This past week the primary students discussed what makes a website just right for them. We also visited some websites to see if they were sites that the students liked or disliked. This lesson comes from Common Sense Media’s Digital Citizenship K-2 Unit 2, Lesson 5.

Together the students and I again discussed websites that are just right for them. We talked about how the websites have to be kid-friendly and appropriate. They must be educational and relevant to what they are researching or searching for. We talked about staying away from websites that have chat capabilities because we know we don’t talk to people we don’t know on the internet. These items make a website just right for kids. If they don’t know about a certain website, they know to make sure to ask an adult they trust to help them make sure it’s a safe website.

But then we went further to talk about how a student might rate a website. Once a student knows that a particular website is just right for them, they can see if it is a site they would like to visit. Do they like the subject of the website? Do they like the pictures and the videos? Do they think there are fun things to do on the site? Do all of the links work correctly? Some students might say yes to all of these criteria, while some might not. We then discussed how it’s ok that we all don’t like the same things. We are all made differently. And therefore, we do not have the same likes and dislikes. And that’s ok!

I hope as the year continues our students are more confident in knowing websites that are just right for them as well as fun sites that they know they like to visit!