Breaking News English ESL Lesson Plan on Internet Safety

The increasing popularity of social networking sites and mobile phone texting have presented society with problems in how to protect children online. More and more youngsters are becoming victims of Internet predators and bullies. Parents are finding it more difficult to ensure their kids are safe online. Gone are the days when Mum and Dad could keep an eye on their child’s surfing with parental controls on the family computer. Today’s new mobile and networked world poses new and dangerous threats to online kids. Two recent initiatives aim to teach children about cyber-safety. Internet safety will soon be taught in UAE schools, while in Indiana, USA, parents will attend an Internet Social Networking conference.

The UAE has launched a nationwide programme aimed at educating students on how to use the Internet safely and avoid suspicious websites. Spokesman Jay Bavisi said: “Advances in instant communication media, including the likes of Twitter, Facebook, and other instant messaging services, drive the very fabric of our modern society. Parents, siblings, teachers and children alike will need to understand the dangers the connected world presents.” The Indiana conference will explore topics like cyber-bullying, sexting and online child exploitation. Local attorney Steven DeBrota said: “The number one way to keep a kid safe is for them to be skeptical. If they do not believe automatically what people tell them, they will be safer.”

WARM-UPS

1. INTERNET SAFETY: Walk around the class and talk to other students about Internet safety. Change partners often. Sit with your first partner(s) and share your findings.

2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words from the article are most interesting and which are most boring.

popularity / mobile phones / protecting children / threats / cyber-safety / conferences / programmes / suspicious websites / communication / messaging / sexting / skeptical

Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.

3. INTERNET SAFETY: Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners and share what you wrote. Change and share again.

Dangers	How big a danger?	How to deal with it/them?
Identity theft
Cyber-bullying
Phishing
Sexting
Viruses
Sexual predators

4. SAFE: Students A strongly believe the Internet will be a lot safer in the future; Students B strongly believe the opposite. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

5. STAYING SAFE: What are the best ways for kids to stay safe online? Rank these and share your rankings with your partner. Put the safest at the top. Change partners and share your rankings again.

Text/chat with people they know
Tell parents where they’re surfing
Use anti-virus software
Keeping personal details secret

Maximum privacy settings on facebook
Using child-friendly sites only
No sharing of photos
Always be skeptical of everything

6. ONLINE: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word ‘online’. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if a-h below are true (T) or false (F).

a.	Problems arise in protecting kids as they use social networking more.	T / F
b.	Parents are finding it easier to help their kids stay safe online.	T / F
c.	The old method of parents monitoring kids’ surfing isn’t enough today.	T / F
d.	Children in Indiana will soon learn about cyber-safety at school.	T / F
e.	Children in the UAE will be taught how to recognize suspicious sites.	T / F
f.	Jay Bavisi said the Internet would soon be in the fabric of our clothes.	T / F
g.	People at the Indiana conference will not hear about sexting.	T / F
h.	An attorney said the safest thing is for kids to remain skeptical.	T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

1.	increasing	a.	make certain
2	youngsters	b.	suspicious
3.	ensure	c.	growing
4.	keep an eye on	d.	brothers and sisters
5.	initiatives	e.	questionable
6.	suspicious	f.	watch over
7.	drive	g.	children
8.	siblings	h.	look at
9.	explore	i.	plans
10.	skeptical	j.	move forward

3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

1.	The increasing popularity	a.	on their child’s surfing
2	how to protect	b.	world presents
3.	victims of Internet	c.	our modern society
4.	keep an eye	d.	children online
5.	Two recent initiatives	e.	suspicious websites
6.	avoid	f.	of social networking sites
7.	Advances in instant	g.	aim to teach children
8.	the very fabric of	h.	predators and bullies
9.	the dangers the connected	i.	them to be skeptical
10.	one way to keep a kid safe is for	j.	communication media

WHILE READING / LISTENING

GAP FILL: Put the words into the gaps in the text.

The increasing ____________ of social networking sites and mobile phone texting have presented society with problems in how to ____________ children online. More and more youngsters are becoming victims of Internet predators and ____________. Parents are finding it more difficult to ____________ their kids are safe online. Gone are the days when Mum and Dad could keep an eye on their child’s surfing with ____________ controls on the family computer. Today’s new mobile and networked world ____________ new and dangerous threats to online kids. Two recent initiatives ____________ to teach children about cyber-safety. Internet safety will soon be taught in UAE schools, while in Indiana, USA, parents will ____________ an Internet Social Networking conference.

poses
ensure
protect
aim
popularity
attend
bullies
parental

The UAE has ____________ a nationwide programme aimed at educating students on how to use the Internet safely and ____________ suspicious websites. Spokesman Jay Bavisi said: “Advances in ____________ communication media, including the likes of Twitter, Facebook, and other instant messaging services, ____________ the very fabric of our modern society. Parents, siblings, teachers and children ____________ will need to understand the dangers the connected world presents.” The Indiana conference will ____________ topics like cyber-bullying, sexting and online child exploitation. Local attorney Steven DeBrota said: “The number one way to keep a kid safe is for them to be ____________. If they do not ____________ automatically what people tell them, they will be safer.”

