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Grade 4

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How does our online activity affect the digital footprints of ourselves and others?
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Lesson Slides

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Your digital footprint can affect your online reputation for a long time. But kids don't always realize that digital footprints aren't just a personal matter. Show your students how they can contribute to a positive digital reputation, both for themselves and for others.

See the U.K. version of this lesson plan

Learning Objectives:
  • Define the term "digital footprint" and identify the online activities that contribute to it.
  • Identify ways they are -- and are not -- in control of their digital footprint.
  • Understand what responsibilities they have for the digital footprints of themselves and others.
Key Vocabulary: digital footprint  ·  fossil  ·  inference  ·  responsibility
digital footprint:
a record of what you do online, including the sites you visit and the things you post; it can also include things that others post that involve you
fossil:
parts of an animal saved and preserved within the earth for up to millions of years
inference:
an educated guess based on evidence
responsibility:
a duty you have to yourself or others
Digital Footprint & Identity
This lesson meets standards for Common Core ELA, CASEL, AASL, and ISTE. See standards

Lesson Plan

45 mins.
Extension Activity:

Give the students time to write a letter to their family and community members (coaches, babysitters, counselors, etc.). Refer the students to the responsibilities captured in On Your Honor, step 2. The letters should include:

  1. A description of a digital footprint.
  2. An explanation that sometimes people have control over their footprint and sometimes they do not.
  3. Two rules the student would like his or her family and community to agree to follow in their digital activities to help protect the student's digital footprint. And, two rules the student will agree to follow to protect family members' digital footprints. 
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What You'll Need

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Classroom resources

  • Lesson Slides
  • Camilla's Footprint Handout Teacher Version
  • Lesson Quiz

Take-home resources

© Common Sense Media. Lessons are shareable with attribution for noncommercial use only. No remixing permitted. View detailed license information at creativecommons.org.
Lesson last updated: August 2018
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