# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Technology use isn't always a distraction, but there are definitely times when it's best to keep devices away. Help students learn when it's appropriate to use technology and when it's not -- and practice making family rules for device-free time at home.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Device-Free Moments | Common Sense Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Why is it important that we have device-free moments in our lives? Check out Device-Free Moments, a free digital citizenship lesson plan from Common Sense Education, to get your grade 2 students thinking critically and using technology responsibly to learn, create, and participate.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
3 Ways to Build Empathy with Digital Tools | Common Sense Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Can your students build empathy skills even while using technology? Yes! In fact, exercises that help students build empathy in digital spaces are a crucial part of positive social and emotional learning. Plus, using empathy skills online is integral for helping kids become responsible digital citizens.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Skip to main content

Activities will help students:

understand empathy

identify ways to be more understanding toward others

What does it mean to put yourself in someone else's shoes?

What kinds of behaviors show that you understand someone's feelings?

Vocabulary

empathy [em- puh-thee] (noun) the understanding of or the ability to identify with another person's feelings or experiences

Overview

When we put ourselves in another person's shoes, we are often more sensitive to what that person is experiencing and are less likely to tease or bully them. By explicitly teaching students to be more conscious of other people's feelings, we can create a more accepting and respectful school community.

Activities

1. Sometimes the look on our faces can show how we're feeling. Look at the four different types of smiley faces. Which feeling(s) do you think each face shows? ( Note: Help students reach consensus, for example, happy, sad, proud, angry.)

2. ( Note: Read aloud How Would You Feel?) For each story, choose the smiley face that shows how you would feel if the story happened to you, and place the smiley on the line provided.

Discuss each story with your class:

Finn thinks Jacob is bragging, but if he stopped to think about how he might feel in Jacob's situation, what might he realize about how Jacob is feeling? When we try to understand other people's feelings, we're putting ourselves in that person's shoes. If Finn was really listening to Jacob, he might have better understood that Jacob is proud to have gotten his first A+ after having studied all weekend.

Durrell thinks that Mike is being mean to him, but if Durrell put himself in Mike's place, what might he realize? If you got into trouble for something a friend did, you might be angry. The same is probably true for Durrell.

Does Tina show Suri any understanding? What might have been a better way to talk to Suri? If Tina had thought about how she would feel if her best friend had moved, maybe she would have realized that Suri was feeling sad and she would have treated her more nicely.

Valerie gets annoyed with Meegan because she is acting silly. If Valerie had thought about how Meegan might be feeling about her trip, she might have realized what was causing Meegan's "weird" behavior. Why do you think Meegan was acting that way? Would you be happy and excited if you were the one going on vacation?

5. Now choose a partner and pick your favorite of the four stories you just read. Rewrite the story so that it illustrates being understanding of someone else's feelings (e.g., if you're rewriting story #1, you will change how Finn acts so that he is showing understanding toward Jacob). You may write the story in any format you wish (e.g., comic strip, skit script, short story).

6. Share your rewrites with the class.

Extension Activity

Thinking about your story, make a poster that shows how to be more understanding. Hang the posters around school to teach others about being understanding of other people's feelings.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This lesson explicitly teaches students to be more conscious of other people's feelings to create a more accepting and respectful school community.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
We are all connected on the internet! By learning the Rings of Responsibility, students explore how the internet connects us to people in our community and throughout the world. Help your students think critically about the different ways they connect with others, both in person and online.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Who Is in Your Online Community? | Common Sense Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
How are we all part of an online community? Check out Who Is in Your Online Community?, a free digital citizenship lesson plan from Common Sense Education, to get your grade 2 students thinking critically and using technology responsibly to learn, create, and participate.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This foundational digital citizenship lesson challenges kids to pay attention to their feelings while using tech. With an engaging emoji game, students learn practical strategies for managing their feelings -- good, bad, and everything in between.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How Technology Makes You Feel | Common Sense Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Why is it important to listen to your feelings when using technology? Check out How Technology Makes You Feel, a free digital citizenship lesson plan from Common Sense Education, to get your grade 1 students thinking critically and using technology responsibly to learn, create, and participate.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship/lesson/pause-think-online

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
From our head down to our toes, and our feet up to our nose, the Digital Citizens teach students how to be safe, responsible, and respectful online.

