| Lesson Title Lesson Plan TemplateDay/Date: 3 Lesson # in sequence: Lesson Three Grade Level: 5 Curriculum Materials Needed: Computers (Either in lab or laptop cart) Central Focus for Learning Segment: Students will develop their critical thinking skills through CS Framework/Standards Practices Objective(s): Practice 2: Collaboration: Through working in pairs and table groups students will be able to better brainstorm and give one another feedback in real time about their beliefs when it comes to cyber security. Total lesson time: 70 minutes |
| Lesson Agenda |
Rationale or learning progression – How does this lesson connect with prior lessons and/or prior knowledge of students? What are you trying to accomplish in this lesson? How does the lesson “flow” together? Through this unit on cyber security, students will be examining security from all aspects, which in this lesson, includes accuracy of sources. In the previous lesson plans they will have examined how to keep their own online secure, and through this lesson they will expand that to see how the resources they use can be inaccurate or insecure. This will prepare them to have more in depth discussions about how their online identity impacts and can be impacted by insecure and non-credible sources. |
| Beginning the lesson (25 min.)
The lesson will begin with students individually working on their computer, told that they’re going to research the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus (https://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/) for a science project. They will be given worksheets in pairs with questions about the octopus like “how big is it?” “what does it eat?” and “why is it endangered?”. This will take about twenty minutes, for instruction and time to collaborate on the response. Once we have all discussed the answers together, the educator will give all the evidence that the tree octopus is not real, explaining how resources on the internet can appear real, but be completely false, about five minutes. Adaptations for student support: This lesson will includes students working in pairs so that any student with impairments, such as a vision impairment, can be assisted by their partner, such as their partner reading the information out loud and recording their answers. |
| Middle of the lesson (Small Group/Individual Work/Whole Class Discussion) (30 min.)
The next part of the lesson will have students collaborate with their table group (or small groups) to create a list of things they think they should check to see if a website is secure. They should be given ten minutes to do this. Then each group will be given a different website that they will explore in order to determine whether or not that website is secure. They will have ten minutes to do this before each group will explain the website they explored to the entire class, and discuss whether or not they thought it was secure by their standards. The educator will then talk about what makes websites credible (do they cite sources, do they have ads, etc.) and show which websites were secure, and which were not. Students will have a chance to ask questions, which should take about ten minutes. Adaptations for student support: Again, students will work in pairs so that students with impairments are able to have support from other students in their group. This will also foster classroom community and student relationships with one another. |
| End of the lesson: (fifteen min.)
Students will have about fifteen minutes to write in their journals a paragraph about website security. The first five minutes will be open for collaboration and clarification, if there is any confusion, they can ask their peers for assistance. The last ten minutes will be dedicated towards quiet reflection writing so that students can write their third paragraph for their final assignment. Assessing for understanding: The paragraph they submit at the end will demonstrate what they gathered from the lesson individually. Adaptations for student support: For students who have sight impairments there will either be braille computer keyboards or they will have the option to record audio that demonstrates their understanding of website safety and credible sources. |
Signs of a secure website:
- Look for the S in HTTPS:
Many URLs begin with “https” instead of http, this shows that they are secure because they have an SSL certificate. This protects information entered into the site, whereas websites with http are easily accessible, and are the information is more easily stolen.
- Check for a website privacy policy:
Many websites have one and this demonstrates that this website is aware and actively complying with laws that provide security.
- Find their contact information
If the website provides contact information, such as an email or social media account, it does not guarantee security, but they demonstrate that the website can provide you with assistance if need be.
- Verify their trust seal
If you see a sign like “verified” or “secure” it is likely a trust seal, which indicates the website has a security partner. This can also indicate that the website scans for malware. To make sure it is authentic if you click the badge then it should take you to a verification page.
- Know the signs of website malware:
“Defacements. This attack is easily spotted: cybercriminals replace a site’s content with their name, logo, and/or ideological imagery.
Suspicious pop ups. Be cautious of pop ups that make outlandish claims – they are likely trying to entice you to click and accidentally download malware.
Malvertising. Some malicious ads are easy to catch. They typically appear unprofessional, contain spelling/grammar errors, promote “miracle” cures or celebrity scandals, or feature products that don’t match your browsing history. It’s important to note that legitimate ads can be impacted by malware,, so exercise caution when clicking.
Phishing kits. Phishing kits are websites that imitate commonly visited sites, like banking websites, in order to trick users into handing over sensitive information. They may appear legitimate, but spelling and grammar errors will give them away.
Malicious redirects. If you type in a URL and are redirected to another site – especially one that looks suspicious – you have been affected by a malicious redirect. They are often used in conjunction with phishing kits.
SEO spam. The appearance of unusual links on a site, often in the comments section, is a sure sign of SEO spam.
Search engine warnings. Some popular search engines will scan for malware, and place a warning on that site if it is definitely infected with malware.” (https://www.sitelock.com/blog/2018/08/is-this-website-safe/)