Original Post – Common Sense Media

Description:  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.Grade:  Primary Cycle 1Time:30 minutesMaterials:
  • Must register for free account.
  • Preview the video “What Is the Internet?” and prepare to show it to students.
  • Copy the Online Community Map Student Handout, one for each student. Scratch paper and pencils, crayons, or markers
  • PDF Lesson Plan
Lesson Plan – 30 mins.
Warm Up: What Is the Internet? – 5 mins.

Ask: What is the internet? How would you describe the internet to a younger sibling, cousin, or friend? (Slide 3)

Invite students to share.

Project Slide 4 and define the internet as a worldwide network that connects people using computers, phones, or other devices.

Ask: Is the internet a place? 

Encourage all student responses, but point out that while the internet is not a physical place that you can visit, like a playground or the zoo, it’s made up of real people who can interact with one another through devices — even when they are not in the same place.

Learn: How Are We Connected? 10 mins.

Hold a big ball or globe and say: Imagine this is the world. It is made up of lots of different people … some you know, some you don’t know. The internet is just like this world, except that we interact with people online. The internet is made up of real people, just like the physical world is made up of real people too! (Slide 5)
 
Say: Today we’re going to talk about the different people that make up the internet and how we might know each of them. The Rings of Responsibility help us understand our online community. First, we start with our self in the center. 

Project Slide 6 and explain that the first ring of connection is the student him or herself.

Say: The next ring is “Community,” and this refers to people you know either from your family, neighborhood, school, or church. (Slide 7)

Project Slide 8 and define community as people who share a common neighborhood, background, or interest.

Invite students to think of people who are a part of their community and record their responses on Slide 9.

Encourage students to list people they personally know and interact with on a regular basis. This can include family and friends, like their mom, dad, sister, brother, grandmother, uncle, etc. But it can also include people who they don’t know well but who they interact with sometimes (e.g., shopkeeper, dentist, soccer coach, mail carrier, neighbors, etc.).

Say: Wow, this is a big list and I’m sure we could keep adding more people to it! Everyone in this group is a part of your online community. They are people you know personally and have met face-to-face, even if you don’t see them all the time.
 
Say: The last ring of the Rings of Responsibility is “World.” This group includes people you don’t personally know and haven’t met face-to-face. Who are some people that could be in the world?  (Slide 10)

Invite students to respond and jot down their responses on Slide 11. Guide students to think about people they have heard of or seen online (or on TV) but haven’t met face-to face or know personally.

Possible responses include:

  • The president
  • Famous actors or musicians
  • Professional athletes

Explore: Online Connections – 10 mins.

Distribute the My Online Connections Student Handout. Read the directions aloud on Slide 12 and have students work independently to list three people in their Community and World (the first column of each table).

Invite students to share their lists with a partner. Emphasize that the people in their community are those they know personally and have met face-to-face, while the world consists of everyone else who they don’t know personally.

Say: Now, let’s think about what you do with those people on the internet. Do you play games together, send messages, or maybe just read about them? Be as descriptive as possible! 

Allow students to complete the second column of both charts. Offer examples of ways people can communicate with those in their community and world if students are stuck.

How we connect with our community online:

  • Play games together
  • FaceTime/video call
  • Send messages
  • Share funny videos
  • Send emails

How we connect with the world online:

  • Read about the person (e.g., in news articles, stories)
  • Watch videos of the person
  • Listen to their music
  • Watch them play sports

Invite students to share out their answers and be sure to mention the ones listed above if they aren’t included in the responses.

Ask: Do you notice a difference in the way you interact with people in your community and the world?

Invite students to pair-share and then call on students to share with the class.

Emphasize that they have more direct communication and interactions with people in their community than they do with people in the world. They won’t directly communicate with people in the world, but instead will be able to watch and read about them online.

Say: Remember that you should only interact with people from your community, and you should only do so with permission from a trusted adult!

Reflect: Pause & Think Moment – 5 mins.

Say: Today we talked about how you can connect with people in your community, both in person and online. You learned that the internet is made up of real people, some in your community and many in the world.
 
Have students complete the Pause & Think Moment on the second page of the My Online Connections Student Handout. Read the directions aloud and allow students to complete the reflection independently. (Slide 13)
 
Invite students to share their reflections with the class. Collect handouts to assess student learning.

 

Send home the Family Activity and Family Tips.

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