instant
skeptical
avoid
alike
believe
launched
drive
explore

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

_________________________ social networking sites and mobile phone texting have presented society with problems in how to protect children online. More and more _________________________ victims of Internet predators and bullies. Parents are finding it more difficult to ensure their kids are safe online. __________________ when Mum and Dad __________________ their child’s surfing with parental controls on the family computer. Today’s new mobile and networked __________________ dangerous threats to online kids. Two __________________ to teach children about cyber-safety. Internet safety will soon be taught in UAE schools, while in Indiana, USA, parents will attend an Internet Social Networking conference.

The UAE has launched a nationwide ____________________ educating students on how to use the Internet safely ____________________. Spokesman Jay Bavisi said: “Advances in instant communication media, including the likes of Twitter, Facebook, ____________________ services, drive ____________________ modern society. Parents, siblings, teachers and children alike will need to understand the dangers the connected world presents.” The Indiana conference ____________________ cyber-bullying, sexting and online child exploitation. Local attorney Steven DeBrota said: “The number one way to keep a kid safe is ____________________. If they do not believe automatically what people tell them, they will be safer.”

AFTER READING / LISTENING

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words ‘Internet’ and ‘safety’.

Internet

safety

Share your findings with your partners.

Make questions using the words you found.
Ask your partner / group your questions.

2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

Share your questions with other classmates / groups.
Ask your partner / group your questions.

3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

increasing
more
finding
gone
poses
two

avoid
likes
fabric
alike
local
believe

STUDENT INTERNET SAFETY SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about Internet safety in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper.

When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

	STUDENT 1 _____________	STUDENT 2 _____________	STUDENT 3 _____________
Q.1.
Q.2.
Q.3.
Q.4.
Q.5.

Now return to your original partner and share and talk about what you found out. Change partners often.
Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

INTERNET SAFETY DISCUSSION

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

a)	What did you think when you read the headline?
b)	What springs to mind when you hear the term ‘Internet safety’?
c)	How dangerous is the Internet?
d)	Have you ever been the victim of Internet crime or nastiness?
e)	Do people’s characters change when they hide on the Internet?
f)	What problems exist with kids having mobile phones and being online?
g)	What should schools tell kids?
h)	How active must parents be in monitoring their kids’ online activities?
i)	From what age is it for a child to have a mobile phone and be online unattended?
j)	Are kids better than their parents at using the Internet?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

a)	Did you like reading this article?
b)	What’s the number one thing kids must remember about being online to stay safe?
c)	How often do you visit a suspicious site?
d)	What are the pros and cons of social networking?
e)	Will the Internet become increasingly more dangerous?
f)	How should society deal with cyber-bullying and sexting?
g)	“The number one way to keep a kid safe is for them to be skeptical.” Do you agree with this?
h)	What dangers do you think the Internet might pose in the future?
i)	Could the Internet become more dangerous than the real world?
j)	What questions would you like to ask a cyber-bully?

LANGUAGE – MULTIPLE CHOICE

The (1) ____ popularity of social networking sites and mobile phone texting have presented society with problems in how to protect children online. More and more youngsters are becoming (2) ____ of Internet predators and bullies. Parents are finding it more difficult to (3) ____ their kids are safe online. Gone are the days when Mum and Dad could keep an eye (4) ____ their child’s surfing with parental controls on the family computer. Today’s new mobile and networked world poses new and dangerous (5) ____ to online kids. Two recent initiatives aim to teach children about cyber-safety. Internet safety will soon be taught in UAE schools, while in Indiana, USA, parents will (6) ____ an Internet Social Networking conference.

The UAE has launched a nationwide programme aimed at educating students on how to use the Internet safely and (7) ____ suspicious websites. Spokesman Jay Bavisi said: “Advances in instant communication media, including the (8) ____ of Twitter, Facebook, and other instant messaging services, drive the very fabric of our modern society. Parents, siblings, teachers and children (9) ____ will need to understand the dangers the (10) ____ world presents.” The Indiana conference will (11) ____ topics like cyber-bullying, sexting and online child exploitation. Local attorney Steven DeBrota said: “The number one way to keep a kid safe is for them to be (12) ____. If they do not believe automatically what people tell them, they will be safer.”

Put the correct words from the table below in the above article.

