquette that would be beneficial to you, to other people who share your activity, and to those with diverging interests. Practice your code in your sport, hobby, or activity.
Extra Polish
People who shape public policy deal regularly with what they call "user conflicts." For example, cyclists and drivers are often at odds. In public parks, hikers and dirt-bikers often share the same trails. Do some research on a user conflict in your community. What kinds of solutions involve common courtesy and general rules of etiquette? What suggestions do you have for reducing conflicts?
Finishing School
Share
- What did you learn in your investigation?
- What situation were you unsure of?
- Which behavior came easily to you?
Process
- How can people with different goals and interests benefit from working together?
- How can one member of a group make everyone else look bad?
- Are safety and manners ever related? How and Why?
- What should you do if you encounter bad manners?
Generalize
- What other things do you do to stay safe?
- What kinds of conflicts have you read or heard about in the news that good manners might have prevented?
Apply
- How can you use what you learned here in school or in other areas of your life?
Distributed in furtherance of the acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, 1914. North Carolina State University and North Carolina A&T State University commit themselves to positive action to secure equal opportunity regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability. In addition, the two Universities welcome all persons without regard to sexual orientation. North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&T State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments cooperating.
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