Teaching Digital Life in Seattle's Phone-Free Classrooms, Grades 6–9
Teaching Digital Life in Seattle's Phone-Free Classrooms, Grades 6–9
Seattle Public Schools teachers who want to teach about phones, social media and AI while phones are off and away can use the Digital Life Units Bundle: six printable units on cyberbullying, influencers, AI and responsibility, data protection, phishing and recommendation algorithms. It costs $89.99, and every lesson runs on paper, discussion and a teacher-led display, not student devices.
View the digital life unitsThe Digital Life Units Bundle costs $89.99 for six units for Grades 6–9: Cyberbullying and Hate Speech; Influencers and Social Media; AI and Responsibility; Data Protection and Cyber Safety; Phishing & Social Engineering; and Recommendation Algorithms and Filter Bubbles. It suits Seattle middle school advisory, ethics and computer science teachers who want to teach about digital life while phones stay off. It is not built on Washington's standards.
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
Talking about phones in a school where phones are away
Since May 4, 2026, Seattle Public Schools has applied a districtwide student cellphone procedure, Superintendent Procedure 2022SP. In grades K-8 the rule is Off and Away for the Day: phones stay off and stored all day, including lunch and passing periods. Grades 9-12 follow No Cell Bell to Bell, with phones put away during instructional time. District-issued instructional devices are not affected. On June 9, 2026, at Robert Eagle Staff Middle School in North Seattle, Gov. Bob Ferguson announced he wants a cellphone ban in all Washington public schools; if lawmakers approve it, that ban would start in 2027-28. For a middle school teacher, the rule raises a fair question from students: if phones matter so much, when do we talk about what happens on them? Group chats, influencers, AI tools, phishing messages and feeds that seem to know too much are part of every twelve-year-old's life. Teaching that well without devices in hand takes material that brings the screen into the room on paper: readings, case examples and structured discussion. A ninth grade teacher faces the same topics with a slightly different rule. Either way, students need the thinking, not another login.
Why it fits
How the six units work without student devices
Three units come from the ethics series and three from the computer science series, so you get discussion and technical background.
- Cyberbullying and Hate Speech gives you a structured unit for discussing online cruelty with a class.
- Influencers and Social Media brings the accounts students follow into a paper-based discussion.
- AI and Responsibility opens the question of who answers for how AI tools are used.
- Data Protection and Cyber Safety includes worksheets on four levels: Basic, Standard, Plus and Project.
- Cybersecurity: Phishing & Social Engineering teaches students to recognize tricks that target them by message.
- Recommendation Algorithms and Filter Bubbles explains feeds with a reading text and a hands-on task.
Getting started
A six-week digital life block
One suggested order for advisory or an elective. Each week takes one unit; stretch any that spark debate.
- Week 1: Influencers and Social MediaOpen with the topic students know best. Show a few examples on your classroom display, then move to the printed tasks. You might ask students to compare what an influencer shows with what they are selling.
- Week 2: Recommendation algorithmsUse the reading text and the hands-on deep-dive task to explain how feeds choose content. As an extra, students can sketch their own feed on paper and talk about what it leaves out.
- Week 3: Cyberbullying and Hate SpeechWith a shared vocabulary from the first weeks, move to harder ground. Set discussion norms first and keep the counselor informed, since this unit can bring up real experiences in your class.
- Week 4: Phishing and data protectionCombine the phishing unit with Data Protection and Cyber Safety. Choose the worksheet level, Basic to Project, that fits each student, and use the answer keys and marking guide to give feedback.
- Weeks 5–6: AI and ResponsibilityEnd with AI. A short class debate on who should answer for mistakes made with AI tools works well here, and a written position at the end gives you assessable work without a single student device switched on.
What to buy
Which digital life bundle to choose
For a mix of ethics discussion and technical basics, buy the Digital Life Units Bundle at $89.99; the six units bought separately cost $149.94. If your class is computer science and you want more on how AI works, prompting and encryption, the AI & Cybersecurity Units Bundle, also $89.99, goes deeper on the technical side. The Digital Citizenship Activities set at $69.99 covers cyberbullying, influencers, AI and consumer ethics for Grades 7–10. If you teach a full ethics or advisory course, the Middle School Ethics Curriculum at $119.99 adds topics such as justice, conscience and climate ethics.
Honest limits
What to know before buying
These units are not written for Washington and carry no Washington State Learning Standards codes, including the 2018 computer science standards, so check them against your course requirements. They are not a complete computer science course. No software, accounts or devices are included; if you want to show slides, use your classroom display. Washington's possible statewide ban is still a proposal, so follow Seattle Public Schools' current procedure. The license covers your own classroom; for a team, message Teach Lessons first. If it is not a fit, you can exchange it within 7 days for store credit of equal value.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Are these units aligned to Washington's computer science standards?
No. They are not aligned to the Washington State Learning Standards for Computer Science or any other Washington standards, and Seattle Public Schools has not reviewed them. Use them as classroom units and check each one against the standards and expectations for your course before you place it in your year.
Do students need phones or laptops for any unit?
No student device is required by the product descriptions. Students work with printed readings, worksheets and discussion. You may want your classroom display for slides or examples, and district-issued instructional devices are not affected by 2022SP, but none of the six units depends on them.
Is it awkward to teach about phones during Off and Away for the Day?
It often works the other way. With phones put away, students can talk about what happens on them without being pulled back to the screen mid-sentence. The units give you printed examples to analyze, so the conversation stays focused on thinking rather than scrolling or checking notifications.
Will it still fit if Washington passes a statewide ban?
Yes. The governor's proposal would start in 2027-28 if lawmakers approve it, and Seattle already keeps phones away all day in K-8. Because the units are printable, they work under either rule. Follow your district's current procedure and watch for any changes from the state.
Can I use it with ninth graders?
Yes. The bundle is written for Grades 6–9. Ninth graders in Seattle follow No Cell Bell to Bell rather than the K-8 rule, so phones are away during instruction. Choose the higher worksheet levels in the three computer science units for older or faster students.
Can our advisory team share it across classrooms?
The license covers one teacher's own classroom. If your grade-level or advisory team wants to use it in several rooms, send Teach Lessons a short message before buying and explain the setup. Please do not post the files on a shared drive, a learning platform or a school website.
Bring the screen into the room, on paper
Review all six units on the product page and plan your first week of the block.
View the digital life units