1.	(a)	increases	(b)	increasing	(c)	increase	(d)	increment
2.	(a)	victim	(b)	victimize	(c)	victims	(d)	victimization
3.	(a)	ensure	(b)	sure	(c)	shore	(d)	surely
4.	(a)	at	(b)	by	(c)	with	(d)	on
5.	(a)	treats	(b)	threatens	(c)	threats	(d)	treaties
6.	(a)	attend	(b)	attentive	(c)	attention	(d)	attendance
7.	(a)	void	(b)	devoid	(c)	vied	(d)	avoid
8.	(a)	alike	(b)	likes	(c)	liking	(d)	liked
9.	(a)	likes	(b)	liking	(c)	liked	(d)	alike
10.	(a)	connection	(b)	connecting	(c)	connected	(d)	connects
11.	(a)	deplore	(b)	explore	(c)	implore	(d)	patrol
12.	(a)	skeptical	(b)	skepticism	(c)	skeptically	(d)	skeptic

WRITING

Write about Internet safety for 10 minutes. Correct your partner’s paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about Internet safety. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. INTERNET SAFETY: Make a poster about Internet safety. List the things children and parents must do to stay safe online. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

4. CYBER-BULLYING: Write a magazine article about cyber-bullying. Include imaginary interviews with a cyber-bully and one of his/her victims.

Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).

5. LETTER: Write a letter to the leader of your country. Ask him/her three questions about Internet safety. Give him/her three opinions on the laws he/she should pass to make sure kids are protected online. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

SYNONYM MATCH:

1.	increasing	a.	growing
2	youngsters	b.	children
3.	ensure	c.	make certain
4.	keep an eye on	d.	watch over
5.	initiatives	e.	plans
6.	suspicious	f.	questionable
7.	drive	g.	move forward
8.	siblings	h.	brothers and sisters
9.	explore	i.	look at
10.	skeptical	j.	suspicious

PHRASE MATCH:

1.	The increasing popularity	a.	of social networking sites
2	how to protect	b.	children online
3.	victims of Internet	c.	predators and bullies
4.	keep an eye	d.	on their child’s surfing
5.	Two recent initiatives	e.	aim to teach children
6.	avoid	f.	suspicious websites
7.	Advances in instant	g.	communication media
8.	the very fabric of	h.	our modern society
9.	the dangers the connected	i.	world presents
10.	one way to keep a kid safe is for	j.	them to be skeptical

GAP FILL:

Internet safety for children

The increasing popularity of social networking sites and mobile phone texting have presented society with problems in how to protect children online. More and more youngsters are becoming victims of Internet predators and bullies. Parents are finding it more difficult to ensure their kids are safe online. Gone are the days when Mum and Dad could keep an eye on their child’s surfing with parental controls on the family computer. Today’s new mobile and networked world poses new and dangerous threats to online kids. Two recent initiatives aim to teach children about cyber-safety. Internet safety will soon be taught in UAE schools, while in Indiana, USA, parents will attend an Internet Social Networking conference.

The UAE has launched a nationwide programme aimed at educating students on how to use the Internet safely and avoid suspicious websites. Spokesman Jay Bavisi said: “Advances in instant communication media, including the likes of Twitter, Facebook, and other instant messaging services, drive the very fabric of our modern society. Parents, siblings, teachers and children alike will need to understand the dangers the connected world presents.” The Indiana conference will explore topics like cyber-bullying, sexting and online child exploitation. Local attorney Steven DeBrota said: “The number one way to keep a kid safe is for them to be skeptical. If they do not believe automatically what people tell them, they will be safer.”

LANGUAGE WORK

1 - b

2 - c

3 - a

4 - d

5 - c

6 - a

7 - d

8 - b

9 - d

10 - c

11 - b

12 - a

Breaking News English

PRINT

13-Page PDF
Handout - with
all-skills activities

LISTEN

MP3 (2:03 - 987KB)

Internet Safety for Children (16th November, 2010)

WARM-UPS

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

WHILE READING / LISTENING

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

AFTER READING / LISTENING

STUDENT INTERNET SAFETY SURVEY

INTERNET SAFETY DISCUSSION

LANGUAGE – MULTIPLE CHOICE

WRITING

HOMEWORK

ANSWERS

Internet safety for children

Help Support This Web Site

Sean Banville's Book

Thank You

My 1,000 Ideas e-Book	Breaking News English HOME \| HELP MY SITE \| 000s MORE FREE LESSONS	My 1,000 Ideas e-Book

Breaking News English

PRINT

13-Page PDF Handout - with all-skills activities

LISTEN

MP3 (2:03 - 987KB)

Internet Safety for Children (16th November, 2010)

WARM-UPS

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

WHILE READING / LISTENING

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

AFTER READING / LISTENING

STUDENT INTERNET SAFETY SURVEY

INTERNET SAFETY DISCUSSION

LANGUAGE – MULTIPLE CHOICE

WRITING

HOMEWORK

ANSWERS

Internet safety for children

Help Support This Web Site

Sean Banville's Book

Thank You

13-Page PDF
Handout - with
all-skills activities