The Arts · Year 2

Active learning ideas

Online Safety and Digital Citizenship

Active learning transforms abstract online safety rules into concrete actions that Year 2 students can practice and remember. When students role-play sharing scenarios or craft kind comments, they move from passive listeners to active decision-makers who understand the real-world impact of digital choices.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• ACARA Australian Curriculum v9: The Arts (Visual Arts) Year 2, Making: explore the elements of art and principles of design to express ideas, observations and feelings in their artworks (AC9AVA2E02)
• ACARA Australian Curriculum v9: The Arts (Visual Arts) Year 2, Making: experiment with a range of materials, tools and technologies to explore art making processes (AC9AVA2D01)
• ACARA Australian Curriculum v9: The Arts (Visual Arts) Year 2, Responding: identify and describe the elements of art and principles of design in artworks (AC9AVAR02)
• ACARA Australian Curriculum v9: The Arts (Visual Arts) Year 2, Making: create and display artworks to communicate ideas to an audience (AC9AVA2C01)

• 20–35 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Think-Pair-Share
• 30 min · Small Groups

Role-Play: Sharing Scenarios

Prepare cards with scenarios like 'A friend wants to post your drawing online without asking.' Students in groups draw a card, act out the situation, then discuss and perform the safe response. Debrief as a class on key rules learned.

Explain why it's important to ask permission before sharing someone else's artwork online.

Facilitation Tip

During the Role-Play: Sharing Scenarios, step in to model how to ask permission aloud, using phrases like 'Can I share your picture?' to normalize the behavior.

What to look for

Give students a card with a scenario, e.g., 'Your friend drew a cool picture and wants you to share it online.' Ask them to write one sentence explaining what they need to do before sharing and why.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Think-Pair-Share
• 25 min · Pairs

Pairs: Permission Practice

Pairs create simple digital drawings on tablets or paper, then one asks permission to 'share' the other's work by passing it to the teacher. Switch roles and record reasons for yes or no. Share one example per pair with the class.

Predict the consequences of sharing personal information on the internet.

Facilitation Tip

In Pairs: Permission Practice, circulate and listen for pairs explaining why they need permission, redirecting any who skip this step.

What to look for

Present two hypothetical comments on a student's digital drawing: one kind and encouraging, the other mean. Ask students: 'How would each comment make the artist feel? Which type of comment helps someone want to create more art? Why is it important to be kind online?'

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 20 min · Whole Class

Whole Class: Kind Comment Circle

Display student digital art anonymously. Students take turns giving one kind, specific comment aloud, modeled first by you. Record comments on a shared chart. Review how positive words build community.

Justify why we should be kind and respectful when commenting on others' digital creations.

Facilitation Tip

During the Kind Comment Circle, pause after each comment to ask the artist how it felt, reinforcing the connection between words and emotions.

What to look for

Show students a picture of a person's name and address on a piece of paper. Ask: 'Is this information safe to share on a game website? Why or why not?' Observe student responses to gauge understanding of personal information risks.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 04

• Think-Pair-Share
• 35 min · Individual

Individual: Safety Pledge Poster

Students draw or design a personal poster listing three online safety rules, such as 'Ask first' or 'Be kind.' Add their name and display on a class wall. Refer to posters during future digital art sessions.

Explain why it's important to ask permission before sharing someone else's artwork online.

Facilitation Tip

For the Safety Pledge Poster, provide sentence starters like 'I promise to...' to scaffold writing for students who need support.

What to look for

Give students a card with a scenario, e.g., 'Your friend drew a cool picture and wants you to share it online.' Ask them to write one sentence explaining what they need to do before sharing and why.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Start with clear, simple language about why online safety matters, connecting it to students’ everyday digital experiences. Avoid overwhelming them with too many rules at once; focus on one concept per activity. Research shows that when students practice behaviors in safe, structured environments, they transfer those skills to real online interactions more effectively.

Successful learning looks like students confidently asking for permission before posting artwork, identifying safe versus unsafe personal information, and consistently using kind language in comments. You will see students applying these rules independently during discussions and activities.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Role-Play: Sharing Scenarios, watch for students acting out private sharing as if only one person will see it. Redirect by having the class count how many people could view the post, using visuals like arrows or sticky notes to represent different viewers.

  During Pairs: Permission Practice, listen for pairs who assume posting is always okay. Stop the activity and ask them to re-read the artwork’s title or signature to remind them to check for ownership before sharing.

• During Pairs: Permission Practice, watch for students who treat personal photos or info as trivial. Use the sorting activity to challenge this by asking, 'What if a stranger saw this?' and having students physically separate examples into 'safe' and 'unsafe' piles.

  During Kind Comment Circle, listen for students who dismiss unkind comments as 'just jokes.' Pause the circle and ask the artist to respond to each comment, showing how their facial expressions change with each one.

• During Kind Comment Circle, watch for students who believe online comments do not affect feelings. After each comment, ask the artist to give a thumbs-up or thumbs-down to visually represent their reaction, creating an immediate link between words and emotions.

  During Safety Pledge Poster, watch for students who write vague promises like 'I will be nice.' Guide them to add specific actions, such as 'I will ask before sharing a friend’s picture' or 'I will not share my last name online.'

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Methods used in this brief

• Think-Pair-Share