Introduction
It’s 7 a.m. You wake up and the first thing you do is check your phone. Messages, photos, games, videos… You are online almost all day. But have you ever asked yourself: Who else can see my information?
Last week, a student from a school in your city lost control of her social media account because of a weak password. A “friend” she had never met used her photos and wrote to her classmates. It could happen to anyone.
In this WebQuest, you will become a Cyber Detective and investigate your own online life. You will test your habits, learn about real online dangers, and discuss them with your team. Then you will create your own safety rules and a poster to help other students. Are you ready to find out how safe you really are?
Task
Your team of four Cyber Detectives will investigate online safety. Each of you will be an expert in one area:
- Password Expert: finds out what makes a password strong or weak and how to protect accounts.
- Privacy Guard: finds out what personal information is dangerous to share and how to use privacy settings.
- Social Media Detective: investigates risks of chatting with strangers, fake profiles and cyberbullying.
- Scam Spotter: investigates phishing messages, fake prizes and suspicious links.
Your mission is to find out how safe you really are online and help other students to be safer. After your investigation, you will create:
- “My Online Safety Rules”: your own personal list of 6–8 rules (each student writes their own).
- A team poster “Top 5 Tips for Staying Safe Online” for the school corridor, with the tips from all four experts.
- A short team presentation (2 minutes) in English: “What we discovered about online safety”.
The poster that is the clearest and most useful will be displayed in the school hall!
Process
Welcome, Cyber Detectives! Follow these steps to complete your mission.
Step 1. Get ready (Lesson 1)
- Your teacher will put you in teams of four and give each of you a role.
- Do the “How safe am I?” quiz (your teacher will give it to you) and write down your score. Do not show it to anyone: this is only for you.
- Everyone in the team: watch one short video about online safety and read the Word Bank below.
Step 2. Investigate your role (Lesson 2)
4. Read the instructions for your role below and visit the websites.
5. Take notes in your Detective Notebook: write 5 facts, 2 real examples and 3 tips.
6. Check your notes with the checklist: Are my facts clear? Are my tips short and useful?
Step 3. Share and decide (Lesson 3)
7. In turn, each expert tells the team what they discovered (1–2 minutes). Use the Useful Phrases below.
8. Together choose the 5 most important tips from all roles. Everybody must agree on the final list.
Step 4. Create (Lessons 3–4)
9. Make your poster. Use short sentences, a clear title and pictures or icons.
10. Each student writes their own “My Online Safety Rules” (6–8 rules). Use I will… and I will never…
11. Prepare a 2-minute presentation: every team member speaks.
Step 5. Present and reflect (Lesson 5)
12. Present your poster. Listen to other teams and ask one question.
13. Do the quiz again. Did your score change? Write 3 sentences: “Now I know… I will change… I want to learn more about…”
| Role | What you must do | Questions to answer | Where to look |
| Password Expert | Find out how hackers guess passwords and how to create a strong one. Check why the same password for every account is a bad idea. | 1. What is a strong password? 2. What is two-step verification? 3. How often should I change a password? | Google Interland (“Tower of Treasure” game); BBC Own It; your textbook unit about technology |
| Privacy Guard | Find out what personal data is private (address, school, phone number, photos) and how to change privacy settings. | 1. What information should I never post? 2. What is a digital footprint? 3. Who can see my profile? | Common Sense Education (privacy lessons); Internet Matters; Google Interland (“Mindful Mountain”) |
| Social Media Detective | Investigate how to recognise fake profiles and what to do about cyberbullying or strangers who write to you. | 1. How can I recognise a fake profile? 2. What should I do if someone is mean online? 3. Who can I ask for help? | ThinkUknow; BBC Own It; NetSmartz |
| Scam Spotter | Look at examples of phishing messages and fake prizes. Find “red flags” that show a message is a trick. | 1. What is phishing? 2. What are 3 red flags in a suspicious message? 3. What should I do if I clicked a bad link? | Google Interland (“Reality River”); Safer Internet Day; Have I Been Pwned (to see how data leaks happen) |
The Password Expert
You are the team’s password specialist. Your job is to find out how hackers guess passwords and what makes a password strong. Check why using one password for every account is dangerous, and learn what two-step verification is. In your Detective Notebook, answer: What is a strong password? How often should I change it? At the end, create one “password recipe” that your team can put on the poster.
Links: Google Interland , Safer Internet Day, your English textbook unit about technology.
The Privacy Guard
You protect your team’s personal information. Find out which data is private (home address, school, phone number, photos) and why a “digital footprint” never completely disappears. Explore privacy settings in a popular app and write 3 settings every student should check. Think like a guard: Who can see this? Do I really want them to?
Links: Common Sense Education (privacy lessons), Google Interland (“Mindful Mountain”).
The Social Media Detective
You investigate the people behind the screens. Find out how to recognise a fake profile, what cyberbullying looks like and what a student should do if a stranger writes to them. Collect 3 real-life “warning signs” and 2 places where a student can ask for help.
Links: NetSmartz.
The Scam Spotter
You are the team’s expert on tricks. Study examples of phishing emails, fake prizes and suspicious links. Find at least 3 “red flags” that show a message is a trick, and write what to do if someone clicks a bad link.
Links: Google Interland (“Reality River”), NetSmartz.
Word Bank: password, account, privacy settings, personal information, stranger, fake profile, phishing, scam, cyberbullying, block, report, digital footprint, safe / unsafe.
