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Story Time: Swoosh, Glide, and Rule Number 5
Child Safeguarding Statement
Some resources and activities may prompt a child to remember and potentially share an experience of harm. Make sure you’re familiar with your school's safeguarding policies and procedures so you can confidently report safety and well-being concerns.
Prepare students for the session by discussing: their right to be safe and respected; what to do if discussing online safety makes them feel uncomfortable or unsafe; and how to seek help if they feel or have felt unsafe. Use this resource available on the website.
Story Time: Swoosh, Glide, and Rule Number 5
Overview
Note: You can find all the materials for this story time activity free on the eSafety Commissioner website. This includes the e-book, videos with sign language interpreters, and more
In this activity, we'll read a story called "Swoosh, Glide, and Rule Number 5" about two friends who have a sleepover with their cousins. While they're using screens, some unexpected things happen, and they have to make good choices about using the internet safely.
Setup
- Access the story time resources here on the eSafety Commissioner website.
- Project the lesson slides, book, and/or video onto a central screen.
- (Optional) Provide a digital version of the slides for learners using assistive technology.
- (Optional) Access or download the “Story Puzzles: Online safety adventures with Swoosh and Glide” extension activity pack, available here on the eSafety Commissioner website.
- (Optional) Soft toys, puppets, or action figures to model and roleplay scenarios.
- (Optional) Pens, pencils, drawing tools, playdough or communication boards for those that require alternative means of expression.
This lesson is part of the FREE digital licence program
Learning Intentions
Learning intentions & success criteria
Learners will:
- Learn to spot situations online where our personal information and privacy might be in danger.
- Find out what to do when something unexpected or scary happens on a screen, and who to ask for help.
These intentions are evidenced when learners can:
- Identify at least one online situation where their personal information or privacy might be in danger, demonstrating an understanding of potential risks.
- Articulate at least one action to take when they encounter something unexpected or scary on a screen, such as closing the app or website.
Educators will:
- Develop skills in using storytelling to engage learners in discussions about online safety.
- Guide learners in articulating appropriate actions to take when encountering unexpected or scary situations on screens.
These intentions are evidenced when Educators can:
- Ensure that learners actively engage with the story, participating in discussions about characters' choices and relating them to their own experiences.
- Observe that learners can articulate at least one appropriate action to take when faced with unexpected or scary online situations, demonstrating comprehension of safety measures.
Lesson Instructions
Discussion: Make predictions
- Show them the book cover and explain the story.
- Swoosh and Glide have a sleepover with their cousins, but they have unexpected issues while using screens.
- Ask students to predict what will happen.
Read the book or watch the video.
- Ask questions during or after the story:
- How might we feel when something unexpected happens on devices?
- What advice would you give a friend in a similar situation?
- Do you have rules for using devices?
- Who can we ask for help?
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Discuss scenarios
- Discuss the scenarios on Slide 2. Brainstorm solutions as a group.
- Ask learners if they have similar scenarios to share and what their solutions were.
Stories and/or roleplay
- Divide learners into small groups or pairs.
- Generate stories or roleplay scenes that expand on the scenarios which include at least one solution.
- Share back the stories/roleplay with the group and discuss.
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Exit pass: In-class, or, set as homework
Discuss, or, write/draw:
- One thing learned: Ask them to think about a specific lesson or tip about staying safe online. This could be a rule, a feeling, or a situation they learned about.
- One Question: Any questions they still have about online safety. This could relate to something they didn’t fully understand or a scenario they want to explore.
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(Optional) Top-up or extend the lesson
Top-up the lesson:
For learners who need more help meeting the learning intentions & success criteria.
- In class or at home, ask learners to create an “online safety poster” using the Contact Island risk area map. They should write or draw strategies that will help keep them safe online. Families, carers, or trusted adults can add their ideas.
- Contact Island is part of the eSmart Digital Licence quest. If your class is not already on the quest and would like to explore other islands, please visit the eSmart Digital Licence hub.
Extend the lesson:
For learners who have met the learning intentions & success criteria and need a bit more of a challenge.
Incorporate puzzles from the eSafety Commissioner website. Access or download the “Story Puzzles: Online Safety Adventures with Swoosh and Glide” extension activity pack.
Begin by reading the four stories in the activity book, then use the picture puzzles to facilitate discussions about online safety rules with your students. These engaging scenarios will help them develop lifelong skills for using digital technologies safely and positively.
Aligned Curriculum
Australian Curriculum (Version 9.0)
The Australian Curriculum outlines the fundamental knowledge, comprehension, and abilities students are expected to acquire as they advance through the initial 11 years of schooling.
