Has a Negative Impact on Ms. Simon’s Class
Ms. Simon 5-428
Can you think of any place that is most often visited by students on a daily basis? No, not a physical place, more like a virtual place. Do you have a social media account? Suppose you have visited a social media platform and felt some kind of way about what you saw on the screen. Now, you may be feeling or thinking about it. Guess what? You have been impacted by what you were viewing. The impact of social media has been on the rise since the Pandemic of 2020. In January 2024, New York City officially declared Social Media a public health hazard.
TASK
During this lesson you will focus on and engage in learning about the impact of social media on students and in particular the students in our class. Your teacher will divide you into groups of 4 or 5 students. Each group will be responsible for researching the impact of social media on upper elementary students, in our class since the Pandemic 2020.
Each group will use the research information to create a presentation in the form of a slide show where you present your findings. You will also provide a plan moving forward about the effects of social media on upper elementary students and how reducing time on social media is the best direction to head into.
PROCESS/RESOURCES:
Your teacher will arrange the class into 4 or 5 small groups. All groups will follow the steps listed and incorporate them in your research
1. Define the Problem
2. Gather Evidence
3. Identify the Cause
4. Evaluate the Existing Policy
5. Develop a Solution
6. Select the Best Solution
Day 1: Define the Problem & Gather the Evidence:
Recently, New York City has classified “Social Media” a health hazard. With that being the case do you think that is the case of social media having a negative impact on upper elementary students.
Helpful Links for information:
https://www.edutopia.org/article/social-media-issues-schools/
https://csic.georgetown.edu/magazine/social-media-reshaping-todays-education-system/
Day 2: Identify the Causes & Evaluate the Existing Policies:
Once each student group has completed their research and learning on social media impacting upper elementary students. You will then Identify the cause & Evaluate the Existing Policies of Social Media impacting upper elementary students in Ms. Simon’s class.
All groups will use the helpful links below to begin to explore existing School Social Media Policies /Regulations, to include in your project.
https://www.nysed.gov/edtech/laws-and-regulations-internet-safety-and-cyberbullying
Day 3: Solutions
In your small groups, develop solutions to either reduce the causes or improve the existing policies of Social Media Impacting upper elementary students.
Day 4: Selecting Best Solutions:
Now that students have gone through the first 3 steps; students will use PPA steps 3 and 4 to develop 3 new policies that either reduce the negative impact of Social Media or improve the existing policies .
All groups will begin to create slides for presentations, listing steps taken to come up with the end results.
Policy Examples
*Adjusting social media’s privacy settings.
* Teaching children social media etiquette for kids
* The use of social media time limits (daily / weekly)
* Increase Parental Monitoring of social media usage
Day 5: Presentation Time:
It’s time for all student groups to present their research findings to the class / peers.
Evaluation: Task Rubric
Each group has successfully worked together to find & choose the best policy solutions of Social Media Impacting Upper Elementary Students in our school.
Key Ideas and Details:
5R1: Locate and refer to relevant details and evidence when explaining what a text says explicitly/implicitly and make logical inferences. (RI&RL)
Writing
5W2a: Introduce a topic clearly, provide a general focus, and organize related information logically.
5W2b: Develop a topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other relevant information; include text features, illustrations, and multimedia to aid comprehension.
5W2c: Use precise language and content-specific vocabulary to explain a topic.
Research to Build and Present Knowledge
5W6: Conduct research to answer questions, including self-generated questions, and to build knowledge through investigation of multiple aspects of a topic using multiple sources.
5W7: Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from multiple sources; summarize or paraphrase; avoid plagiarism and provide a list of sources.
Comprehension and Collaboration
5SL2: Summarize information presented in diverse formats (e.g., including visual, quantitative, and oral).
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
5SL4: Report on a topic or text, sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support central ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace and volume appropriate for the audience.
5SL5: Include digital media and/or visual displays in presentations to emphasize and enhance central ideas or themes.