Here are some tips and ideas for using LearnEnglish Kids to raise awareness of Internet safety.

Very young learners
Raising awareness of the potential dangers of the Internet should be age appropriate. Some parents may like to deal with online safety at home rather than in the classroom. You could refer parents of very young learners to this page about Internet safety on LearnEnglish parents:
http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish/parents/parents-help/parents-help-internet-menu/parents-help-internet-safety.htm

Younger primary students
You could start with a story to establish the theme of computers. Here are a couple to choose from:

• http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/stories/the-crazy-computer
• http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/short-stories/dinosaur-dig
• Practise and revise computer vocabulary with an online game of monkey squash:
  http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/language-games/monkey-squash/monkey-squash-computers
• This gap fill activity practises computer game vocabulary: http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/language-games/fill-the-gaps/fill-the-gaps-computers

Now you could talk about the ways that your students use computers. Ask students what rules they have for computer use at home and at school. You could ask students to say why we need rules for using computers and the Internet (i.e., to stay safe).

• You could try this online matching activity about computer safety:
  http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/language-games/matching/matching-computer-safety
• Here’s a printable matching activity and word search about computer and online safety:
  http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/practise-your-english/be-computer-safe
• If your students are active Internet users and have email accounts this stay-safe quiz might be appropriate for them:
  http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/help/web/besmart.shtml
• If your students are members of LearnEnglish Kids, you could ask them to remind you of the LearnEnglish Kids house rules. They can then look at the house rules and check they were right:
  http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/house-rules
• If they are not members (click here to register and become a member: http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/user/register), you could display the house rules and then ask students to say why each rule is necessary. Find the LearnEnglish Kids house rules here:
  http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/house-rules

Older primaries
The KidSMART site is all about child safety online and could be appropriate for older primaries: http://www.kidsmart.org.uk/.

• You could start with a matching activity to practice online vocabulary and abbreviations. Print this page to cut up and use in class:
  http://www.kidsmart.org.uk/downloads/online_lingo.pdf
• Your learners can read about safety guidelines and watch short videos of kids talking about the rules they follow:
  http://www.kidsmart.org.uk/beingsmart/
• Watch videos of kids talking about being safe gamers here:
  http://www.kidsmart.org.uk/games/
• Here are some videos of kids explaining how to search safely:
  http://www.kidsmart.org.uk/safesearching/
• Children talk about digital footprints here:
  http://www.kidsmart.org.uk/digitalfootprints/
• Kids talk about being safe while chatting here:
  http://www.kidsmart.org.uk/chat/

A very simple way to use these videos in class would be to have students predict what they think the children will say about online rules, playing games safely, searching safely etc and then play the videos to check.

After watching the videos and/or exploring the KidSMART site your learners can test their online safety knowledge by doing this printable quiz:
http://www.kidsmart.org.uk/downloads/treasure_hunt.pdf

Students can check their answers by looking back at the KidSMART site: http://www.kidsmart.org.uk/

• Have a look at children’s artwork showing ‘net nasties’ such as Internet addiction and identity theft. Your students can send in their own illustrations to the site:
  http://www.kidsmart.org.uk/netnasties/
• Look at some posters and then have students design their own to decorate the classroom or send in to the site:
  http://www.kidsmart.org.uk/gallery/
• For lesson plans, drama ideas and more on Internet safety click here:
  http://www.kidsmart.org.uk/teachers/

Other useful websites
The thinkuknow website divides classroom recourses into 3 different age groups; 5-7, 8-10 and 11-16:
http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/

This site is all about being a good digital citizen. It has information and advice about dealing with cyberbullying:
http://www.digizen.org/

This website gives advice on blogging and social networking safety for young people: http://www.childnet.com/blogsafety/index.html

Would your students like to become members of LearnEnglish Kids? Students can register here: http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/user/register. Make sure to follow the rules and stay safe online!

Sally Trowbridge

When you have used some of these ideas, why not come back to this page and leave a comment below to tell us how your class went. Let us know if you have any additional ideas!

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