Well-Being and Digital Citizenship Lesson Plan

Jan. 20, 2021 • Studies Weekly

Teacher Background

Students will have varying emotions regarding internet use. Be sensitive to the different experiences with the internet that students may have had. Additionally, parents of students may have varying rules about what can and cannot be shared online. Some people are comfortable sharing images of their children online, while some are not. This topic should be addressed sensitively.

Vocabulary

character: how you choose to treat others

digital character: how you choose to treat others online

conduct: things that people say or do

Notes for Teacher

Consider sending home a note before this week begins letting parents know what you will be discussing and what the students are encouraged to share with people at home.

For the lesson, log into Studies Weekly Online to use the Well-being article “Keep Personal Information Private,”  where students will be discussing what types of information are private and should be safeguarded.

Think Deeply

What impact does your digital footprint have on your future relationships, jobs, and opportunities?

Let’s Write

Consider the ways in which your digital footprint impacts your future. Write two bulleted lists including ways your digital footprint can impact you based on your choices online, either positively or negatively.

Lesson Plan

  1. Have students read the article “Keep Personal Information Private” in small groups or individually.
  2. Have students highlight the things that they should keep private.
  3. Discuss as a class: When you know a person’s personal information, what do you know about them? (name, address, phone number, etc.)
    Help students understand that there are some people who might use this information to cause problems or harm for another person.
    This is why it is important to safeguard personal information.
  4. Show students the image of the footprints in the sand.
    How was this path created?
    Does this path tell you where to go and where you’ve been?
    Are there other paths you can see?
    If you walked on this path what would you leave behind?
    Did your own footprint help to keep this path going?
  5. Discuss that anything shared online cannot be taken back. You cannot control who else will see that information. Instruct students about digital footprints and how everything they do online, even if it is deleted, creates a trace of their behavior online.
  6. Give students the graphic organizer What Does My Digital Footprint Look Like? Talk about each aspect of the organizer.
    • Pictures: Remember that everything you send can be re-sent and shared. Do you have permission to share photos?
    • Words: How will my words impact others?
    • Profile: What is a profile? What does it usually include? (picture and information about you) What does my profile tell others about you? Is it honest? Is it a good representation of who you really are?
    • Actions: What consequences will my actions online have?
    • Privacy: Am I protecting my personal information? How do I keep things private?
    • Positive: Is what I do online positive and encouraging to others? Why is a positive footprint important?
    • Permission: Who can give me permission to go online and use certain apps?

7. Give students the graphic organizer Private or Not Private? to fill out and add to their interactive notebooks.

Private or Not Private Studies Weekly Graphic Organizer
Educate students with the NEW Studies Weekly Health