Computing · Year 2

Active learning ideas

Sharing Information Safely

Active learning works for this topic because young children grasp abstract ideas like privacy best through concrete sorting, role-play, and rule-making. Interactive tasks help them anchor the distinction between safe and private information in memorable, hands-on experiences rather than abstract rules alone.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS1: Computing - Online Safety
• KS1: Computing - Digital Literacy

• 15–30 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 25 min · Small Groups

Sorting Activity: Safe or Private Cards

Prepare cards with examples like 'my full name,' 'favourite game,' 'home address,' and 'pet's name.' In small groups, pupils sort cards into 'safe to share' and 'keep private' piles, then discuss and justify choices with the group. Conclude with a class share-out of one rule per group.

Differentiate between information that is safe to share and information that is private.

Facilitation Tip

During the Sorting Activity, circulate and listen for pupils who use the word ‘private’ to explain why a phone number card belongs in the private pile.

What to look for

Provide students with a worksheet showing pictures or short descriptions of different types of information (e.g., a picture of a house with an address, a drawing of a favorite toy, a child's full name, a favorite animal). Ask them to circle the information that is safe to share and put an X on the information that is private.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 02

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 30 min · Pairs

Role-Play: Online Chat Scenarios

Provide scripted scenarios on cards, such as a new online friend asking for your address. Pairs act out responses, practising saying 'That's private' or changing the subject. Debrief as a class on effective strategies.

Justify why we should not share our full name or address online.

Facilitation Tip

In the Role-Play, pause after each scenario to ask observers what advice they would give the character.

What to look for

Pose the scenario: 'Imagine you are playing an online game and someone asks for your school's name. What would you say, and why?' Facilitate a class discussion, prompting students to explain their reasoning using terms like 'private' and 'safe to share'.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 03

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 20 min · Whole Class

Rule-Making Circle: My Online Rules

In a whole class circle, pupils suggest one rule each for sharing information online, such as 'Never tell my address.' Teacher charts them, and pupils vote on top three to display as a class poster.

Construct a rule for deciding what information to share with online friends.

Facilitation Tip

In the Rule-Making Circle, record every suggestion on a large sheet and reread them aloud before voting on the top three rules.

What to look for

Hold up cards with different pieces of information (e.g., 'My favorite color is blue', 'My address is 12 Oak Street', 'My dog's name is Sparky'). Ask students to give a thumbs up if it's safe to share and a thumbs down if it's private. Ask a few students to explain their choice.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 04

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 15 min · Individual

Digital Detective: Spot the Risk

Show printed screenshots of safe and risky chats. Individually, pupils circle private information requests and write a safe reply. Pairs then compare and refine responses.

Differentiate between information that is safe to share and information that is private.

What to look for

Provide students with a worksheet showing pictures or short descriptions of different types of information (e.g., a picture of a house with an address, a drawing of a favorite toy, a child's full name, a favorite animal). Ask them to circle the information that is safe to share and put an X on the information that is private.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach this topic with a balance of clear limits and open discussion. Avoid vague warnings like ‘be careful online’; instead, anchor every lesson in the concrete task of sorting or role-playing. Research shows that when children practice refusal scripts in safe contexts, they transfer those skills more reliably to real online spaces. Keep language simple, use repetition, and reinforce the idea that privacy is a form of protection, not a punishment.

By the end of these activities, pupils will confidently label information as safe or private, justify their choices with simple reasons, and create personal rules for online interactions. Their explanations will use key terms like ‘private’ and ‘safe to share’ during discussions and role-plays.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Sorting Activity: Watch for pupils who place a full name in the safe pile because it is true.

  Hand the pupil a card with their own full name and ask, ‘If this card floated across the playground, would any stranger know who you are?’ Let them move it to the private pile after the conversation.

• During Role-Play: Watch for pupils who give their character’s school name to a pretend stranger.

  Pause the role-play and ask the class, ‘What could the stranger do with the school’s name?’ Guide the class to revise the script to say, ‘I don’t tell that online.’

• During Rule-Making Circle: Watch for pupils who think online friends deserve the same information as real friends.

  Have the pupil help draw a line between ‘online friend’ and ‘real friend’ on the chart, then ask, ‘What rule protects both kinds of friends?’ Guide the group to add a rule like, ‘I never share my address, even with online friends.’

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Methods used in this brief

• Outdoor Investigation Session