The Teachers Guild
Cancel
Phase: Empathize + Ideate Opportunities: Instructional Design

How to Send Respectful and Kind Messages

A great curriculum to teach k-2 how to communicate respectfully through online messaging!

Photo of Paloma Nikolic
3 36

Written by

I love this lesson plan by Common Sense Ed on how to teach kids about online communication. It includes some conversations about tone, the differences between online and in person conversations, and some good rules of thumb for being clear and kind online. 

To modify it for my classroom, I would include a unit on in-game chat features, because I know how many older kids are communicating through chat features and headsets in video games. There's a big question here around communicating while anonymous that's interesting to explore!

Attachments (1)

Common Sense showrespectonline.pdf

3 comments

Join the conversation:

Comment
Photo of Greg Lau
Team

I can imagine a ton of adults rolling their eyes because they're so accustomed to how things already are. But this is great and I think by starting with K-2 to develop better habits in communication will make the digital future a better place. Those of us that grew up in the 80's and 90's pretty much had to wing it, and it's a mess.

I'm eager to see your approach and even more eager to see how K-2 kids react when they participate in the, no doubt, fun exercises! I don't know how early kids start texting or communicating online, so it'll be even more wonderful if this lesson is their welcome basket and orientation to online communications.

There will probably be a culture clash when these kids develop an evolved digital communications etiquette and communicate with their primitive adult counterparts. :P But I welcome it.

link
View all comments