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9th grade · English Language Arts · Unit 6 of 12

Digital Smarts

Trust, privacy and credible sources

What your child practices

Telling misinformation from disinformation, checking sources before trusting them, managing passwords and privacy, spotting phishing, and citing and using other people's work respectfully.

Maine Learning Results learning standard: Writing 2; Writing 1 · credible sources, technology-made content and privacy

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Misinformation is false information shared by mistake. Disinformation is spread on purpose to mislead.
  2. A padlock means the connection is encrypted, not that the content is true. Check facts, including chatbot answers, with reliable sources.
  3. Use strong passwords, watch for phishing and ask permission before posting about others.

Example: A chatbot gives you a statistic for your report. What is the best next step? Chatbots can make mistakes or invent numbers. Confirm before using it. Answer: Check it against a reliable source before using it

Digital Smarts in Maine

In the Maine Learning Results, this is unit 6 of 12 in 9th grade English Language Arts, after Literary Devices and before Forms & Features.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Maine Department of Education

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    An advertisement appears as a news-style article. What is this called?

    • an editorial
    • a primary source
    • sponsored content
    • a diary

  2. Question 2

    Which detail helps you decide whether a web page is current?

    • The number of ads on it
    • The color of its menu
    • The date it was published or last updated
    • The length of its web address

  3. Question 3

    What does a digital footprint mean?

    • The trail of information you leave when you use the internet
    • The speed of your connection
    • The size of your screen
    • A print of your shoe

  4. Question 4

    Which is a sign that an image may be edited or AI-generated?

    • It has a caption
    • It is on a phone
    • It is in color
    • Odd details such as extra fingers or blurry text

  5. Question 5

    Which source is most reliable for facts about vaccine safety?

    • A friend's short video
    • A public health agency page that lists its studies
    • A company's advertisement
    • An anonymous forum post

  6. Question 6

    A social media feed shows you posts based on what you liked before. This is an example of…

    • curated information
    • a printed encyclopedia
    • a random sample of all posts
    • an unbiased news report

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