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• Safety and Security Online
  • Components and Features
  • Lesson Plans and Student Activity Sheets
  • Social Networking
  • Home Connection
  • Awareness Activities for School, Families, and Community
• Manners & Cybercitizenship
  • Lesson Plans and Student Activity Sheets
  • Home Connection
• Cyberbullying
  • Partners
  • Components and Features
  • Lesson Plans and Student Activity Sheets
  • Home Connection
  • Prevention Activities for School, Families, and Community
• Digital Citizenship
  • Components and Features
  • Lesson Plans and Student Activity Sheets
  • Home Connection
  • Cyberbullying Prevention Activities for School, Families, and Community
  • Safety and Security Awareness Activities for School, Families, and Community
• Authentic Learning and Creativity
  • Lesson Plans and Student Activity Sheets
• Research and Information Fluency
  • Lesson Plans and Student Activity Sheets
  • Home Connection
• Twenty-First Century Challenges
  • Lesson Plans and Student Activity Sheets
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• K-12 Scope & Sequence Chart
• Standards Alignment
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Safety and Security Online: Grades 4-5

Handling E-mail and IM

Download Student Sheet(s) for printout in PDF format.

Read a Letter to Educators about Internet safety and security from CyberSmart!

Overview

Students consider the positive uses of e-mail and instant messaging and identify strategies for responsibly managing spam and other messages that make them uncomfortable.

Objectives

• Describe ways to enjoy e-mail and instant messaging.
• Define spam.
• Identify strategies for responsibly and safely managing unsolicited messages.

ISTE National Educational Technology Standards for Students © 2007

Source: International Society for Technology in Education

2. Communication and Collaboration
   2. communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.
5. Digital Citizenship
   1. advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology.
   2. exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity.

Home Connection

Download the Home Connection sheet related to this lesson.

Site Preview

Optional strategies for using Web 2.0 tools with your students are recommended under Teach 4 and Extend.

Materials

• Activity Sheets (2)

Introduce

• Present the following scenario to students: Kathy loves coming home from school and picking up the mail. She always checks to see if anything has arrived for her. Usually, all the mail is for her parents. Her parents throw most of the mail in the trash, calling it “junk mail.” Kathy would be happy to get any mail and doesn't understand why it is junk. Ask: What is junk mail? Guide students to understand that junk mail is mail intended to sell something.

Teach 1

• Distribute Activity Sheet 1.
• Have students complete the sheet and share their responses. NOTE: Postpone discussion until students have read and applied the information presented on Activity Sheet 2.

Teach 2

• Distribute Activity Sheet 2 and discuss with students.
• Explain that spam can be annoying or upsetting to adults as well as children. Point out that since the purpose of spam is to get someone to read the message, the subject line is designed to trick you into opening it. Opening the message will automatically signal the sender that their message has reached its audience and the spammer will keep sending you more junk mail. The best strategy is not to open e-mail from addresses you don't recognize.
• Discuss the third paragraph and point out that when kids intentionally cause distress to other kids online or with cell phones, it's called cyberbullying. You may wish to preview CyberSmart!'s cyberbullying package, including the two lessons for Grades 4–5.

Teach 3

• Allow students to revisit Activity Sheet 1 and explain how they might change or enhance their answers. Guide students to consider the following in their discussion:
  • Who the e-mail was from: Charlie may have thought it was from a friend or relative whose e-mail address he did not know.
  • Downloading files: Since Charlie was confused about the source of the e-mail, he should not have downloaded the file.
  • Telling his parents: Charlie should have told a parent or guardian about the e-mail, especially after he downloaded the file. Tell students that it is never a good idea to keep a secret when something makes you feel uncomfortable. An adult who uses the Internet will understand the problems associated with spam and will know what to do about it.
• Have students explain what they would have done if Charlie had received an IM rather than an e-mail. Guide students to consider that they should never accept a message from a screen name they do not recognize. If they do by accident, they should never click on a link in that message.

Teach 4: Take Action

• Having students create their own cartoons is an effective way for them to demonstrate their understanding of the lesson content. Before students begin, discuss the cartoons, comic books, and comic strips they enjoy and suggest that they take inspiration from these favorites.
• You many wish to have students work in pairs, make enlarged photocopies of their final products, and take them home to share with their families.

Use Web 2.0 tools to publish students' cartoons and comics on a school Web page, a blog, or a wiki and invite parents to view them online.

Assess

The following items assess student mastery of the lesson objectives.

• Ask: What are some ways kids can enjoy e-mail and IM? (They can use e-mail to keep in touch with teachers or family members who do not use IM. They can use IM to keep in touch with other family members and friends.)
• Ask: What is spam? (unsolicited e-mail or IM messages from companies trying to sell something)
• Ask: What is the safe thing to do if you get an e-mail or IM from a stranger? (Do not open it; if opened in error, do not click on anything or download any attached file.)
• Ask: What should you do if an e-mail or IM makes you feel uncomfortable? (Do not reply; tell a parent or guardian.)

Extend

• Students will benefit by revisiting this lesson each year.
• For students who completed this lesson in a previous grade, extend the lesson by having students design their own posters illustrating the safety and security rules on Activity Sheet 2.
• Extend the discussion on e-mail and IM to include risk of worms and viruses. Explain to students that introducing a worm or virus into their computer is most usually done through clicking on unknown links in e-mail and IM messages, and that they could lose all the data, photos, and music saved on their computer.

Use digital-imaging technologies to create and reproduce posters. Use Web 2.0 tools to post the posters on your school's Web site, a blog, or a wiki.

Cyber Safety and Security Awareness Activities for Your School, Families, and Community

Extend this classroom lesson with activities that will support a cyber safety and security awareness campaign for your school, families, and community.

includes strategies for using interactive online Web 2.0 tools.

CyberSmart! Online Workshops

Find out about earning continuing education and graduate credits with facilitated CyberSmart! Online Workshops.

Free CyberSmart! Educator Toolbar

Save time. Search smart. Access essential information resources for educators. Download the free CyberSmart! Educator Toolbar. It's always on your desktop at home and/or at school.

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