Real Friends and Online 'Friends'
Complete the Pretend Online Identity Activity Sheet to explore how difficult it can be to really know who you are chatting to online.
Create your own rap or song
Why not work on the lyrics together and perform your rap or song and include a dance routine.
This is a great example of an activity to promote better, safer use of the internet for Safer Internet Day.
Webwise would love to hear it! Send it to us via Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and your school could win prizes!
Visit https://heroes.webwise.ie/saferinternetday to find out more ideas.
Annoymous Online
How to use this resource
This module contains 5 activities. Please read the step-by-step instructions provided for each activity before getting started. Worksheets are required for some activities, you can access these by clicking on the Print Sheets button found within the individual activity information sections above.
Key Questions:
Key Words:
Pre-teaching of key vocabulary is recommended as some pupils may not understand these words fully.
Learning Outcomes:
When they have finished this module, your pupils will be able to:
Curriculum Links:
SPHE:
Myself:
Myself and others:
Myself and the wider world:
Stay Safe Programme
The Stay Safe programme is a personal safety skills programme for primary schools. Stay Safe is a mandatory resource and must be used within the context of the SPHE curriculum to cover relevant content objectives.
Topic 1. Feeling Safe and Unsafe
Topic 4. Secrets and Telling
Cross Curricular Links:
Language: English
Oral Language
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Reading
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Writing
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The Arts Education:
Visual Arts:
Activity: Chatting Online - Discussion Time
Embedding Digital Technologies
Schools with access to digital devices (e.g. tablets, laptops, phone) can capture pupils responses on relevant discussion activities using a variety of web-based tools e.g Padlet, Mentimeter, etc.
Duration: 30 minutes
Resources Needed:
Step 1. Ask pupils to complete the following questions about online friendships on their own first. Remind the pupils to give reasons for the responses.
Responses will vary depending on prior access and experience. Focus discussion on the following:
Step 2. Once complete ask the pupils to get in pairs and discuss their answers. Allow 5 minutes for this.
Step 3. Once pupils have had a chance to discuss their answers with their partners take feedback from the class and write main points for each question on the board.
Homework Activity: Review Ruby and Archie's Online Safety Advice
Duration: 5 minutes
Resources Needed:
Computer connected to projector/whiteboard with the Webwise Primary Programme open
Ruby and Archie's Online Safety Advice Activity Sheet.
Step 1: Distribute the USB KEY CHARACTER’s Advice sheet for homework. Tell pupils they are to rank the following safety hints in the order they consider the most important.
KEY TAKE-AWAY: The class should be clear on the crucial safety point that they never arrange to meet up with a person they ‘met’ online.
Activity: Social Media Profile Review
Resources Needed:
Duration: 15 minutes
Step 1: Introduce the first activity looking to explore chatting online. This fake social media account has been created to stimulate discussion about safe and potentially unsafe behaviours on social networking platforms. Some questions to ask pupils to consider while reviewing Aisling's profile:
Step 2: Display the fake profile on the whiteboard and distribute the InstaFace profile activity sheet to the pupils and go through the instructions with the pupils. Pupils are to highlight safe and unsafe features of this profile (using different coloured pens or pencils). A think, pair share methodology can be applied here.
Step 3: Take feedback from pupils on the safe and unsafe features of they identified from this profile. Note sample responses below:
Safe and responsible social network use:
Potentially unsafe or inappropriate features:
Activity: Real Friends and Online 'Friends' - Pretend Online Identity Activity Sheet
Teachers' Notes: The pupils will each fill in a True/False Friend Activity Sheet, half of which will be true, half false. They will be collected and read out to the full class and the class will try to determine real information from false. The aim of the exercise is for them to understand that it is very difficult to know if a person is whom they say they are online.
TAKE HOME ACTIVITY:
Discussion with parents/guardians — the pupils bring home their Top Safety Advice Sheet to discuss and rank with parents and brothers and sisters. Additional ‘Online Safety Tips’ could be gathered and discussed in class the following day. Strategic questions that a child will need to ask to ascertain if a website is trustworthy.
Duration: 30 minutes
Resources Needed:
Computer connected to projector/whiteboard with the Webwise Primary Programme open
Pretend Online Activity Sheet
Step 1: Explain how it is easy to pretend you are someone you are not on the internet. It can even be fun to try out different personalities online at times. Unfortunately, bad people who pretend they are pupils can also do so. Sometimes they do this to trick pupils into becoming their ‘friend’ online. Explain how in this lesson the pupils are going to see how easy it is to pretend online to be what you are not and how they can keep those people from becoming their ‘friends’ online.
