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Online Safety: Being Smart and Kind Online

Students sort online choices into safe and unsafe — learning to protect their private information, use strong passwords, be kind, and always tell a trusted adult when something feels wrong.

Grades 3–5Digital Citizenship45 minutes1 class periodCode LessonExplicit teaching4 StandardsISTE + CSTA
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Tell safe from unsafe online choices.
  • ✓Keep private information private.
  • ✓Explain what makes a strong password.
  • ✓Know to tell a trusted adult when something feels wrong.
Essential Question

The internet is a huge, useful place — and also a public one. How do you stay safe, keep your information private, and be kind while you’re there?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Sort It · Interactive

Safe or Unsafe?

Project this and sort each online choice into “Safe” or “Unsafe.” Tap one, then tap the bucket — and talk about why.

🛡️ Sort each choice — safe or unsafe online?Try it
✅ Safe
⚠️ Unsafe
Tap a choice, then tap Safe or Unsafe.
The Lesson · Use · Modify · Create

45 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — Public Place

5 min

The internet is like a giant public square — who can see you?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Compare the internet to a public place.
  • Ask what you’d keep private there.
  • Set the goal: online safety.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Picture the public square.
  • Name what to keep private.
  • Predict safe habits.
2

Learn — Safe Habits

10 min

Teacher teaches the rules.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Teach: protect private info, strong passwords, be kind.
  • Stress telling a trusted adult.
  • Give a safe vs. unsafe example.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Learn the safety rules.
  • Name private information.
  • Learn the “tell an adult” rule.
3

Use It — Safe or Unsafe

12 min

Students use the tool.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Have students sort the choices.
  • Discuss why each is safe/unsafe.
  • Model a strong password.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Sort the choices.
  • Explain each one.
  • Make a strong password.
4

Create — Real Situations

13 min

Students apply the rules.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Give online scenarios (a stranger messages you).
  • Have students choose the safe action.
  • Reinforce telling a trusted adult.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Choose the safe action.
  • Explain why.
  • Name a trusted adult.
5

Share — Share

5 min

Students make a safety rule.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Have students write one online-safety rule.
  • Build a class “safe online” poster.
  • Hand out the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Write a safety rule.
  • Add to the class poster.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the ISTE Standards for Students and the CSTA K-12 Computer Science Standards.

ISTE
Digital Citizen

Manage personal data to maintain digital privacy and security and be safe online.

CSTA
1B-NI-05

Discuss real-world cybersecurity problems and how personal information can be protected.

CSTA
1A-IC-18

Keep login information private and behave respectfully and responsibly online.

CCSS
SL.3.1

Engage effectively in collaborative discussions, expressing ideas clearly.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Picture cards of safe/unsafe choices.
  • Sentence frame: “___ is safe/unsafe because ___.”
  • Practice saying “I’ll ask an adult.”

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with clear safe vs. unsafe choices.
  • Use a two-column sort.
  • Focus on “tell a trusted adult” first.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Design a strong-password rule.
  • Explain what info is “private.”
  • Make a family online-safety agreement.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Projector / board
  • 📓Notebooks
  • 💻Safe or Unsafe?
  • 🖼️Scenario cards
  • 🛡️A “safe online” poster
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

onlineconnected to the internetprivate informationdetails like your name, address, or passwordpassworda secret code that protects an accountstrong passworda long, hard-to-guess passwordtrusted adulta grown-up you can go to for helpsafenot putting yourself at riskkindcaring and respectful to othersdigital citizensomeone who acts safely and kindly online
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
Name one thing you should keep private online.
Sample: your home address, phone number, full name, school, or password.
QUESTION 2
What makes a strong password?
A long password that is hard to guess — not something simple like “1234” or your name.
QUESTION 3
What should you do if something online feels wrong or scary?
Tell a trusted adult right away — asking for help is always a safe, smart choice.

Going deeper? Make a family agreement.

Have students take home a short “stay safe online” agreement to talk over and sign with a family member. A printable agreement is in the CS library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Online SafetyFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Online SafetyQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
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Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Online SafetyPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: digital citizen, kind, online, password, private information, safe, strong password, trusted adult
  1. caring and respectful to others
  2. someone who acts safely and kindly online
  3. a grown-up you can go to for help
  4. not putting yourself at risk
  5. details like your name, address, or password
  6. a secret code that protects an account
  7. a long, hard-to-guess password
  8. connected to the internet

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. Name one thing you should keep private online.
  2. What makes a strong password?
  3. What should you do if something online feels wrong or scary?
Answer key — Part A: 1) kind · 2) digital citizen · 3) trusted adult · 4) safe · 5) private information · 6) password · 7) strong password · 8) online
Part B: 1) Sample: your home address, phone number, full name, school, or password. 2) A long password that is hard to guess — not something simple like “1234” or your name. 3) Tell a trusted adult right away — asking for help is always a safe, smart choice.