Swimming and Water Safety Program Information
The American Red Cross Swimming and Water Safety Program features six levels of learn to swim instruction to help swimmers of all ages and abilities develop their swimming and water safety skills. It is designed to give students a positive learning experience.
American Red Cross Learn-to-Swim teaches aquatic and safety skills in a logical progression. The objective is to teach people to swim and to be safe in, on and around the water.
Skills are categorized in the following way:
- Water Entry and Exit
- Breath Control and Underwater Swimming
- Buoyancy
- Changing Direction and Position
- Treading
- Swimming on Front, Back and Side
- General and Personal Water Safety
- Helping Others
Not every level includes skills in all categories. Nor is it necessary to introduce the skills in the order of categories listed above. It is very important, however, to introduce safety skills in the first lesson of each level, so participants are aware of what they can do to be safe around the water.
Students in Level 1 are oriented to the aquatic environment and gain some basic skills in each category. At later levels, students build on their basic skills to learn propulsive movements on the front, back and side. They learn different strokes at various levels and then refine them at later levels. Personal safety and rescue skills are included to help students meet safety goals. By the end of Level 6, students have all the prerequisite skills and have developed the necessary fitness level for entrance into the American Red Cross Lifeguarding and Water Safety Instructor courses.
The six learn-to-swim levels and the objectives for each level include:
- Level 1 - Introduction to Water Skills. Helps students feel comfortable in the water and to enjoy the water safely.
- Level 2 - Fundamental Aquatic Skills. Gives students success with fundamental skills.
- Level 3 - Stroke Development. Builds on the skills in Level 2 by providing additional guided practice.
- Level 4 - Stroke Improvement. Develops confidence in the strokes learned and to improve other aquatic skills.
- Level 5 - Stroke Refinement. Provides further coordination and refinement of strokes.
- Level 6 - Swimming and Skill Proficiency. Refines the strokes so students swim them with ease, efficiency, power and smoothness over greater distances. Level 6 is designed with "menu" options. Each of these options focus on preparing students to participate in more advance courses, such as Water Safety Instructor and Lifeguard Training. These options include:
- Personal Water Safety
- Lifeguard Readiness
- Fundamentals of Diving
- Fitness Swimming
Water Safety Presentations
Four water safety presentations provide lifesaving information on being safe in, on and around the water as well as the importance of learning to swim. By knowing the intended audience, these presentations can be customized to fit their needs. The water safety presentations include:
- Water Safety Today (2 hours): teaches individuals how to recognize, prevent and respond to emergencies in, on and around water.
- General Water Safety (30 minutes): provides individuals with an awareness of the importance of water safety training and key information on being safe in, on and around water.
- Home Pool Safety (30 minutes): provides information for home pool and apartment pool owners on how to keep families, tenants and guests safe in an aquatic environment.
- Parent Orientation to Swimming Lessons (30 minutes): an orientation for parents about American Red Cross swimming lessons offered at local aquatic facilities.
Water Safety Instructor Course
The American Red Cross Water Safety Instructor course provides instructor candidates the training needed to teach courses in the American Red Cross Swimming and Water Safety program by developing their understanding of how to use the course materials, how to conduct training sessions and how to evaluate participants' progress.
Concepts and features of the Water Safety Instructor course include:
- New minimum age prerequisite of 16 years of age to enter the course
- Shortened course time of approximately 30 hours (including pre-course session)
- Clearly described and applied teaching strategies, including:
- Explain, demonstrate and practice;
- Task setting;
- Station teaching; and
- Guided discovery.
- New video segments that bring to life the realities of what to expect from their students throughout the levels for the brand new instructor.
- Video segments that focus on effective class management and effective teaching strategies in the aquatic setting.
- Various video segments show typical examples of basic skills and common progressions including breath control, swimming on the front and swimming on the back.
- Video segments also show some typical performance of the strokes as they progress through the levels. This video depiction helps instructor candidates visualize the description of the strokes in the written skills performance criteria charts that they will then be able to use when evaluating their students' performance.
