Subscribe

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.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) teks student expectation: E1.7(F); E1.11(G) · 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 Texas

In the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), 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: Texas Education Agency (TEA)

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

    Which of these is safest to put on a public profile?

    • Your home address
    • Your full birth date and phone number
    • Your password
    • Your favorite book

  2. Question 2

    An email says your account will close unless you click a link and enter your password. What should you do?

    • Reply with your password to be safe
    • Not click, and contact the company through its official app or website
    • Click the link and enter your password quickly
    • Forward it to all your friends

  3. Question 3

    What is the best response if you see someone being bullied online?

    • Add a comment to join the joke
    • Do not join in, support the person and tell a trusted adult or report it
    • Share the post
    • Ignore it forever

  4. Question 4

    A headline reads “SHOCKING!” and the article has no author, date or sources. What does this suggest?

    • It must be true because it is exciting
    • It may not be credible and should be checked
    • It is the newest information
    • It is written by an expert

  5. Question 5

    A video shows a famous athlete saying something shocking. Which step is best before sharing?

    • Share it first
    • Check whether trusted news sources report the same thing
    • Send it to everyone in your contacts
    • Assume it is real because it has views

  6. Question 6

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

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

More 9th grade