In an era of digital communication, teaching our students the importance of clear, accurate texting is more crucial than ever. Today, we’ve included a free middle school cyber skills video lesson and downloadable PDF worksheet with the goal of avoiding miscommunication while texting.
As special educators, it’s crucial to prepare our students for the evolving digital landscape. They need to understand the potential for misunderstanding when using text-based communication. Luckily, this lesson requires minimal preparation, incorporating a simple video lesson and a hands-on worksheet activity.
Cyber Skills Lesson Plan for Middle Schoolers
Objective: To enhance students’ cyber skills, emphasizing the importance of precise language and understanding in texting to avoid miscommunication.
Step One: Watch Sample Video Lesson
Kick-start your lesson by engaging students with a dynamic, informative video lesson. Our recommended video, titled “The Art of Texting: A Guide to Avoiding Miscommunication,” is available on YouTube. This 15-minute video humorously yet effectively highlights common pitfalls in text communication and provides tangible solutions.
Activity: After watching the video, facilitate a class discussion. Ask students to share their experiences of misunderstandings while texting. Use these experiences to emphasize the importance of clarity and intent in digital communication.
Step Two: Everyday Speech PDF Worksheet
To cement understanding, download, print, and provide students with this free worksheet activity, “Cyber Skills: Texting” PDF.
Activity: Have students work in pairs to complete the worksheet. Encourage them to discuss their answers, promoting a deeper understanding of the potential for miscommunication in text messages and how to avoid it.
Step Three: Reflect and Connect
Once the worksheet is completed, lead a class reflection session. Have students share their answers and discuss the strategies they’ve learned to avoid miscommunication.
Activity: For homework, assign a texting conversation between students. They should apply what they’ve learned about avoiding miscommunication. The following day, facilitate a discussion on how these practices influenced their conversations.
Sample Video
Students learn best from watching real students their own age model skills. Try out this sample video-modeling lesson below. We offer our entire Social-Emotional Learning platform free for 30 days here!
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