Stay Safe Online

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Curriculum Area

Australian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education – Year 6
Strand: Personal, Social and Community Health
Content Descriptor:
AC9HP6P08 – Analyse and rehearse protective behaviours and help-seeking strategies that can be used in a range of online and offline situations.

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Lesson Duration

60 minutes
Class Details: Year 6 – 26 students
School: Cannington Community College

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WALT (We Are Learning To):

• Recognise unsafe or uncomfortable situations online
• Rehearse and apply protective behaviours in online contexts
• Identify trusted adults and appropriate support services
• Understand rights and responsibilities when engaging online

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Success Criteria

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. Identify online behaviours that may cause harm or discomfort
2. Practice appropriate protective behaviours (e.g., blocking, reporting, help-seeking)
3. Name at least two people or services they can turn to for support
4. Demonstrate appropriate responses in a scenario-based role-play

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Key Vocabulary

• Protective behaviours
• Unsafe/Uncomfortable
• Consent
• Trusted adult
• Help-seeking
• Boundaries
• Report/block
• Digital footprint

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Student Prior Knowledge

Students have previously discussed stranger danger, bullying, and respectful interactions in real-world settings. They are familiar with the concept of personal safety but have limited experience applying these to digital or online environments. Students also have varied experiences with technology at home and at school.

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Preparation and Resources

Materials:

☐ Interactive whiteboard & markers
☐ Printed scenario cards (for small group activity)
☐ Protective Behaviours Sheet (with decision tree and support contact cards)
☐ "Digital Footprint" template for drawing/task
☐ Laminated 'Trusted Adults & Support' posters for display after lesson
☐ Exit Tickets (to be filled in at end of class)
☐ Reflection Journal for students

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Lesson Procedure

1. Daily Review (5 minutes)

Goal: Activate prior knowledge in a game-style warm-up

• Use a quick “thumbs up / thumbs down” slideshow with statements (e.g., "It’s okay to share your password with a best friend.").
• Encourage group discussion and review why some actions are unsafe online.
• Prompt students: "Can anyone name a time they’ve seen or heard something unsafe online?" (No names – keep it general.)

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2. Lesson Setup & Modelling (20 minutes)

Goal: Introduce WALT and Success Criteria, model protective behaviours

• Display WALT and read aloud with class.
• Unpack key vocabulary using student-friendly language. Write and display them on the board with visuals.
• Use a simple role-play model (with teacher and student volunteer) to show an online scenario, e.g., someone posting a photo without asking.
• Ask class: “What are your options?” Use a decision tree to visually show steps (e.g., Talk to the person → Block → Report → Tell a trusted adult).
• Model how to fill out the “Digital Footprint” template by drawing: What would YOUR online world look like, and where could risk appear?
• Go through group instructions:
  • In pairs or small groups, students read scenario cards and use a role-play guide to act out a safe response.
  • Students complete their own Digital Footprint Profile and Decision Tree activity.

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3. Student Activity (25 minutes)

Activity 1 (Small Groups/Pairs): Scenario Role-Plays

• Distribute prepared scenario cards (examples include: a friend screenshotting your private message and sharing it, getting a friend request from a stranger, seeing a mean message about someone else).
• Each pair/group acts out the correct way of responding: Use protective behaviours, safe steps, and suggest a help-seeking strategy.
• Students use a check-list to assess if their scenario response included all the success criteria.

Activity 2 (Individual): Digital Footprint Profile Template

• Students draw or visualise their online space: Include who they talk to, what games/apps they use, and how they can stay safe.
• In a second box, they draw/write 3 trusted people/services they can go to for help.

☑ Teacher Role: Rove and work with identified lower-ability students during this time. Support their vocabulary understanding and help scaffold decision-making steps using visual aids and sentence starters.

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Differentiation

Support (Low Ability)

• Use visual key cards with symbols for “unsafe,” “trusted adult,” and “stop/report”
• Provide sentence stems like “I feel __ when __ happens online. I can talk to __.”
• Partner with an empathetic peer or teacher during group work
• Reduce the number of role-play responses required

Extension (High Ability)

• Create a short 3-slide mini-presentation or cartoon strip on a new online risk scenario and their safe response
• Contribute to a collaborative classroom “Online Safety Expert Wall” with their own tips
• Research an Australian organisation that helps kids stay safe online and summarise what they do (e.g. eSafety Commission, Kids Helpline)

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4. Review & Conclusion (10 minutes)

• Regather and review WALT & Success Criteria:
  “Thumbs up if you can name a protective behaviour now?”
  “Turn and talk: Who would you go to if you felt unsafe online?”
• Invite volunteers to share their favourite protective tip/activity from the lesson. Display some Digital Footprints on the board/wall.
• Distribute Exit Tickets:
  “One thing I learned today is…”, “One question I still have is…”
• Tease next week’s topic: “Next lesson, we’ll explore how to be a positive bystander – both online and offline!”

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Formative Assessment

Strategy	Description
Observation	Monitor student engagement and contribution during role-plays and discussions. Note those needing extra support.
Completed Templates	Review digital footprint templates to assess understanding of online environments and safety strategies.
Exit Tickets	Check for individual reflection and remaining questions for follow-up.
Scenario Checklists	Note which groups included reporting/help-seeking strategies.

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Teacher Reflection (Post-Lesson)

• What protective strategies did students recall and apply most confidently?
• Were students able to identify trusted adults or services without prompting?
• Did the group role-play encourage meaningful participation from low-ability students?
• What were some of the common misconceptions during the activity, and how might I address them in the next lesson?
• Are the visual tools (decision trees, cards) helping scaffold difficult concepts?

Consider journaling a reflection or collecting student feedback to adjust upcoming lessons for higher engagement.

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Display and Class Reinforcement

• Throughout the term, add to a ‘Safe Digital Citizens’ Wall with student drawings, quotes, reminders, and safety tips
• Periodically update class conversations around new apps, trends, or experiences students bring up related to online behaviour

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This lesson centres around relevance, safety and empowerment to ensure students feel confident navigating digital spaces, making it suitable for upper primary learners in today's tech-rich world.

🌟 Let’s make cyberspace a safer place – together!