- Author:
- Lesley James
- Subject:
- Information Science, Communication, Electronic Technology
- Material Type:
- Lesson Plan, Teaching/Learning Strategy, Unit of Study
- Level:
- Lower Primary, Upper Primary, Middle School, High School
- Tags:
- License:
- Creative Commons Attribution
- Language:
- English
- Media Formats:
- Text/HTML
Education Standards
Common Sense Education Website Guidance
Overview
This guide walks you through the part of the Common Sense website that focuses on K-12 Digital Citizenship curriculum. The lesson plans include everything educators need to begin teaching this content in their classrooms and many have accompanying high-quality videos. There are also engaging games for younger students and an interactive social media simulation for older students. Topics include: media balance & well-being, privacy & security, digital footprint & identity, relationships & comunication, cyberbullying, digital drama & hate speech, and news & media literacy.
K-12 Digital Citizenship Curriculum | Common Sense Education
Link to website
Purpose of Website
Their stated mission: "Common Sense is the nation's leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of all kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the 21st century."
Common Sense Education is part of the larger Common Sense website, which also includes media reviews for families, Ed Tech reviews for educators, and advocacy efforts that promote quality, safe media and technology.
Site Navigation Strategy
Consider starting with the printable overview or a one-hour training.
Or go straight to the Digital Citizenship curriculum.
In addition to a lesson plan, each lesson in the curriculum has:
- Learning Objectives
- Key Vocabulary
- Standards
- A list of what you’ll need to prepare for the lesson
There are 6 lessons for each grade (except K & 1), one for each of these topics:
- Media Balance & Well-Being
- Privacy & Security
- Digital Footprint & Identity
- Relationships & Communication
- Cyberbullying, Digital Drama & Hate Speech
- News & Media Literacy
You can filter by topic or by grade level (K-12).
Some of the lessons are 15-minute “quick activities.” Look for the clock-shaped icon or you can find the quick activities, optimized for digital learning, on this page for K-5 and this page for 6-12.
Other ways to use the lessons:
- “Digital Dilemmas”: Use scenarios from the lessons to “to help students develop skills and dispositions to respond to real-world dilemmas in thoughtful, effective, and empathetic ways.”
- Browse the full video library, including the videos used in many of the lessons.
- The lessons are also available on the Learning.com and Nearpod platforms.
Additional Resources
Games:
- For grades 3-5: Digital Passport™: Six interactive games that address issues kids face and help them learn skills for using technology responsibly. Available in Spanish.
- For grades 6-8: Digital Compass™: Choose-your-own-path games that allow students to play through the perspective of one of eight characters, each of whom is facing a different digital citizenship dilemma. Students can explore alternative courses of action in order to consider how decisions made in their digital lives can affect their relationships and futures. Available in Spanish.
- For grades 6-8: Social Media TestDrive: A simulated social media environment where students can prepare for real-life experiences in the digital world by practicing how to respond to situations they’ll encounter as social media users. Each module has a guided activity, a free play section, and reflection questions—and was designed to accompany a lesson from the middle school curriculum.
Need help implementing the curriculum at your school or district?
- Resources for implementing curriculum in your school or district: planning templates, checklists, helpful videos, and success stories/case studies.
- Resources for meeting CIPA requirements for E-rate.
Comments
You have to create a free account to access most of the resources on the site.
Attribution and License
Attribution
Image and Mission by Common Sense. Used pursuant to fair use.
License
Except where otherwise noted, this website guidance document by Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. All logos and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Sections used under fair use doctrine (17 U.S.C. § 107) are marked.
This resource contains links to websites operated by third parties. These links are provided for your convenience only and do not constitute or imply any endorsement or monitoring by OSPI. Please confirm the license status of any third-party resources and understand their terms before use.