Digital Citizenship

Common Sense Education: Certified School Digital Citizenship 2016-2017

All students will participate in the SVUSD Digital Citizenship curriculum adapted from Common Sense Media. Each grade level (K-6) will participate in one lesson per trimester. Students may also participate in some grade levels "bonus" lessons at the discretion of their teacher. Please visit the other sections of this web page for more information and the topics covered. Common Sense Media can provide your family with additional resources as we all work together to support our students as they become good digital citizens.

Common Sense Media

Common Sense Media is a great resource for parents, families and educators. If you'd like some more resources regarding Digital Citizenship and online safety, visit their website:

Common Sense Media

SVUSD Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)

The SVUSD Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) can be found in the Annual Notification to Parents:

2022-23 Annual Notification to Parents (page 23)
Notificación Anual a Padres de 2022-23 (pagina 24)

Digital Citizenship Trimester Lessons

Kindergarten Digital Citizenship Trimester Lessons

Trimester 1: Going Places Safely- Students learn that they can go to exciting places online, but they need to follow certain rules to remain safe.

Trimester 2: A-B-C Searching- Students search for pictures online by clicking on letters of the alphabet. They learn that directory sites with alphabetical listings offer one way to find things on the Internet.

Trimester 3: Screen Out the Mean- Students learn that children sometimes can act like bullies when they are online. They explore what cyberbullying means and what they can do when they encounter it.

1st Grade Digital Citizenship Trimester Lessons

Trimester 1: Staying Safe Online- Students understand that they should stay safe online by choosing websites that are good for them to visit, and avoid sites that are not appropriate for them.

Trimester 2: Follow the Digital Trail- Students learn that the information they put online leaves a digital footprint or “trail.” This trail can be big or small, helpful or hurtful, depending on how they manage it.

Trimester 3: My Creative Work- Students are introduced to the concept of having ownership over creative work. They practice putting their name and date on something they produce.

Optional: Using Keywords- Students understand that keyword searching is an effective way to locate information on the Internet. They learn how to select keywords to produce the best search results.

Optional: Sites I Like- Students discuss criteria for rating informational websites and apply them to an assigned site. Students learn that all websites are not equally good sources of information.

2nd Grade Digital Citizenship Trimester Lessons

Trimester 1: My Online Community- Students explore the concept that people can connect with one another through the Internet. They understand how the ability for people to communicate online can unite a community.

Trimester 2: Sites I Like- Students discuss criteria for rating informational websites and apply them to an assigned site. Students learn that all websites are not equally good sources of information.

Trimester 3: Things for Sale- Students examine product websites and understand that the purpose of the site is to encourage buying the product. Students learn methods used to promote products on these sites.

3rd Grade Digital Citizenship Trimester Lessons

Trimester 1: The Power of Words- Students consider that they may get online messages from other kids that can make them feel angry, hurt, sad, or fearful. Students identify actions that will make them Upstanders in the face of cyberbullying.

Trimester 2: The Key to Keywords- Students learn strategies to increase the accuracy of their keyword searches and make inferences about the effectiveness of the strategies.

Trimester 3: Private and Personal Information- How can you protect yourself from online identity theft? Students think critically about the information they share online.

4th Grade Digital Citizenship Trimester Lessons

Trimester 1: The Digital Citizenship Pledge- Students work together to outline common expectations in order to build a strong digital citizenship community. Each member of the class signs a We the Digital Citizens Pledge.

Trimester 2: How to Cite a Site- Students reflect on the importance of citing all sources when they do research. They then learn how to write bibliographical citations for online sources.

Trimester 3: Picture Perfect- Students learn how photos can be altered digitally. They will consider the creative upsides of photo alteration, as well as its power to distort our perceptions of beauty and health.

Bonus: Whose Is It, Anyway?- Students learn that copying the work of others and presenting it as one’s own is called plagiarism. They also learn about when and how it's ok to use the work of others.

5th Grade Digital Citizenship Trimester Lessons

Trimester 1: Super Digital Citizen- Students explore Spider-Man's motto, "with great power comes great responsibility" through the lens of digital citizenship. They create comic strips show a digital superhero who witnesses an act of poor digital citizenship, and then helps resolve it.

Trimester 2: What's Cyberbullying?- Students explore how it feels to be cyberbullied, how cyberbullying is similar to or different than in-person bullying, and learn strategies for handling cyberbullying when it arises.

Trimester 3: Privacy Rules- Students learn that children’s websites must protect their private information. They learn to identify these secure sites by looking for their privacy policies and privacy seals of approval.

Bonus Lesson: Selling Stereotypes- Students explore how the media can play a powerful role in shaping our ideas about girls and boys. They practice identifying messages about gender roles in two online activity zones for kids.

6th Grade Digital Citizenship Trimester Lessons

Trimester 1: Cyberbullying- Students learn about the difference between being a passive bystander versus a brave upstander in cyberbullying situations.

Trimester 2: Strategic Searching- Students learn that to conduct effective and efficient online searches, they must use a variety of searching strategies.

Trimester 3: Digital Life 101- Students are introduced to the 24/7, social nature of digital media and technologies, and gain basic vocabulary and knowledge for discussing the media landscape.

Bonus Lesson #1: A Creator's Rights- Students are introduced to copyright, fair use, and the rights they have as creators.

Bonus Lesson #2: Scams and Schemes- Students learn strategies for guarding against identity theft and scams that try to access their private information online.