3-5 Lessons & Activites

Looking for some core lessons on Digital Citizenship for our third through fifth grade students? This is your place! These essential lesson are followed by additional lessons that teachers may wish to incorporate as circumstances allow.

Any student who has access to district provided email must be taught how to use email safely and ethically. The bottom of this page has a section of email related lessons and resources. We encourage the sites and classrooms teachers to decide which lessons best meet the needs of their students.

Many of these lessons are from the curriculum at Common Sense Media. When you click a link, it will navigate you to the appropriate Common Sense Media webpage. The full lessons may be downloaded from those pages.

The lessons are aligned with Common Core ELA, AASL, and ISTE standards.

THIRD GRADE

Key Lesson: Rings of Responsibility

Essential Question: What kinds of responsibilities does a good digital citizen have?

Learning Objectives Students will be able to ...

• reflect upon their offline responsibilities.

• examine their online responsibilities.

• learn that good digital citizens are responsible and respectful in the digital world (and beyond)

District Component: Introduce students to the district Acceptable Use Agreement. Have the students summarize and evaluate the AUA.

Key Lesson: The Power of Words

Essential Question: What should you do when someone uses mean or scary language on the Internet?

Learning Objectives Students will be able to ...

• empathize with those who have received mean and hurtful messages.

• judge what it means to cross the line from harmless to harmful communication online.

• generate solutions for dealing with cyberbullying.

Key Lesson: Whose Is It Anyway?

Essential Question How can I show respect for people’s work?

Learning Objectives Students will be able to ...

• define plagiarism and describe its consequences.

• explain how giving credit is a sign of respect for people’s work.

• articulate when it is acceptable to use people’s work, and how to write a citation.

Suggested Lessons:

Private and Personal Information - How can you protect yourself from online identity theft?

FOURTH GRADE

Key Lesson: Our Digital Citizenship Pledge

Essential Question How do you create a positive online community?

Learning Objectives Students will be able to ...

• establish expectations and norms for the group related to appropriate online behavior.

• participate responsibly and respectfully in an online community.

• collaborate on a classroom motto about digital citizenship.

Key Lesson: How To Cite A Site

Essential Question: How do I cite different types of online sources?

Learning Objectives Students will be able to ...

• explain the value of giving proper citations.

• name the components of an MLA style citation for different types of websites.

• create MLA style citations for online articles and professional sites.

Key Lesson: Password Power Up

Essential Question: How can a secure password help you protect your private information?

Learning Objectives - Students will be able to:

  • Define the term "password" and describe a password's purpose.

  • Understand why a strong password is important.

  • Practice creating a memorable and strong password.

Suggested Lessons:

Interland - A game from Google that teaches Internet safety basics.

The Key to Keywords - Which keywords will give you the best search results?

Super Digital Citizen - How can we be upstanders when we see cyberbullying?

FIFTH GRADE

Key Lesson: Super Digital Citizen

Essential Question: How can people help others to be good digital citizens?

Learning Objectives Students will be able to ...

• compare and contrast their responsibilities to their offline and online communities.

• reflect on the characteristics that make someone an upstanding citizen.

• devise resolutions to digital dilemmas.

Key Lesson: What’s Cyberbullying

Essential Question: What is cyberbullying, and how do you deal with it?

Learning Objectives Students will be able to ...

• empathize with the targets of cyberbullying.

• recognize some of the key similarities and differences between in-person bullying and cyberbullying.

• identify strategies for dealing responsibly with cyberbullying.

Key Lesson: Right Sites

Essential Question: How can you decide which informational websites are right for you?

Learning Objectives Students will be able to ... ‡

  • explore the differences between quality and appeal as they evaluate children’s informational websites. ‡

  • evaluate informational websites and compare their findings. ‡

  • understand that they need to consider both the quality and appeal of a site when choosing which informational websites are right for them.

Suggested Lessons:

Interland - A game from Google that teaches Internet safety basics.

Picture Perfect - How can photos be changed on the computer, and how can that affect your feelings about the way you look?

Privacy Rules - How do you know if a website protects your private information?

Additional Resources:

3-5 EMAIL RESOURCES:

Any students using district email must learn about email safety.

Writing Good Emails - How is writing an email similar to or different from writing a letter?

Talking Safely Online - What's the difference between Internet friends and in-person friends?

You've Won A Prize - What is spam, and what can you do about it?

Scams and Schemes - What is identity theft, and how can you protect yourself from it?

Student-Directed Video: Email Etiquette for Students