Understand the importance of being safe, responsible, and respectful online.

Learn the "Pause & Think Online" song to remember basic digital citizenship concepts.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Pause & Think Online | Common Sense Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
How can we be safe, responsible, and respectful online? Check out Pause & Think Online, a free digital citizenship lesson plan from Common Sense Education, to get your grade 1 students thinking critically and using technology responsibly to learn, create, and participate.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Celebrate Digital Learning Day today. | Read Write Think

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Vocabulary

source [sawrs] (noun) someone or something that provides information

bias [ bahy-uh s] ( noun) judging something or someone unfairly

reliable [ri- lahy- uh-b uh l] (adjective) something or someone you can trust; containing true information

evaluate [ih- val-yoo-eyt] (verb) to think about how true and correct information is

online [ on-lahyn] (adjective) found on the internet

reasoning [ ree- zuh-ning] (noun) the act of thinking through

Series Overview

As technology advances and the social landscape shifts, it is crucial for students to become digitally literate citizens. In this series, elementary students will learn the ins and outs of media literacy, from choosing reliable sources and understanding online searches to navigating online security and participating in digital communities. More lessons in this series are listed under "Related Resources."

Lesson Overview

This lesson addresses the importance of locating and verifying reliable sources when working with online information. Students will compare and contrast two different sources on the same subject and think about what makes one more reliable than another. They will list some questions they can ask themselves to figure out what makes a source reliable.

Students will also zero in on the significance of evaluating sources for fairness and bias. They will act out reactions to sources presented online and try thinking about what their own reactions mean. Students will begin thinking about the concept of questioning or talking back to sources that seem unreliable, biased or unfair to them.

This lesson is aimed at a young audience and operates on the assumption that many students in the class are not yet reading and writing independently.

Procedure

Compare and Contrast

1. Explain to your students that, while people use online sources to find information about different topics, only some of the information they find online is reliable. Much of it might not be.

To help students understand the idea of reliability, ask them to think about the following scenarios, one at a time.

Who would be a good person to ask if your bike was broken and you needed help fixing it? Why? What makes this person a reliable source for fixing a bike?

If you had a really bad stomachache and your parents weren't sure what medicine might help you, where might they look for information or who might they ask? Why? What makes this person or source reliable for helping you feel better?

Where would you go or whom would you ask if you wanted to learn more about buildings in your neighborhood? What kinds of information might different people be able to give you? What makes some sources reliable for learning about buildings?

2. Tell students that you are going to have them look at two different webpages about fixing kids' bikes. Project or hand out screenshots of the following two pages:

Ask students to think about the following questions:

What do you see or notice first on each webpage?

What is the same about the pages?

What is different about the pages?

How would you decide which page to use if you wanted to fix a bike?

3. Have students work in partnerships or small groups to complete the Choosing Reliable Sources Venn diagram worksheetcomparing and contrasting the sources they have reviewed. Where the circles don't overlap, they should identify examples of how the webpages are different. Where the circles overlap, they should identify examples of how the pages are alike. Encourage students to think about the information offered through photographs and other images as well as text. If your students are unaccustomed to working with Venn diagrams, you can do this activity as a whole group.

Questions You Have

Bring your students back together, and ask them to list some questions that came up while they were working on their Venn diagrams. Jot down your students' questions, and explain that it is always important to think about what makes a source reliable for a particular purpose.
Alignment to Common Core State Standards
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.1.1
Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.1.2
Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.1.7
Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.1.8
Identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.1.9
Identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This lesson, part of the Digital Literacy series, addresses the importance of locating and verifying reliable sources when working with online information. This lesson is aimed at a young audience and operates on the assumption that many students in the class are not yet reading and writing independently.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This lesson focuses on helping young children learn to participate in different kinds of digital communities. Students will solidify and work on what they know about being part of any community.