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How should we react to breaking news?

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With mobile phone alerts, social media updates, and 24/7 news cycles, it's hard to escape the daily flood of breaking news. But do kids really understand what they're seeing when stories first break? Help students analyze breaking news with a critical eye for false or incomplete information, and discuss the downsides of our "always-on" news media culture.

Define breaking news, and understand why individuals and news outlets want to be first to report a story.

Analyze breaking news alerts to identify clues of false or incomplete information.

Reflect on the consequences of reacting right away to breaking news alerts.

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How should we react to breaking news? Check out This Just In!, a free digital citizenship lesson plan from Common Sense Education, to get your grade 8 students thinking critically and using technology responsibly to learn, create, and participate.

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How should you respond to online hate speech?

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Students can come across all kinds of negative content online and on social media, whether it's rude, mean, or even hateful. But what should students do when they encounter hate speech online? Have students think through digital dilemmas and identify the best ways to respond.

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Responding to Online Hate Speech | Common Sense Education

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How should you respond to online hate speech? Check out Responding to Online Hate Speech, a free digital citizenship lesson plan from Common Sense Education, to get your grade 8 students thinking critically and using technology responsibly to learn, create, and participate.

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What are the risks and potential consequences of sexting?

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It's natural for teens to be curious about their emerging sexuality. But most middle schoolers aren't prepared for the risks of exploring this in the digital age. Help students think critically about self-disclosure in relationships and practice how they'd respond to a situation where sexting -- or a request for sexting -- might happen.
See the U.K. version of this lesson plan

Compare the risks and benefits of self-disclosure in relationships.

Identify the risks and potential consequences of sexting.

Use the Feelings & Options thinking routine to consider how to respond in situations where sexting could occur.

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Sexting and Relationships | Common Sense Education

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What are the risks and potential consequences of sexting? Check out Sexting and Relationships, a free digital citizenship lesson plan from Common Sense Education, to get your grade 8 students thinking critically and using technology responsibly to learn, create, and participate.

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How does using social media affect our digital footprints?

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How does using social media affect our digital footprints?

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How does using social media affect our digital footprints?

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Social media can be a place to connect, learn, and, most of all, share. But how much do kids know about what they're sharing -- and not just about themselves but each other? Help students think critically about their digital footprints on social media.

Identify reasons for using social media and the challenges that often come along with it.

Reflect on the responsibilities they have that are related to digital footprints -- both their own and others' -- when they're using social media.

Identify ways to make the most of social media while still caring for the digital footprints of themselves and others.

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Social Media and Digital Footprints: Our Responsibilities | Common Sense Education

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How does using social media affect our digital footprints? Check out Social Media and Digital Footprints: Our Responsibilities, a free digital citizenship lesson plan from Common Sense Education, to get your grade 8 students thinking critically and using technology responsibly to learn, create, and participate.

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How can you protect your privacy when you're online?

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Common Sense Education has partnered with CYBER.ORG to support cybersecurity education. If you want to build on the themes from this lesson, we recommend the following lesson from the CYBER.ORG content library:

Layers of Protection for Your Internet Voyage (Grades 6-8): Students will explore how combining good cybersecurity practices can increase user safety when exploring the internet.
Our collaboration with CYBER.ORG was made possible with the generous support of Craig Newmark Philanthropies.

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Being Aware of What You Share | Common Sense Education

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How can you protect your privacy when you're online? Check out Being Aware of What You Share, a free digital citizenship lesson plan from Common Sense Education, to get your grade 8 students thinking critically and using technology responsibly to learn, create, and participate.

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How does digital media try to hook you, and what can you do about it?

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Sometimes when you're using media, it's hard to stop. Lots of people even say they feel "addicted" to their phones or the apps and games they use. But is digital media actually designed to get you hooked? Have students think about the ways different digital media does -- and does not -- help us find healthy media balance.
This is one of four lessons in our digital well-being collection for middle school. If time permits, we recommend teaching all four lessons, in the suggested order, to maximize impact.

Explore ways that different digital media are, and aren't, designed to help them make good media choices.

Reflect on how digital media is designed to either help or hinder the addition of meaning and value to their lives.

Think about how to develop good, healthy habits when using digital media.

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Digital Media and Your Brain | Common Sense Education

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How does digital media try to hook you, and what can you do about it? Check out Digital Media and Your Brain, a free digital citizenship lesson plan from Common Sense Education, to get your grade 8 students thinking critically and using technology responsibly to learn, create, and participate.