Internet+Safety


 * Link to Lesson Plan **

**This lesson focuses on teaching students how to use the internet safely. As a kindergarten teacher, my students often use the internet in independent centers to learn math or reading skills with educational games. Though they are not likely to go into unsafe places like chat rooms, or onto sites like Facebook, the students should be aware of the do's and don't's of using the internet safely as soon as they start using the computers. I used the PBS Kids sites to help teach kindergarten students what they should and should not do when using the internet. The lesson begins by having a group discussion about the internet since many of the students use a computer at home. We will fill out the first two sections of a KWL chart so that I, as the teacher, have a better idea of what they have already been taught and not taught about internet safety. The main part of the lesson focuses on the website. It is kid friendly and posts questions so that children are involved as we tour the site. The lesson ends by going back to the KWL chart and filling in things we learned and also answering any questions we had. Process **The process for determining what kind of internet safety lesson I would do was simple. Many of my students had used computers to play games at home and some had never used one. I knew I needed a kid friendly introduction to internet safety for my young students. I have used the PBS Kids website in the past and was happy to find that they offered this type of lesson on their website. Using the KWL chart is a great way for me to find out what information the students already know about the topic and gives me an idea of what I need to teach. At the end of the lesson, the chart gave me feedback as to what they learned so that I knew what information might need to be reviewed and what information seemed to be understood well.
 * Description
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I really like this lesson and hope to use it at the beginning of the next school year. I think the website was a great way to teach the students about internet safety especially since we have used this website at school in reading and math centers. The lesson plan itself contained much more than I would ever be required or need to write for myself or my school system but since I have never taught this type of lesson before, it did get me thinking about all aspects of the lesson and what I could do to improve it for all kinds of learners. I hope to pass this lesson/website on to the other kindergarten teachers and the computer lab teacher because I think it is a great introduction to internet safety. Hopefully, those students with computers will share the site with their parents which might initiate an internet safety conversation at home.
 *  Reflection **