Recognizing Online Scams and Tricks gives Grade 3 Computer Science students practical digital citizenship practice for spotting suspicious messages, ads, and pop-ups before they click, reply, or share private information.

What students practice

Students examine realistic warning signs such as urgent language, strange or unfamiliar links, prize offers, requests for passwords or other personal details, and messages that seem unusual or unsafe. The lesson builds the vocabulary and reasoning needed to distinguish safe digital situations from suspicious ones and choose a safer response.

• Identify warning signs in online messages, ads, and pop-ups
• Explain why urgent requests and unfamiliar links can be unsafe
• Recognize personal details that should remain private
• Describe what to do when an online situation seems suspicious
• Use pausing and asking a trusted adult as safe online actions

What’s Included

• Student worksheet with a Talk It Through dialogue
• Pair-the-answers matching activity
• Cloze passage using key scam-warning vocabulary
• Labeled diagram activity
• Informational reading passage about online scams and safe responses
• Multiple-choice questions based on the reading and digital situations
• True/false truth assessment
• Short-answer questions requiring students to explain safe choices
• Extended-response scenario about a suspicious prize pop-up
• Separate Teacher Guide PDF with Learning Objectives, Teaching Tips, Discussion Questions, and Common Mistakes

Classroom Use

Use this digital citizenship worksheet as guided practice, independent work, a lesson review, or a discussion-based activity. The reading and scenario questions give students opportunities to apply concepts such as warning signs, suspicious links, personal information, urgent language, and trusted-adult support rather than simply memorizing definitions.

The extended response asks students to analyze a prize pop-up that requests a password and immediate action, then explain safe steps they would take. This makes the resource useful for connecting online safety vocabulary to everyday decision-making.

Why It’s Useful

The resource combines direct vocabulary practice, visual labeling, reading comprehension, selected-response assessment, short explanations, and an applied writing scenario in one focused lesson. The separate teacher guide adds practical support for introducing the topic, guiding discussion, and addressing common mistakes while students build safer online habits.