Digital Citizenship and Internet Safety

This week we are talking about Digital Citizenship and Internet Safety. Each day (hopefully!) we will have one lesson addressing these issues.

There are some great free resources at Common Sense Education. I'm not using all of the lessons offered, but will cover the material that is most appropriate for my first graders.

Today we covered the lesson Going Places Safely.

We watched this video from Common Sense Media.

Remember the 3 rules for safe internet travel:

1. Always ask a parent (or teacher) before going on the internet 

2. Only talk to people you know 

3. Stick to places that are just right for you

Going places in real life is fun! Going places on the internet can be just as exciting. 

Here are the links to two fun places we visited today on the internet. 

New York Museum of Modern Art

San Diego Zoo

What are some places that you like to travel to on the internet?

What are some other safety precautions that make the internet a fun and safe place to visit?

Looking Back at Week One

This year I had my first week in first grade, and I was so excited! I taught 3rd grade for the last three years. 

We spent a lot of time practicing writing our name, numbers, number words, and remembering our short vowel sounds. We read a lot of books together too! We practiced coming in and unpacking, lining up for lunch, and raising our hands. 

Of all the things we did during that first week, one activity stands out. We read the book Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes (my favorite author!). In the story, little Chrysanthemum loves her name...until she starts school. All the girls in her class tease her. Poor Chrysanthemum. Everything changes for Chrysanthemum when the adored music teacher reveals that she too has a long name and is also named after a flower. 

We used a great visual representation of what happens when we use unkind words. We started with Chrysanthemum's paper heart, flawless and almost perfectly perfect. Each time Chrysanthemum was teased, I wrinkled up the heart. Eyes bulged, students shared glances of unbelief, they hung on every word. 

After the story, Chrysanthemum's paper heart was a wrinkly mess. We tried hard to smooth it out, but it just wasn't the same. This was a great reminder that even when we say we're sorry, we can't completely erase those unkind words from the hearts of our friends. We have the heart hanging in class to remind us that our words matter. 

Do you remember a time when someone shared encouraging words with you?

(Encouraging words are words that make you feel good about yourself.)

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