Author: George Kanyama (Tanzania) | Published on 24 December 2025

 

Read what George says about this activity

This activity helps learners develop skills in writing, digital literacy, online safety, critical thinking, and related vocabulary. Learners brainstorm online safety best practices, organise tips and develop body paragraphs explaining how to stay safe online.

Stage 1: Warm Up (Pre-teach)

Activity: The Digital Dilemma 

Tell the leaners they have received a message telling them they’ve won a new phone. Ask those who would reply to the message to raise their hand. Ask them what they would do.

Use the conversation to introduce the idea of online safety.

Stage 2: Categorising Safety Rules

Activity: Jigsaw Brainstorm

Divide the class into three Expert Groups (Green: Personal Info, Blue: Accounts, Red: Feelings/harassment) and gives each group some slips of paper. They should use pencil because their tips might be corrected later.

Each group brainstorms and writes one internet safety tip per slip of paper based on their category. 

  • Group 1 (Green): Protecting Personal Information (Address, Photos, School, Name). 
  • Group 2 (Blue): Protecting Accounts (Passwords, Login, Settings). 
  • Group 3 (Red): Protecting Feelings (Cyberbullying, Meeting strangers, Scary messages).

As they begin, write up some useful expressions on the board which you can refer to if the groups need prompting.

Personal information, password, privacy, harmful behaviour, block, scam, cyberbullying, encryption, security software, phishing, firewall, fake news, etc

Encourage a minimum of five tips per group.

Ask each group to take turns reading out their tips. The other groups should vote for the two most important tips from each category.

Stage 3: Language focus

Write three main modal verbs for advice on the board: must, should, and don't/mustn't. 

Focus on the six selected tips from the previous stage. If the grammar is not accurate, correct it and then drill the correct form with the class.

Play a quick game to practice using the modal verbs. The first learner mentions a topic, the other learner forms a sentence about that topic using a modal verb.

Student A: Share your password with your best friend.

Student B: You mustn't share your password. Tell an adult. 

Student A: You should tell an adult if you are worried.

Stage 3: Essay Outlining

Tell the learners they’re going to write an essay about online safety.

Elicit the structure of an essay as you draw out a plan on the board:

Introduction

Body paragraphs

Conclusion

Elicit what should be in the introduction (a general statement about the internet, then a thesis statement such as you need to know how to stay safe online)

Tell the learners they will include three body paragraphs, one about each of the three categories they brainstormed earlier. They should introduce the topic and give some tips.

Then they should write a short paragraph concluding the essay.

Stage 4: Writing and Peer Feedback

Set a time limit and tell the learners to write their essays. 

After they have finished, tell them to exchange their essays with a partner and give feedback by following these indicators:

  • Clear introduction + thesis
  • Logical paragraph structure
  • Accurate modal verbs
  • Relevant, safe online behaviours

If you have covered any other areas of essay writing such as effective use of transition words, you can include those too.

Block: A tool that stops someone from contacting you or seeing your profile or posts.

Critical thinking: Using reasoning to make informed decisions.

Cyberbullying: Bullying that happens online or through digital devices, such as sending hurtful messages or posting unkind comments.

Download: to save a file from the internet onto your computer or phone.

Encryption: A way of scrambling information so that only the right person can read it, helping keep messages and data secure.

Expository Essay: A genre of writing that explains a topic (i.e., "How to stay safe online").

Fake news: False or misleading information shared online to confuse people or make them believe something untrue.

Firewall: A security tool that protects your computer or device by blocking harmful websites, viruses, or unwanted connections.

Harmful behaviour: Actions online that can hurt or threaten someone, such as bullying, threatening messages, or sharing embarrassing photos.

Jigsaw Brainstorm: A collaborative technique where groups focus on different sub-topics.

Link: a clickable text or image that takes you to another webpage.

Online safety: the practice of protecting yourself and your information on the internet.

Personal information: private details about you, such as your name, address, or phone number.
Password: a secret combination of letters, numbers, or symbols used to access an account.

Phishing: A type of online scam where someone sends a fake message or email to trick you into giving personal information or passwords.

Post: something you share online, such as a message, photo, or video.

Privacy: Your right to keep your personal information safe and only share it with people you trust.

Report: To tell a website, app, or trusted adult about unsafe or harmful content so they can take action.

Scam: A dishonest trick used to steal money or personal information, often through fake messages or offers.

Security settings: Options on your device or account that help protect your information, such as choosing who can see your posts or making your account private.

Strong password: a password that is difficult to guess because it contains different types of characters.

Trusted adult: a grown-up you know well and can talk to safely, like a parent or teacher.

Virus: harmful software that can damage a computer or steal information.

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