Lesson: With Power Comes Responsibility (6-8)

Introduce

ASK: What communities are you part of in your school, neighborhood, or city? Sample responses:

• Band
• Soccer team
• School

ASK: What qualities let you know that such groups are communities? Sample Responses:

• Many people take part in this group.
• We have a common goal.
• We are all supposed to follow the same rules and/or live up to similar expectations.

Teach 1: Learn about Citizenship

ENCOURAGE students to think about the kinds of rights and responsibilities that come with being a member or citizen of the communities they are a part of. Then ask them to reflect on the rights and responsibilities that come with being a citizen of our nation.

ASK: What rights do you have as a citizen of the United States? Sample responses:

• Voting
• Being elected to office
• Freedom of speech and other legal rights

EXPLAIN that some of the responsibilities of people who want to become U.S. citizens are that they must pledge and show loyalty to the United States, they must demonstrate basic English skills, and they must show knowledge of the U.S. government and Constitution, among other things.

DISCUSS how one can be a citizen of all kinds of communities, not just of our country.

ASK: What do you think it means to be a good citizen or member of any of the following communities? Sample responses:

• School – go to class, follow my class schedule, be respectful when my teacher and classmates are talking, follow my school’s code of conduct
• City – keep parks clean, observe traffic rules, volunteer to help others in the community
• Nation – vote, pay taxes, treat others with respect regardless of their background

Teach 2: Introduce the Rings of Responsibility

EXPLAIN that there are stated responsibilities about how to become a U.S. citizen, but there are all kinds of responsibilities in life that are not stated. Tell students you are going to explore some of the everyday responsibilities that they have to themselves, to their friends and family, and to the community at large.

RE-CREATE a large version of the “Rings of Responsibility” graphic (below) on the board. Explain that each ring represents a different person or group to which they have responsibilities. Introduce the ring:

• SELF: The center ring has to do with responsibilities they have to themselves, such as keeping themselves safe and healthy, and protecting their reputations.
• FRIENDS AND FAMILY: The middle ring stands for responsibilities they have to their friends and family, such as helping them move, attending their performances, or just listening when they are having problems.
• COMMUNITY: The outer ring stands for responsibilities to the community, from following rules at school to picking up garbage in one’s neighborhood.

ASK: What responsibilities do you have to the following person/people and what are they?

• Yourself? I protect myself if someone says mean things about me; I stay safe by walking on well-lit streets after dark.
• Your friends and family? I watch their track meets because they like the support; I help my mom with chores and taking care of my little sister.
• Your community? Band – Learn the music, listen to others (there would be no bass line if I weren’t there. Soccer team –Show good sportsmanship (avoid red cards), get to practice and games on time, improve my skills (the team counts on me to defend the goal.)

Teach 3: Identify Online Responsibilities

Now that you have discussed responsibilities to self, friends and family, and community in the offline world, GUIDE students to discuss responsibility in the online world.

DIVIDE students into three to six groups. (You want about five or six kids in each group.)

EXPLAIN that each group will be assigned to identify the responsibilities that they have online to: (1) self, (2) friends and family, or (3) online communities. ASSIGN groups to identify responsibilities in one of these three “Rings of Responsibility.” DISTRIBUTE one copy of the Rings of Responsibility Student Handout to each group, and then ask them to fill it out as a group. After students have filled out the chart, have them regroup for whole-class discussion. RECORD some of the key responsibilities that they have discussed within the appropriate rings of the “Rings of Responsibility” graphic you have drawn on the board.

Wrap Up & Assess

REVIEW with students that there are three rings you should feel responsible to when participating in offline or online communities: self, friends and family, and community. Encourage students to think not just about what it means to follow rules that others have set for them when considering responsibility, but also urge them to envision the kind of communities and civilization they want to create. Remind them that they are charged with being responsible for their own behavior. Encourage them to be respectful to others online, and that this is crucial to being a good digital citizen.

You can use students’ responses from the lesson to have students create a Word Web for the term “digital citizenship.” At the center of the Word Web is the term “digital citizenship.” Surrounding this term are all of the actions they associate with this phrase, as well as the associated responsibilities. Create the Word Web on the board freehand, or with software such as Inspiration (www.inspiration.com, must purchase.)

Extension

EXTENSION ACTIVITY
Students create short, three-frame comic strips about how good digital citizens can harness the power of digital media to make the world a better place. Have students create comic strips freehand, with MakeBeliefsComix.com (http://www.makebeliefscomix. com/Comix, free online), or with Comic Life (Mac, must purchase) for any of the following scenarios that stem from the lesson. Remind students of the Rings of Responsibility and the goal of illustrating responsible behavior and positive outcomes within the comic strips. Explain that they are a digital superhero who has witnessed an act of poor digital citizenship. The cartoon should show the problem and how the superhero helps resolve it. Possible scenarios: (1) a rumor gets out of hand online, (2) someone’s embarrassing information goes public on the Internet, (3) someone cheats another person out of points in an online game, (4) someone takes information for a paper that another student has posted on a class wiki.