- Supported by video, the instructor candidates work to develop their ability to observe and assess, often referred to as having a photographic eye, which will help them to identify weaknesses and determine how to intervene to move their students to the next level.
- Learning activities, games and drills are built in throughout the course; some are led by the instructor trainer while others are led by instructor candidates. This helps instructor candidates improve their strokes and understand how to integrate activities, games and drills effectively into their teaching.
- Multiple opportunities for instructor candidates to practice their teaching skills through formal practice teaching assignments as well as leading mini-lessons.
Swimming and Water Safety Program Materials
Longfellow's W.H.A.L.E. Tales K-6 Water Safety Education Packet
The information and materials in the Longfellow's W.H.A.L.E. Tales K-6 Water Safety Education Packet have been updated. This packet was developed for use by elementary school teachers and youth leaders. No prior swimming experience or water safety training is necessary for an individual to lead the activities in the packet.
The packet is designed to be flexible to meet the needs of the students. A leader can pick or choose an activity from a list of eight water safety topics when making a presentation. There is no set format and no minimum or maximum amount of time to present the information.
The new Longfellow's W.H.A.L.E. Tales K-6 Water Safety Education Packet contains the following:
- CD-ROM
- Eight topic outlines for the leader
- Ten topic fact sheets for the leader
- Forty-eight reproducible activity sheets
- Answers to the activity sheets
- Electronic versions of the eight color posters
- Certificates
- Activity Report
- Video clip of a model presentation
- Eight color posters
In addition to the education packet, the following optional materials support Longfellow's W.H.A.L.E. Tales presentations:
- Longfellow's W.H.A.L.E. Tales video (Note: This video has not been updated.)
- Longfellow's W.H.A.L.E. Tales stickers
Water Safety Handbook
Handbook features:
- Approximately 64 pages
- Full-color
- Handbook size (4 ½" x 6 ¾")
The handbook is designed to be used as a stand-alone reference and/or used in conjunction with the water safety presentations (except with the parent orientation to swimming lessons). The main sections in the handbook are:
- The Risk of Drowning
- The Risk of Head, Neck or Back Injury
- General Water Safety Tips
- Additional Water Safety Tips
- Diving Safety
- Life Jackets
- Water Activities and Safety
- Boating
- Emergency Action Steps
- Emergency Action Plan
- Do It Yourself Project: Emergency Contact Information Sheet
- Helping Others
- Reach, Throw, Don't Go
- Rescue Breathing
- General Health Tips for Outdoor Water Activities
Swimming and Water Safety Manual
This comprehensive reference manual is the complete guide to swimming, diving and water safety. It includes information on the history of swimming, competitive activities, hydrodynamics, stroke mechanics, general water safety, disabilities and other conditions, fitness and training. The American Red Cross Swimming and Water Safety manual provides the most up-to-date information needed by swimming enthusiasts at all levels. It is also a perfect companion to the American Red Cross Water Safety Instructor's Manual for swimming instructors.
The manual features:
- Approximately 380 pages.
- Full-color photographs and illustrations enhance understanding of swimming, diving and water safety skills.
- Sidebars (feature articles) pique the readers' interest and provide practical application of content.
- Chapter summaries reinforce important information and concepts.
- The use of current research in the discussion of stroke mechanics provides accuracy in stroke descriptions, which can help individuals improve stroke efficiency.
- An emphasis on water safety throughout the manual, instilling safety awareness.
- A basic-level explanation of hydrodynamic principles that serves as the basis for understanding and improving stroke techniques.
- Explanation of how to include people with disabilities and other conditions successfully into aquatic programs.
- Discussions about aerobic fitness, anaerobic fitness, anaerobic exercise, flexibility and muscle development emphasize an overall approach to fitness.
Swimming and Water Safety Table of Contents
Chapter 1: History of Swimming and Diving
Chapter 2: Hydrodynamics
Chapter 3: Basic Aquatic Skills
Chapter 4: Stroke Mechanics
Chapter 5: Starts and Turns
Chapter 6: Diving
Chapter 7: Disabilities and Other Conditions
Chapter 8: Lifetime Fitness
Chapter 9: Training
Chapter 10: Water Safety
Appendices
A. Instructions for Emergency Telephone Calls
B. Equipment
Glossary
References
Index
Water Safety Instructor's Manual
The American Red Cross Water Safety Instructor's Manual provides instructors with the tools and information needed to plan and conduct courses in the American Red Cross Swimming and Water Safety program.