Useful Phrases for sharing:
- “I found out that…”
- “The most important tip is…”
- “For example, …”
- “I think we should choose… because…”
- “Do you agree?” / “I agree / I don’t agree because…”
Sentence starters for “My Online Safety Rules”: I will never… / I will always… / If someone…, I will…
Checklist for the poster: title ✔ five tips ✔ short sentences ✔ pictures ✔ no spelling mistakes ✔ team names ✔
Evaluation
Your work will be evaluated before, during and after the project. You will know the criteria before you start, so read the rubric carefully. You will receive an individual score (your notebook and your safety rules) and a team score (poster, presentation, teamwork). Ask your teacher if you have any questions. Good luck, Cyber Detectives!
| Criteria | 4 – Excellent | 3 – Good | 2 – Developing | 1 – Beginning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detective Notebook (individual) | 5+ facts, 2 real examples and 3 tips; everything is clear and in your own words | Facts, examples and tips are present; one part is incomplete | Some facts or tips are missing; hard to understand | Very little information |
| “My Online Safety Rules” (individual) | 6–8 clear, realistic rules with I will… / I will never… | 5 rules, mostly clear | 3–4 rules or some are unclear | 1–2 rules |
| Poster: content (team) | 5 accurate tips from all four experts; every tip is short and useful | 4–5 accurate tips; one expert is missing | 3 tips or some are not accurate | Fewer than 3 tips or mostly inaccurate |
| Poster: design (team) | Clear title, pictures, easy to read from a distance, no spelling mistakes | Good layout, 1–2 spelling mistakes | Messy or hard to read; several mistakes | Very hard to understand |
| Presentation (team) | Every member speaks; clear voice; English is correct; answers a question | Every member speaks; few mistakes | One member does not speak or it is hard to follow | Reads everything or is too short |
| Teamwork (team) | Everyone listened, shared ideas and agreed on the final tips | Mostly good cooperation | Some members did not take part | The team did not cooperate |
Conclusion
Congratulations, Cyber Detectives! You started this mission with one question: How safe are you online? Now you know more about passwords, privacy, strangers and scams, and you have your own rules for staying safe. Your poster can help other students to be safer too. That is a real result!
Think about it:
- What was the most surprising thing you discovered?
- Which rule from “My Online Safety Rules” will be the hardest for you to follow? Why?
- Who else needs to know this information: your younger brother or sister, your parents, your grandparents?
Want to continue the mission? Choose one:
- Create a 1-minute video or a short comic: “What to do if…”.
- Make a safety guide for a younger class (grades 4–5).
- Interview a parent or a teacher: how did they stay safe online?
- Design a quiz for the whole school and share the results.
Credits
How safe am I? A quiz about my online habits
This quiz is only for you. Choose the answer that is most true for you.1. Your passwords
a) I use a different strong password for my important accounts.
b) I have two or three passwords and I use them again.
c) I use the same simple password everywhere.2. Two-step verification (a code sent to your phone)
a) I use it on most of my accounts.
b) I use it on one or two accounts, or I am not sure what it is.
c) I don’t use it.3. Your profile
a) It is private. Only people I know can see it.
b) Some parts are public.
c) Everything is public.4. A stranger sends you a friend request
a) I never accept it.
b) I accept if we have friends in common.
c) I accept if the profile looks nice.5. Personal information
a) I never post my address, phone number or school name.
b) Sometimes I post my school or where I am.
c) I often post where I am and where I study.6. A message says: “You won a prize! Click here!”
a) I ignore it or delete it, and I tell an adult.
b) I open it, but I don’t write any information.
c) I click and write my information.7. Public Wi-Fi (in a café or a mall)
a) I don’t log in to important accounts.
b) Sometimes I log in.
c) I always connect and log in to everything.8. Someone is mean to you online
a) I block the person, report them and talk to a trusted adult.
b) I ignore it and say nothing.
c) I reply with something mean.9. Before posting a photo of a friend
a) I always ask my friend first.
b) I sometimes ask.
c) I never ask.10. Updates on your phone or computer
a) I turn on automatic updates.
b) I update sometimes.
c) I ignore the updates.Scoring: (a) = 2 points, (b) = 1 point, (c) = 0 points.
17–20 points: Super safe! You have great habits. Help your friends and family.
11–16 points: On the right track. Pick two habits to change this week.
0–10 points: Time to upgrade! Start with your passwords and your privacy settings today.My score: ______ My first change: I will ______________________
Teacher Page
Title: How safe are you online? A WebQuest for Grade 8
Designed by: Huryn Svitlana
Type of WebQuest: Self-Knowledge (Dodge, 2002), with elements of teamwork and creative product
Target audience: Grade 8 students, approximately A2–B1 level. Teams of four.
Subject / topic: English language; “Media and technology” (check the exact section title in your school programme).
Time: 5 lessons of 45 minutes. Homework: Detective Notebook and “My Online Safety Rules”.
Learning goals. By the end of the project students will be able to:
- find and select information about online risks in simple authentic English texts;
- discuss and give reasons for their opinion in a team;
- write personal safety rules and short tips in English;
- present their poster to an audience (about 2 minutes);
- reflect on their own online habits.
Prior knowledge: basic vocabulary on technology; can/should/must; imperatives; I will…; first conditional (If someone…, I will…).
Materials and technology: computers or tablets with Internet (one per 2 students is enough), headphones, A3 paper or poster board, markers, printed quiz, printed Detective Notebook, printed rubric.