Foundation: General Capabilities
Manage Online Safety:
- Level 1: Use online tools that are safe or only under direct supervision, seeking help from trusted adults when feeling unsafe.
Foundation: Health and Physical Education
- AC9HPFP04: Explore how to seek, give or deny permission respectfully when sharing possessions or personal space.
- AC9HPFP05: Demonstrate protective behaviours, name body parts and rehearse help-seeking strategies that help keep them safe.
- AC9EFLE01: share ideas about stories, poems and images in literature, reflecting on experiences that are similar or different to their own by engaging with texts by First Nations Australian, and wide-ranging Australian and world authors and illustrators.
- AC9EFLE02: respond to stories and share feelings and thoughts about their events and characters.
- AC9EFLY02: interact in informal and structured situations by listening while others speak and using features of voice including volume levels.
- AC9EFLY05: use comprehension strategies such as visualising, predicting, connecting, summarising and questioning to understand and discuss texts listened to, viewed or read independently.
Year One: General Capabilities
Manage Online Safety:
- Level 2: Use online tools that are age appropriate or only under supervision, seeking help from trusted adults when feeling unsafe.
Year One: Health and Physical Education
- AC9HP2P04 : Practise strategies they can use when they need to seek, give or deny permission respectfully.
- AC9HP2P05: Identify and demonstrate protective behaviours and help-seeking strategies they can use to help them and others stay safe.
- AC9E1LE02: discuss literary texts and share responses by making connections with students’ own experiences.
- AC9E1LE03: discuss plot, character and setting, which are features of stories.
- AC9E1LY02: use interaction skills including turn-taking, speaking clearly, using active listening behaviours and responding to the contributions of others, and contributing ideas and questions.
- AC9E1LY05: use comprehension strategies such as visualising, predicting, connecting, summarising and questioning when listening, viewing and reading to build literal and inferred meaning by drawing on vocabulary and growing knowledge of context and text structures.
CASEL Framework
The CASEL Framework creates a foundation for applying evidence-based, Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) strategies both at school and in the broader community. Its aim is to support the cultivation of SEL skills and environments that advance students’ learning and development.
- Responsible decision-making: The abilities to make caring and constructive choices about personal behaviour and social interactions across diverse situations.
- Self-management: The abilities to manage one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviours effectively in different situations and to achieve goals and aspirations.
My Time, Our Place – Framework for School Age Care in Australia
The aim of My Time, Our Place: Framework for School Age Care in Australia (the Framework) is to assist educators to provide children and young people with opportunities to maximise their potential and develop a foundation for successful lifelong learning. The Framework has been designed for use by approved providers and school age care educators working in partnership with children and young people, their families and the community, including schools.
Outcome 1: Children and young people have a strong sense of identity.
Children and young people feel safe, secure and supported.
This is exemplified when:
- Students identify situations when they might need to seek help online, and devise strategies and personnel they will go to in order to find support.
Differentiate the lesson by assessing the discussion.
Modify instruction as appropriate, based on whether learners can:
- Understand the concepts presented in the story.
- Offer thoughtful answers to questions about feelings, advice, rules, and help-seeking.
Options:
- Use roleplaying to act out a selected scenario from the story. Invite volunteers to participate in front of the class.
- Ask learners to draw or create art to respond to the story i.e. in response to “What does online safety mean to you?”
- Pair students with friends or mentors for extra support in the next section.
Observe activity participation. Modify instruction if learners struggle to:
- Stay on task, i.e. too much free play.
- Generate appropriate/ relevant solutions to the scenarios presented.
Options:
- Choose a scenario. As a whole group, use props such as puppets/soft toys to model different online situations.
- Ask learners to generate their own scenarios. These do not have to be online; they can be offline situations with similar themes. Relate the scenarios back to online environments.
Assess the “Exit pass” to ensure learners have met the following success criteria:
- Identify at least one online situation where their personal information or privacy might be in danger, demonstrating an understanding of potential risks.
- Articulate at least one action to take when they encounter something unexpected or scary on a screen, such as closing the app or website.
Next steps:
If some learners didn’t meet the criteria, do the “Top-up” activity in the following section. Discussion about the lesson’s themes can be continued at home, by setting the extension task as homework.
Important Note: If this lesson is part of the eSmart Digital Licence, you’ll need to ensure that all learners have met the success criteria before accessing the Digital Licences.
Related Resources
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Explore pop-up ads as a form of digital advertising through storytelling and roleplay.
Learners manipulate images using digital devices or traditional arts, laying the groundwork for media literacy concepts.
Students learn online safety through 'Swoosh, Glide, and Rule Number 5' story time, addressing internet use with family and friends.