The instructor's manual features:
- Approximately 308 loose leaf pages.
- Black and white photographs and illustrations.
- Explanations of motor learning principles, directions for course planning and detailed teaching progressions with cross-references.
- A CD-ROM with additional resources for water safety instructors. (More information on the CD-ROM to come soon.)
Water Safety Instructor's Manual Table of Contents
Part A: Administration
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Preparing to Teach
Part B: Learning Theory
Chapter 3: Development and Learning
Chapter 4: Teaching Principles
Part C: Course Planning and Management
Chapter 5: Course Planning
Chapter 6: Class Organization
Part D: Learn to Swim
Chapter 7: Outlines for Learn to Swim Levels
Chapter 8: Support Techniques
Chapter 9: Teaching Basic Skills
Chapter 10: Teaching Strokes
Chapter 11: Teaching Starts and Turns
Chapter 12: Teaching Diving
Part E: Parent and Child Aquatics
Chapter 13: Overview of Parent and Child Aquatics
Chapter 14: The Parent and Child Aquatics Course Outlines
Chapter 15: Parent and Child Aquatics Skills
Part F: Teaching Water Safety
Chapter 16: Water Safety Outreach
Chapter 17: The Basic Water Rescue Course Outline
Part G: Customizing the Program
Chapter 18: Customizing for Disabilities
Chapter 19: Customizing for Adults
Chapter 20: Customizing for Fitness
Chapter 21: Customizing with Games and Activities
Appendices
Water Safety Instructor (WSI) CD-ROM
The WSI CD-ROM will be packaged with the Water Safety Instructor's Manual. The CD-ROM provides the following two types of resources:
- Water Safety Instructor Resources Provides Water Safety Instructors tools and information to conduct swimming and water safety courses and presentations, including:
- Sample Block Plans;
- Lesson Plan Template;
- Skills Checklist;
- Stroke Performance Charts;
- Achievement Cards;
- Task Cards;
- Parent and Child Aquatics Games , Songs, and Rhymes;
- Teaching Activities, Drills and Games;
- Water Safety Presentations;
- Water Safety Instructor Course Record;
- Self-Evaluation Form; and
- External Organization Requirements.
- Swim Program Coordinator Resources Provides individuals managing a swim program the tools and information needed to conduct and administer learn-to-swim courses, including:
- Information for swim program coordinators;
- In-service trainings;
- Records and reports; and
- Additional resources.
Videos
- Swimming and Diving Skills Video
This updated video is designed to be used as a stand-alone reference for all interested in improving their strokes and to learn the basics of diving. The video includes new information on diving progressions when entering the water for swimming. The video will also be available in DVD format. The length of the video is 90 minutes. The following is a list of the video segments:
- Swimming and Diving Skills
- Stroke Mechanics
- Front Crawl
- Back Crawl
- Breaststroke
- Butterfly
- Elementary Backstroke
- Sidestroke
- Entries for Swimming
- Turns
- Diving from a Diving Board
- Teaching Swimming and Water Safety
The new Teaching Swimming and Water Safety video is used in the Water Safety Instructor (WSI) course. The video is approximately 1 hour, 25 minutes in length and will be available in DVD format. The video provides instructor candidates the following information:
- How to manage a class effectively;
- Basic aquatic skills;
- Stroke information for levels 3-5; and
- How to observe and assess strokes.
The following is a list of the video segments:
- Effective Class Management
- Teaching Water Safety
- Basic Aquatic Skills and Common Progressions
- Holding and Support Positions
- Level 3 - Stroke Development
- Level 4 - Stroke Improvement
- Observation and Assessment
- Level 5 - Stroke Refinement
- Effective Class Management - Parent and Child Aquatics
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