Computing · Year 4

Active learning ideas

Online Safety and Privacy

Active learning helps Year 4 students grasp online safety and privacy because abstract risks feel real when they practice decisions in role-play or hands-on sorting. Collaborative activities build confidence by letting students test strategies in low-stakes environments before applying them independently.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS2: Computing - Online Safety
• KS2: Computing - Digital Literacy

• 25–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Philosophical Chairs
• 35 min · Small Groups

Role-Play: Sharing Scenarios

Present cards with online scenarios like 'a game friend asks for your photo.' In small groups, students act out safe and risky responses, then debrief as a class on privacy rules. End with each group sharing one key takeaway.

Justify why it is important to keep personal information private online.

Facilitation Tip

During Role-Play: Sharing Scenarios, assign roles with subtle pressure so students experience the tension of sharing personal details without over-dramatizing it.

What to look for

Give students a scenario: 'You receive a friend request from someone you don't know on a game. What are two things you should consider before accepting, and what is one action you could take if they are unkind?'

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Philosophical Chairs
• 25 min · Pairs

Sorting Game: Personal Information

Provide cards listing items like 'school name' or 'favourite game.' Students sort them into 'safe to share' and 'keep private' piles individually, then justify choices in pairs and vote on class examples.

Evaluate the safety of sharing photos or videos online.

Facilitation Tip

For the Sorting Game: Personal Information, provide real examples students might actually see online, like profile pictures or usernames, to make categories meaningful.

What to look for

Ask students to list three examples of personal information that should not be shared online. Then, ask them to explain why one of those pieces of information needs to be kept private.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Philosophical Chairs
• 40 min · Pairs

Privacy Settings Workshop

Use screenshots of child-friendly apps to guide students in pairs spotting and adjusting privacy options. They record steps in a checklist, test on demo accounts, and present findings to the class.

Design strategies for responding to cyberbullying or inappropriate content.

Facilitation Tip

In the Privacy Settings Workshop, use a mix of devices so students notice how interfaces differ and why one setting doesn’t fit all apps.

What to look for

Present a hypothetical situation: 'A classmate posts an embarrassing photo of you online without your permission. What steps could you take to address this situation?' Facilitate a class discussion on reporting, blocking, and seeking help from a trusted adult.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Social Awareness

Activity 04

• Philosophical Chairs
• 30 min · Small Groups

Strategy Design: Cyberbullying Responses

In small groups, students brainstorm and draw flowcharts for scenarios like mean messages. Include steps like 'block, tell adult, save evidence.' Groups share and refine strategies into a class poster.

Justify why it is important to keep personal information private online.

Facilitation Tip

During Strategy Design: Cyberbullying Responses, give students sentence starters to avoid vague answers like 'tell an adult' without specifics on who or how.

What to look for

Give students a scenario: 'You receive a friend request from someone you don't know on a game. What are two things you should consider before accepting, and what is one action you could take if they are unkind?'

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers approach this topic best by balancing realism with safety. Avoid scare tactics that paralyze students; instead, frame risks as manageable with clear strategies. Research shows that students learn most when they create, discuss, and revise their own rules rather than memorize dos and don’ts. Keep language concrete and age-appropriate, using examples from platforms they already know.

Students will show they can identify personal information, justify privacy choices, and design clear responses to cyberbullying. Success means moving from vague awareness to specific, actionable steps they can explain and defend in discussion.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Role-Play: Sharing Scenarios, watch for students assuming online friends are trustworthy.

  Use the role-play scripts to introduce doubt, like a friend asking for a school photo or home street. After each scene, pause to ask, 'What information did the character share? What might someone else know with that detail?' Guide students to list risks and alternatives.

• During Sorting Game: Personal Information, watch for students believing that once deleted, content is gone forever.

  Show actual examples of cached screenshots or cached pages in the sorting game. Have students place sticky notes on a poster timeline to mark how long different types of content persist, linking permanence to planned sharing decisions.

• During Privacy Settings Workshop, watch for students assuming default settings are sufficient.

  Provide devices with different default settings and ask students to compare outcomes. Use a Venn diagram template to show overlaps and differences, then hold a class vote on which settings reduce risk most effectively.

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Methods used in this brief

• Philosophical Chairs