Step 2: Distribute the True/False Friend Activity Sheet, having circled at the top of the page either the ‘T’ for True for half of the class and circled the ‘F’ for False for the other half of the class. Explain that even you will have an activity sheet and that the pupils will have to guess who is being a true or false friend.
Step 3: Collect the completed activity sheets and read a number of the selected identities to the class, a mixture of true and false identities including your own where you have chosen to be the pupils’ age, with similar interests to the pupils. Allow the class to try to judge if the identity is true or false, made up in an attempt to trick the others. The aim of the exercise is for the pupils to understand that it is very difficult to know if a person is whom they say they are online.
Step 4: Place discussion points on the board about how difficult it is to really know who you might be chatting or talking to online. Ask the pupils to recall the Chatwise Golden Rules they have previously learned, stressing the importance of always having a parent or adult with them when they are online. The pupils could draw up an ‘Our Class Top 3 Safety Rules’ to be posted to the classroom noticeboard.
Activity: Emoji Visual Arts Celebration
Resources Needed:
Duration: 30 minutes
Stimulus
Using the theme of ‘anonymity’, talk to the class about being anonymous online. What is the advantage of being anonymous? What are the disadvantages of being anonymous?
Ask the children to pick a friend or partner from the class but don’t tell them! Now, ask them to think about 3 of their best qualities. What emojis would best represent these traits? Tell them not to just think of physical traits; think of personality traits that are unique to this person as well for example what do they like doing or what do you like about them.
If your friend is kind, what emoji would you use to represent this? What art materials would you use? Paper plates for emoji heads, pencil, paint, crayon, felt-tip, pastels or maybe a mixed-media collage. When you have planned your project, begin to make your celebration.
After they are all completed, can the pupils guess which traits are being expressed and who is being represented?
Reveal the anonymous art by holding a celebration of the class. Each child can show their artwork to the class and tell them who it is and the traits they have that they admire.
This activity is trying to reinforce the idea that first glance is not all what it seems; people can make themselves and others seem any way they want.
Activity: Listen to the Song 'Rules of the Internet'
Resources Needed:
Duration: 30 mins
Step 1: Recap on previous activity on cyberbullying and golden rules of chatting online and dealing with cyberbullies. Explain that this activity continues to explore cyberbullying and key advice for dealing with cyberbullies through a rap.
Step 2: Play ‘Rules of the Internet’ song for pupils. Ask pupils to listen for the first time hearing it. Then play again for pupils asking them to list each of the rules mentioned in the song.
Step 3: Once pupils have written down each of the rules, ask them to create a poster containing each of the rules mentioned in the song. Encourage the pupils to include a symbol or emoji(s) to represent each rule.
There are 6 rules of the internet listed in the song:
Rules of the internet lyrics:
I'm here to tell you about a great big place
Where you can talk play in cyberspace
You'll have fun and laugh but before you do
Have a listen and follow these rules
Keep your password safe
There's no point using your own name
Get creative with made up words
So no one can guess "papie Josie”, “Hatytolie", is your password
Know what you can share
Personal info should not be bared
Even if a cute Panda is saying please
We know better because it's none of their "buzz, buzz" business
Rules of the internet, keeping us safe on the World Wide Web
Rules of the internet
Be careful of what you post
Think twice before you boast
If it’s something you don’t want your neighbours to know
Well don’t put it up, or you might get a roast
Keep it online with friends you don’t know
Always bring a guardian along for the show
'A guardian of the galaxy', 'maybe Starlord?'
No! I'm sure a parent will go
Don't stay in chats you don't like
Click X and they'll take a hike
If you keep getting bothered tell someone
We’re here to help and keep the internet fun
Don't be downloading junk
Check with a parent before it goes in the trunk
Otherwise you might get Trojan horse
And not one you can keep as a pet, no it's much, much, worse
So keep these in mind
The next time your online
Because it's fun and it's great but you've got to keep safe
So follow, just follow these rules of the internet
Rules of the internet, keeping us safe on the World Wide Web
Rules of the internet
Words and music by Kees Hendrickx ©
Safer Internet Day Activity
Can you create your own rap or song about internet safety? Why not work on the lyrics together and perform your rap or song. This is a great example of an activity to promote better, safer use of the internet for Safer Internet Day. Webwise would love to hear it! Send it in to us via Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and your school could win prizes! Visit https://heroes.webwise.ie/saferinternetday to find out more!