Phone-Free Digital Life Lessons for St. Louis Middle School Classes
Phone-Free Digital Life Lessons for St. Louis Middle School Classes
Yes, you can teach phones, social media and online safety in a St. Louis classroom where the phones stay put away. The Digital Life Units Bundle gives you six printable units on cyberbullying, influencers, AI, data protection, phishing and filter bubbles. Students read, mark up, argue and write on paper while you run the discussion. That fits the phone rule Missouri now requires every district, including SLPS, to have.
See the Digital Life unitsFor a St. Louis Public Schools class where phones are off for the day, the Digital Life Units Bundle ($89.99) is a printable set of six middle school units about students' online lives. Kids read, discuss and write responses on worksheets, and the computer science units come with slides and answer keys. It is not written for Missouri or for SLPS, so check it against your district's own curriculum and phone policy before you plan with it.
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
Teaching about phones when the phones are gone
Missouri Senate Bill 68 requires every K–12 district to adopt a policy limiting student phone use for the full school day, starting in 2025–26. St. Louis Public Schools started its 2026–27 year on Monday, August 24, so this is the second fall in which middle schoolers spend the whole day without their own screens. That is an odd spot for advisory, digital citizenship and computer science teachers. The topics students most need to talk about, like cruel group chats, influencer ads or a fake bank text, all live on a device they cannot take out. Lessons that start with "open the app and look" no longer work. You need short readings and structured talk on paper, ready on short notice. There is a second St. Louis wrinkle. Under the Future Ready SLPS consolidation plan, the board vote on proposed closures moved to November 10, 2026, with a final recommendation due October 27. Some teachers may change buildings or classes mid-year, so material that travels in a folder and does not depend on a room setup is worth having.
Why it fits
What the six units give a phone-free room
Each part of the bundle is built around reading, talking and writing, so students do the thinking on paper while their phones stay stored.
- Cyberbullying and Hate Speech gives students structured discussion on paper instead of feeds to scroll.
- Influencers and Social Media lets a class talk about influencer content without anyone opening an app.
- Phishing and Social Engineering teaches students how scam messages try to trick them, worked through on paper.
- Data Protection and Cyber Safety covers what personal information is worth guarding and why.
- Recommendation Algorithms and Filter Bubbles explains why two students see different feeds, using paper tasks.
- The computer science units come with worksheets on four levels, a reading text, slides and full answer keys.
Getting started
A six-week rotation for an SLPS advisory or elective
One way to use the bundle in a class that meets a few times a week. Adjust the order to your students and your building's schedule.
- Week 1: Cyberbullying and Hate SpeechStart with what students already know from group chats. Use the unit's worksheets for small-group talk and close with a written response. It sets norms for the discussions that follow.
- Week 2: Influencers and Social MediaStudents talk about why influencers post what they post and who pays for it. Working on paper keeps attention on the ideas, not on whoever has the newest phone.
- Week 3: Phishing and social engineeringWork through the reading text and worksheets, then have students write their own warning guide for a younger sibling. The answer key and marking guide help you check their work.
- Week 4: Data Protection and Cyber SafetyPick the worksheet level that suits each group, from Basic to Project, so every table works on the same topic. Students who finish early can take the hands-on deep-dive task.
- Weeks 5–6: Algorithms and AIClose with Recommendation Algorithms and Filter Bubbles, then AI and Responsibility. A short debate on who is responsible when an AI tool gets something wrong works well as a final task.
What to buy
Which set to buy for your St. Louis class
The Digital Life Units Bundle at $89.99 is the best fit if you teach advisory, digital citizenship or an ethics block and want online-life topics without devices. The six parts bought separately come to $149.94. If you teach a computer science elective and want more on how AI works, prompting and encryption, the AI & Cybersecurity Units Bundle ($89.99) leans technical. The Digital Citizenship Activities set ($69.99, Grades 7–10) has four units and 12 lessons. For ten discussion units that add justice, conscience and climate, look at the Middle School Ethics Curriculum ($119.99).
Honest limits
What this bundle will not do
These units were not written for Missouri or for St. Louis Public Schools. There is no Missouri content and no state standards codes, so compare the lessons with the Missouri Learning Standards and your SLPS pacing yourself. The slides assume you can project them; students work on paper, and you do the printing. Nothing here replaces your school's phone policy or its discipline steps. The license covers your own teaching; if your team or building wants to share it, send Teach Lessons a short message first. If it turns out not to fit within 7 days, you can exchange it for store credit of equal value.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is this aligned to the Missouri Learning Standards or approved by SLPS?
No. The bundle is not aligned to the Missouri Learning Standards, the computer science performance standards Missouri adopted in 2019, or any SLPS curriculum, and no district has approved it. It is a general middle school resource. Read the unit overviews against what your course or advisory block is supposed to cover and decide which pieces fit.
Do students need laptops or phones for any part of it?
No device is needed for students to do the work. The lessons run on printed worksheets, readings and discussion. You will want a projector or display for the slides, but students can complete every task on paper, which is the point under a full-day phone limit.
Does Senate Bill 68 say what I must teach about phones?
SB 68 requires each district to adopt a policy limiting student phone use for the full school day starting in 2025–26. It deals with phone use, not with lesson content. What you teach about digital life is set by your district and your course. Ask your principal or SLPS curriculum office if you are unsure.
Can I use it as sub plans if my building changes after the November vote?
Many of the units can stand alone, and the computer science units' answer keys let a substitute check work without help. If you move schools or classes mid-year, the download stays in your Teach Lessons customer account under Orders, so you can print it again in whatever building you end up in.
How do the four worksheet levels work in a mixed class?
The computer science units in the bundle (data protection, phishing and recommendation algorithms) come with worksheets on four levels: Basic, Standard, Plus and Project. You can hand different levels to different tables on the same topic and still run one shared discussion at the end.
Can our whole SLPS team use one purchase?
One purchase covers your own teaching. If several teachers in your building want to use it, for example a whole grade-level advisory team, send Teach Lessons a short message before you share the files. Questions about school purchasing can go to the same place before you buy.
Get your phone-free unit ready before next week
Open the product page to see all six units and what each one includes. The download arrives right after checkout.
See the Digital Life units