The giveaway that wasn't: an online safety reading lesson
Students read a short story about a fake game giveaway, practise careful reading with true, false or not given, and turn what they learn into clear safety advice.
At a glance
- From
- Level 3, Bridge English: Week 8, Staying safe online
- Grammar
- must, mustn't, should, shouldn't
- Key language
- scam, giveaway, password, personal information, block, report, suspicious, trust / You must..., You mustn't..., You should..., You shouldn't...
- Children make
- Four safety tips and a mini poster for younger children.
- Class size
- Works with 10 to 50 children; pair and group steps say how to scale.
Objective
Students read a narrative for detail and inference, and give online safety advice with must, mustn't, should and shouldn't.
Success criteria for children
- I can tell the difference between false and not given.
- I can explain how to spot a fake message.
- I can give advice with must, mustn't, should and shouldn't.
Timing: 60 minutes
| Minutes | Stage | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 5 | Warm-up: too good to be true? | Students vote on three messages: real or fake? |
| 5 to 13 | Key vocabulary | Teach eight words through the warm-up messages. |
| 13 to 21 | Reading: first read | Read for gist: what happened and how did it end? |
| 21 to 33 | Reading: true, false or not given | Careful reading task with evidence. |
| 33 to 41 | Discussion | Groups list the warning signs Kofi missed and the good things he did. |
| 41 to 53 | Advice with modals | Must, mustn't, should, shouldn't; write four tips. |
| 53 to 60 | Exit ticket | Name two warning signs and one action. |
Materials
- Worksheet, pens
- Coloured pens or pencils for the poster (optional)
- Online safety poster (A2) (free, linked from Week 8)
- Childnet: 11 to 18 (free, linked from Week 8)
- UK Safer Internet Centre (free, linked from Week 8)
Before the lesson: Read the story first. If a student shares a real worrying experience, thank them, keep it brief in class and follow your school's safeguarding procedure afterwards.
Step by step, with teacher talk
0 to 5 minWarm-up: too good to be true?
- Write three short messages on the board: "Your parcel is waiting. Click here and pay 1 pound." / "Team practice moved to 4pm. Coach Lee." / "You won a free phone! Send your password to claim."
- Students vote real or fake and say why.
5 to 13 minKey vocabulary
- Teach scam, giveaway, suspicious, password, personal information, block, report, trust. Students match them to definitions in task 1.
- If something is suspicious, do you trust it? (No, not yet.)
- Is your home address personal information? (Yes.)
13 to 21 minReading: first read
- Students read the story in three minutes. Ask: "Did Kofi lose his account? Who helped?"
21 to 33 minReading: true, false or not given
- Explain: false means the text says the opposite; not given means the text does not tell us.
- Students do task 2 alone, then compare and underline the evidence for each answer.
- Go through answers; ask for the line that proves each one.
- If the text doesn't say how old Kofi is, is "Kofi is 13" false? (No, not given.)
33 to 41 minDiscussion
- In fours: list the warning signs (from the text) and what Kofi did right. Share two from each group.
41 to 53 minAdvice with modals
- Show the difference: must and mustn't for strong rules; should and shouldn't for good advice.
- Students write four tips for younger children in task 3. Fast finishers design a mini poster on the back.
- "You mustn't share your password." Is it OK sometimes? (No, never.)
- "You don't have to" and "you mustn't": the same? (No. Don't have to means it is not necessary.)
53 to 60 minExit ticket
- See below.
Differentiation
Support
- Pre-teach the vocabulary with the warm-up messages before reading.
- Reduce task 2 to the first four statements.
Stretch
- Rewrite the fake message so it looks even more convincing, then label every warning sign.
- Write a reply from Kofi's cousin explaining how to report a scam.
- Compare with the advice on the Childnet young people pages.
Reading passage
Kofi was playing his favourite online game when a message appeared in the chat. "Congratulations! You have been chosen for our anniversary giveaway: 5,000 free coins! Offer ends in 10 minutes." There was a link and a logo that looked exactly like the game's.
Kofi's heart was racing. Five thousand coins would buy the skin he had wanted for months. He clicked the link. A page opened and asked for his username, his password and his date of birth "to send the prize".
He started typing his password, then stopped. Something felt wrong. Why did the game need his password? It already knew who he was. And the message came from an account called "GameSupportTeam_Official2", which had no profile picture and no friends.
He closed the page and showed the message to his older cousin, Ama. She checked the game's real website. There was no giveaway. "It's a scam," she said. "They wanted your account." Together they blocked the sender and reported the message using the button in the game.
The next day, Kofi's friend Leo was not so lucky. He had typed his password into the same page, and someone changed it. Now Leo has a new password, and Kofi tells everyone the same thing: if a message rushes you, slow down.
Questions
- What did the message offer Kofi?
- Why did the message say "Offer ends in 10 minutes"?
- Find two clues that the sender was not real.
- How did Ama check the giveaway?
- What happened to Leo, and what does it show?
Printable worksheet
Prints on its own A4 page. Use Print the worksheet above, or print the whole plan and the worksheet starts on a new page. One copy per child, or one per pair to save paper.
Spot the scam
1. Match the words to the meanings.
| 1. scam | ● | ● | a. tell the company or an adult about a problem |
| 2. suspicious | ● | ● | b. stop someone from contacting you |
| 3. block | ● | ● | c. a trick to steal money or information |
| 4. report | ● | ● | d. your name, address, passwords, birthday |
| 5. personal information | ● | ● | e. it makes you think something is wrong |
2. True, false or not given?
| True | False | Not given | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. The message appeared while Kofi was playing a game. | |||
| 2. The link asked for Kofi's address. | |||
| 3. Kofi typed all of his password. | |||
| 4. Ama is older than Kofi. | |||
| 5. Ama has had her account stolen before. | |||
| 6. Leo's password was changed by someone else. |
3. Write four safety tips for younger children. Use must, mustn't, should, shouldn't.
Answer key
Reading passage questions
- 5,000 free coins in a giveaway.
- To rush him, so he would not stop and think.
- Any two: the odd account name, no profile picture, no friends, it asked for his password, the game already knew who he was.
- She looked on the game's real website.
- He typed his password and someone changed it; it shows the scam was real and dangerous.
Worksheet
- 1: 1c, 2e, 3b, 4a, 5d.
- 2: True; False (it asked for username, password and date of birth); False (he started, then stopped); True (she is his older cousin); Not given; True.
- 3: answers will vary, for example: You mustn't share your password. You should tell an adult if a message worries you.
Exit ticket
On a slip: two warning signs of a fake message, and one thing you should do if you get one.
Homework
Make a small poster for younger children with your four best tips. Ask someone at home if they have ever had a suspicious message, and what they did.
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Start free with LitlingsMore lesson plans
- Level 3, Week 8: Staying safe online (the curriculum week this plan comes from)
- Online safety for 11 to 18 year olds (Childnet)
- All reading texts, dialogues, scripts, worksheets and answer keys on this page are original to Litlings and free to copy for classroom use.