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9th grade · English Language Arts · Unit 6 of 14

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.

New York State Learning Standards learning standard: 9-10W7; 9-10SL2 · 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 New York

In the New York State Learning Standards, this is unit 6 of 14 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: New York State Education Department (NYSED)

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

    A chatbot gives you a statistic for your report. What is the best next step?

    • Check it against a reliable source before using it
    • Assume it is correct if it has a number
    • Use it because it sounds confident
    • Delete the rest of your research

  2. Question 2

    You read a startling claim on a site you do not know. What is the best first step?

    • Trust it because it has many likes
    • Trust it because the site looks professional
    • Search for what other trusted sources say about the claim and the site
    • Share it right away so others can check it

  3. Question 3

    What is an algorithm in a social media app?

    • The name of a website
    • A kind of password
    • A photo filter only
    • A set of rules that decides what content you see

  4. Question 4

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

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

  5. Question 5

    Why should you cite your sources?

    • To credit the creators and let readers check the information
    • Only because teachers ask
    • To make the project longer
    • To hide where you found things

  6. Question 6

    Which password is the strongest?

    • 12345678
    • Blue!Canoe7Maple
    • password123
    • Jay2010

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