Alaska Middle School Digital Citizenship: Six Units on Life Online
Alaska Middle School Digital Citizenship: Six Units on Life Online
Teaching digital citizenship to Alaska middle schoolers? The Digital Life Units Bundle ($89.99) gives you six Grades 6–9 units on what students actually run into online: cyberbullying and hate speech, influencers, AI and responsibility, data protection, phishing, and recommendation algorithms and filter bubbles. Use them in advisory, an ethics block or a computer science class, and check them against Alaska's 2019 Digital Literacy Standards yourself.
See the six digital life unitsThe Digital Life Units Bundle ($89.99) holds six middle school units: Cyberbullying and Hate Speech, Influencers and Social Media, AI and Responsibility, Data Protection and Cyber Safety, Cybersecurity: Phishing & Social Engineering, and Recommendation Algorithms and Filter Bubbles. It fits an Alaska advisory, digital literacy or CS class. It is not written for Alaska and is not aligned to the Alaska Digital Literacy or Computer Science Standards, so compare it with them yourself.
The resources
Digital Life Units Bundle, Grades 6–9
6 resources in one download: $89.99 instead of $149.94 bought separately.
Start with the first resource; the others are optional add-ons. Open any cover for the full contents and price.
Digital Life Units Bundle | Cyberbullying, Influencers, AI, Privacy, Phishing & Algorithms | 6 Units | Grades 6–9
AI & Cybersecurity Units Bundle | How AI Works, Prompting, Phishing, Encryption & Data Privacy | 6 Units | Grades 6–9
Digital Citizenship Activities | Cyberbullying, AI, Social Media & Media Literacy Lessons | Grades 7–10
Middle School Ethics Curriculum | Justice, Conscience, Freedom, Digital Life & Climate | 10 Units | Grades 6–9
The real problem
A subject with standards but no fixed home
Alaska has published Computer Science Standards and Digital Literacy Standards, both from 2019. The graduation regulation, though, names no computer science requirement, so digital citizenship rarely has a fixed slot of its own. It turns up in advisory, the library, a technology elective or a homeroom period, often taught by whoever has the time. That makes it easy to skip and hard to plan. Meanwhile students' online lives keep moving: a group chat turns cruel, an influencer sells something that sounds too good, a message asks for a password, a feed decides what a student sees next. In small schools the internet is also part of the school day itself. Southeast Island School District, for example, cited video-linked electives when it moved to a four-day week. Teachers need lessons that open honest discussion without lecturing, give students concrete steps to protect themselves, and still work when a class spans several grades. They also need material that is ready to go, because a subject without a home rarely gets planning time. And since these topics touch real incidents, every lesson has to be checked against your school's own policies on bullying and online behavior.
Why it fits
What each unit adds to an Alaska classroom
Three units deal with how students treat each other online; three deal with how technology treats them.
- Cyberbullying and Hate Speech gives a structured way to discuss harm online before it happens in your school.
- Influencers and Social Media helps students question advertising, sponsorship and the pressure to post.
- AI and Responsibility asks who answers for decisions made with AI tools students already use.
- Data Protection and Cyber Safety teaches concrete steps for protecting personal information.
- Phishing & Social Engineering trains students to spot fake messages and manipulative requests.
- Recommendation Algorithms and Filter Bubbles explains why two students see completely different feeds.
Getting started
A suggested order for advisory or a quarter course
Pacing is up to you. This order moves from relationships to technology and ends with something students can act on.
- Begin with how people treat each otherStart with Cyberbullying and Hate Speech. Set clear discussion rules first, and check with your counselor how to respond if a student raises a real incident during the lesson.
- Move to influence and persuasionTeach Influencers and Social Media, then Recommendation Algorithms and Filter Bubbles. Together they show students who is trying to shape what they see, and how.
- Turn to protectionUse Data Protection and Cyber Safety followed by Phishing & Social Engineering. The worksheets on four levels let a mixed-grade class work on the same topic at different depths.
- Close with AIFinish with AI and Responsibility, which pulls earlier topics together. Students debate where responsibility lies when an AI tool gets something wrong or is used to hurt someone.
- Have students write their own rulesEnd with a short class task of your own: a set of online rules or a family tip sheet students write from what they learned. Keep it for the next school year.
What to buy
Digital Life, or one of the overlapping sets
For a broad digital citizenship strand, the Digital Life Units Bundle at $89.99 (parts $149.94) is the best fit. Know the overlaps before buying more. The AI & Cybersecurity Units Bundle ($89.99) shares three units with it: data protection, phishing and filter bubbles. The Digital Citizenship Activities set ($69.99, Grades 7–10, four units and 12 lessons) covers similar ethics topics plus fast fashion. The Middle School Ethics Curriculum ($119.99, parts $249.90) contains the three ethics units here plus seven more on justice, conscience, freedom, prejudice, happiness and climate.
Honest limits
Before you buy
The bundle is not written for Alaska and is not aligned to the Alaska Computer Science or Digital Literacy Standards; check each unit against them and your district's expectations. It includes no software, accounts or devices. It does not replace your school's bullying, technology or reporting policies, and you should read sensitive lessons before teaching. Six units fill a strand, not a full-year course. Sharing with colleagues needs a short message to Teach Lessons first. A bundle that does not fit can be exchanged within 7 days for equal store credit, not a refund in cash.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is this aligned with Alaska's Digital Literacy Standards?
No. It is not aligned with, reviewed under or endorsed by the Alaska Digital Literacy Standards or the Alaska Computer Science Standards, both from 2019. Topics such as data protection and online safety sit close to what those documents address, but you need to compare each unit with the standards and your district's plan yourself.
Is it a computer science course?
No. Three units come from our computer science series and three from our ethics series, but none teaches programming. It suits advisory, digital literacy, ethics or a CS class that wants a citizenship strand. If you need coding, look at a separate CS unit or bundle instead.
How are the units structured?
The three computer science units, on data protection, phishing and filter bubbles, each come with worksheets on four levels, a detailed reading text, a hands-on deep-dive task, slides and full answer keys with a marking guide. The three ethics units, on cyberbullying, influencers and AI, are built around discussion with structured tasks.
How do I handle hate speech and bullying topics safely?
Read the unit before teaching and agree on discussion rules with the class. Tell your counselor or administrator which week you plan to teach it, and know your school's reporting steps in case a student describes a real situation. Students should never be asked to share their own incidents in front of the class.
Can I use it with a mixed Grades 6–9 class?
Yes, the bundle is written for Grades 6–9. In the computer science units, the four worksheet levels help a mixed class, since younger students can start at Basic or Standard while older ones take Plus or Project. Discussion tasks work across ages when you pair students thoughtfully.
How do I get the files and share them?
The download link arrives by email right after purchase and stays in your customer account under Orders. The licence covers your own classroom teaching. If other teachers or a whole school want to use it, send Teach Lessons a short message before sharing the files.
Give digital citizenship a real place on the schedule
Open the product page to see all six units and decide where they fit in your year.
See the six digital life units