Lesson: Rings of Responsibility (4-5)

Introduce

ASK: What communities are you part of in your school, neighborhood, or city? Define the Key Vocabulary word community. Sample responses:

• After-school club
• Sports team
• Place of worship
• This class

ASK: What qualities make these groups communities? Sample responses:

• Many people take part in this group
• We all have the same goals
• We are all supposed to follow the same rules

Teach 1: Learn About Citizenship Teach 2: Introduce the Rings of Responsibility

INTRODUCE students to Spider-Man’s motto: “With great power comes great responsibility.” (Optional: Show students the following link to Spider-Man and his motto: www.marvel.com/universe/Spider-Man)

TEACH students the Key Vocabulary word responsibility. Tell students that Spider-Man’s motto will also be the focus of this lesson.

INTRODUCE the Key Vocabulary word citizen. Encourage students to think about the kinds of rights and responsibilities that come with being a member or citizen of the communities they belong to. Then ask students to reflect on the rights and responsibilities that come with being a citizen of our country.

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 constitutional rights
• Having a U.S. passport

DISCUSS some of the responsibilities of people seeking to become U.S. citizens: They must show loyalty to the United States; they must be able to speak, read, and understand basic English; and they must show knowledge of the U.S. government and Constitution, among other things.

EXPLAIN that one can be a citizen of all kinds of communities, not just our nation.

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

• School (go to class, turn in my homework, listen when my teacher and classmates talk, follow my school’s rules)
• City (don’t litter, treat other people with respect, volunteer to help others in the community)
• Nation (vote, pay taxes, treat others with respect regardless of their background)

EXPLAIN that there are official responsibilities that come with being a U.S. citizen, but that there are also unofficial, but still important, responsibilities in life. Tell students that you are going to explore some of the everyday responsibilities they have to themselves, their friends and family, and to the larger community.

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 rings:

• SELF: The center ring has to do with responsibilities students have to themselves, such as keeping themselves safe and healthy, and protecting their reputations.
• FRIENDS AND FAMILY: The middle ring stands for responsibilities students have to their friends and family, such as helping with chores, attending their performances, or just listening to them 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 the neighborhood.

HAVE students sit in three circles, side by side, each representing one of the “Rings of Responsibility.”

EXPLAIN that two students in the “Self” ring should stand up in the center of that circle and answer a question.

ASK

• What responsibilities do you have to yourself? (I eat healthy food; I do my homework.) Then ask other students in the class for their answers.

EXPLAIN that two students in the “Friends and Family” ring should stand up in the center of that circle and answer a question.

ASK: What responsibilities do you have to your friends and family? (I watch their basketball games because they like the support; I help my mom and dad with chores and taking care of my little sister.) Then ask other students in the class for their answers.

EXPLAIN that two students in the “Community” ring should stand up in the center of that circle and answer a question.

ASK: What responsibilities do you have to your community? (After-school club: participate in activities, listen to others; Sports team: cooperate, get to practice and games on time, improve my skills.) Then ask other students in the class for their answers.

Teach 3: Identify Online Responsibilities Teach 4: What Does Good Citizenship Look Like?

HAVE students remain seated in their circles.

INTRODUCE the Key Vocabulary term digital citizen.

DISCUSS that, as digital citizens, students also have responsibilities to themselves, their friends and family, and their community in the online world.

EXPLAIN that two more students in the “Self” ring should stand up in the center of that circle and answer a question.

ASK: What responsibilities do you have to yourself when you’re online? First, provide kids a couple of examples from the following sample responses, and then ask other students in class for their answers.

• Protect my password
• Don’t give out private information, which includes full names, telephone numbers, addresses, and images
• Don’t go places I know my parents don’t want me to go
• Communicate only with people I know offline (in the real world)
• Think carefully about what I read on the Internet, and question if it is from a reliable source

EXPLAIN that two more students in the “Friends and Family” ring should stand up in the center of that circle and answer a question.

ASK: What responsibilities do you have to your friends and family online? (Encourage students first by providing a couple of examples from the following sample responses, and then ask other students in class for their answers.)

• Be a good friend and family member online
• Don’t give out others’ private information, which includes full names, telephone numbers, addresses,
• and images
• Don’t tag them in photos or videos without permission
• Don’t forward or copy and paste private information or messages someone sends you without permission

EXPLAIN that two more students in the “Community” ring should stand up in the center of that circle and answer a question.

ASK: What responsibilities do you have to your community online? (Encourage students first by providing a couple of examples from the following sample responses, and then ask them for answers.)

• Be respectful in how I talk to and work with others online
• Never participate in online bullying
• Use online information to help me answer any questions
• Never copy and paste information and then say I wrote it

Teach 5: Create a Save the Day! Comic

REMIND students of Spider-Man’s motto: “With great power comes great responsibility.”

DISTRIBUTE the Save the Day! Student Handout to each student.

READ ALOUD the instructions on the Save the Day! Student Handout. Then have students draw a cartoon strip showing a digital superhero of their creation (e.g., Dynamic Digital Dave) who has witnessed an act of poor digital citizenship, and then helps resolve it. If students need ideas, offer them the following scenarios:

1. someone spreads rumors about somebody else online
2. someone cheats on an assignment for school by copying information from a website and saying they wrote it
3. someone uses someone else’s password to pretend to be that person online
4. someone says mean things online
5. someone forwards a message containing private information to someone else

Media creation option: Have students create their comic using the free online comic-maker tool Make Beliefs Comix. Students will have to choose one of the provided characters to be their superhero. Students can also find a cell phone and camera under “objects” to include in their comic. When students are finished, they can print out their comic strips, or email them to you and to their parent.

HANG students’ comics on the wall and have a gallery walk, encouraging students to introduce their digital superhero and explain how that superhero resolved the digital dilemma.

Wrap Up & Assess

You can use these questions to assess your students’ understanding of the lesson objectives.

ASK: What does it mean to be a good citizen in the offline world?

ASK: What does it mean to be a good digital citizen?

REVIEW with students that they are responsible for their own behavior, whether it is in the offline world or in the digital (online) world. Encourage them to treat others with respect – online and offline – because it is crucial to being good members of the community and good digital citizens.

CONCLUDE by reminding students of Spider-Man’s motto, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Remind students that the Internet is a powerful tool that allows them to connect with others and to be citizens of an online community. Stress that students are responsible for their own behavior and how it affects themselves, family and friends, and the larger community.