Video - Not to show students

This video will model the lesson for you.

Materials and Preparation

• Chalkboard or white board

• Copy The Right Answer Student Handout, one for each student.

• Copy the Chatting Safety Checklist Student Handout, one for each student.

Essential Question

What’s the difference between Internet friends and in-person friends?

Lesson Overview

Students learn that, while people can develop rewarding friendships online, they should be cautious with online-only friends and never reveal private information without asking a parent or trusted adult for permission. They discuss the difference between online and in-person friendships, explore an online chat scenario, and complete and sign a checklist for safe online chatting.

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to ...

• compare and contrast online-only friends and in-person, face to-face pals.

• analyze why private information should not be given to anyone online without the permission of a trusted adult.

• debate how to respond if an online-only friend asks them personal questions.

Key Vocabulary

uncomfortable: anxious; uneasy

monitor (noun): someone who closely observes and controls a situation, like a referee

monitor (verb): to observe closely

Note

The latest research indicates that pre-adolescent children are generally not the targets of online predators, and that the news media-driven idea that predators piece together private information to abduct children is not supported by evidence. In this lesson, we discuss the safety risks associated with giving out our private information online, but we also address the risk of identity theft. It is never too early for children to learn about identity theft. Children often are targeted because they have clean credit histories and their parents are unlikely to be alerted that someone is using their child’s identity. Children who learn about identity theft also can help protect their parents’ identities online.

Warm-up (10 minutes)

INVITE

Have students share their experiences chatting online, instant messaging, and posting on message boards.

EXPLAIN

Explain that sometimes kids might chat online with people they have never met in person.

CHALLENGE

Have students explain the differences between communicating with friends they know from school and their neighborhood and communicating with people they have never met in person.

EXPLAIN

Explain that although kids can have fun chats with online-only friends, they should recognize that they don’t know these friends as well as they do in-person ones. Therefore, they need to be cautious in what they share.

ASK

Can you ever really know if an online-only friend is male or female?

Can you know for sure how old an online only friend is?

REMIND

Remind students that they should talk to online-only friends with caution, and never reveal private information

that could put them in danger in any way. Never give online-only friends private information about yourself,

such as your address or phone number, without first asking permission from a parent or guardian.

You’re in Charge (10 minutes)

DISTRIBUTE

Handout The Right Answer Student Handout.

HAVE

Let students read the scenario about Sita and CJcool11, and then answer the handout questions individually.

Note: Students will refer back to this handout in Teach 3.

Stay Safe (10 minutes)

ASK

Why may it be easier to share school problems with an online-only friend than an in-person, face-to-face friend?

REMIND

Remind students that they can’t know for sure that an online-only friend is really a kid or someone they can trust. Make sure they know it’s easy to hide your real identity when you’re online.

ASK

Have you ever pretended to be someone you are not? If so, when?

EXPLAIN

Explain to students that online-only friends might sometimes pretend too. They might not really be who students think they are. That’s why it’s important for students to never share their private information with online-only friends without asking a parent or guardian first. They wouldn’t give private information to a stranger without asking, and it’s important for them to treat online-only friends the same way.

Note

If students ask why, you can explain that there are criminals who trick people into giving out private information about others. Then they use that private information to pretend to be them. This is called identity theft. They might even pretend to be them in order to steal their money. Giving out certain pieces of information to strangers can also let them know where you are located. This could be dangerous.

ASK

What’s private information?

EXPLAIN

Explain that private information includes (write the following on the board):

• full name

• birth date

• age

• passwords

• home address

• credit card number

• phone number

• mother’s maiden name

• name of school

• family members’ workplaces

• email address

• photos in which you can be recognized

REMIND

Remind students that if an online-only friend asks for any of this private information, they should tell a trusted adult.

DISCUSS

Discuss with students that the best way to talk safely to online-only friends is on a website that’s just for kids. Most of these sites have adult monitors that check the chat and messaging. A monitor is like a referee at a game. Monitors keep track of the chat to make sure that everyone keeps the chat on topic, uses good manners, and stays safe.

Check It Out (10 minutes)

DISTRIBUTE

Handout Chatting Safely Checklist Student Handout.

HAVE

Read, discuss, complete, and sign the checklist. Students can revisit their responses to The Right Answer Student Handout.

ASK

Would you change your advice to Sita?

If so, how?

DISCUSS

Discuss possible answers with students. Point out that Sita and CJcool11 are online-only friends, not in-person,

face-to-face friends. Therefore, Sita needs to be cautious in what information she shares with CJcool11.

REMIND

Remind students that they never should share private information about themselves without first asking a

parent or a trusted adult. Also, they never should answer questions that make them feel uncomfortable.

EXPLAIN

Explain that when Sita’s online-only friend asks her “Where is your school?” she could answer “I’d rather not

say,” or “That’s private information.” Point out that Sita doesn’t have to answer at all. She can just log out of the

chat room or website, or block the person who is asking the questions.

REMIND

Remind kids that when people persist in asking any question that makes them feel uncomfortable, they can ask

a trusted adult to help them report these people to the website owners.

Wrap-up (5 minutes)

You can use these questions to assess your students’ understanding of the lesson objectives. You may want to ask students to self-reflect in writing for one of the questions, using journals or an online blog/wiki.

ASK

How are online-only friends and in-person, face-to-face friends different?

What kind of information should you not share with online-only friends?

What should you do when someone you don’t know asks for private information?