Assembly Objective:
- Why do we feel under pressure to conform to ideas and images we see online? In this assembly, pupils will consider the Bible’s teaching about not worrying how we look, or what others think of us.
Film:
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2: Rodrick Rules, (Twentieth Century Fox, 2011) certificate U. Click here to buy the DVD online.
Bible:
- Philippians 4:8-9 (Contemporary English Version)
Supporting Values Education:
- The value of Individual Liberty affirms each person’s right to self-determination, but the values of Democracy, Respect and Tolerance call us to live as part of a community. This assembly encourages pupils to consider the impact of the online community upon our individual values and choices.
OPENING ACTIVITY
Downloaded Delights (video clips)
- In advance of the assembly choose some clips on YouTube or similar websites to show as the pupils are gathering. Choose a range of clips that are typical of the kind of things people watch on YouTube (people being silly, animals doing strange things etc.). Watch the clips together and ask the pupils to tell you why they like them.
Online/Offline (drama)
- In advance of the assembly ask some older pupils to devise small scenarios to show to the rest of the group. These should show some online dangers as though they were happening offline (e.g. a group of children bullying someone by making nasty statements about them and ‘liking’ them, someone arranging a meeting with someone they have never met before, someone persuading another person to pay a lot of money for something that doesn’t really exist).
- Show the scenarios to the larger group and ask them to work out what was happening.
FILM CLIP
- Play the clip from Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2: Rodrick Rules (Twentieth Century Fox, 2011) certificate U.
- Start time: 19:10 (chapter seven, ‘Mom, why are you writing about me again?’)
- End time: 22:13 (Rowley screams so loudly that a crow flies off a branch).
- Clip length: 3 minutes and 3 seconds
- If you can’t show the clip, read this description instead:
- Greg Heffley and his friend, Rowley, are to borrow his mum’s computer so that they can research a homework project. However, as soon as the boys reach Greg’s room, they start looking at clips on YouTube. After they watch a clip of an old lady falling off a stage they decide to stage a funny clip that will make them rich. Greg persuades Rowley to pretend to fall off his chair while miming a song, but Rowley can’t fake the fall. Greg then persuades him to put some underpants on his head, but Rowley protests that he doesn’t want to be the one that falls over. While arguing about it, Rowley sits on a foil ball with cocktail sticks that is lying on Greg’s bed and yells. The boys then upload the video and Greg tells Rowley that they will be millionaires. Meanwhile, Greg’s mum pulls the cocktail stick out of Rowley’s bottom and he yells again.
TALK
Download the Pressure to Click Assembly PowerPoint for use with this talk.
Scripted Talk
- [PowerPoint slide 1]
- Welcome to our assembly. Today we’re going to be talking about the internet. We use the internet all the time to look at websites, send emails, message each other and even watch people do silly things on YouTube. How many people here have used the internet in the past week? Let’s find out what people in our school community go online for. Who can suggest some of the ways you and your family use the internet?
- Take suggestions – YouTube, Facebook, email, online shopping, online gaming, watching TV, booking events or holidays, browsing pages, news, Skype etc.
- [PowerPoint slide 2]
- The internet is an amazing invention that hasn’t actually been around for very long. It was invented about fifty years ago, but has only been able to be used by ordinary people for about twenty years, so lots of grown-ups can remember what life was like before we had it. In 2011, someone calculated that 2.095 billion (30.2% of world population) now have access to it. The invention of the web has changed the way people think, watch, shop and work, and you are the first generation to grow up with this amazing invention.
- [PowerPoint slide 3]
- Do you think that everything on the web is good?
- Take answers from the group.
- It’s interesting, isn’t it? Although the web is a marvellous invention, there are some things about it that are not good. Let’s take a look at a clip from a film and think about how the web is good and bad.
- Play the clip from Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2: Rodrick Rules (Twentieth Century Fox, 2011) certificate U.
- Start time: 19:10 (chapter seven, ‘Mom, why are you writing about me again?’)
- End time: 22:13 (Rowley screams so loudly that a crow flies off a branch).
- Clip length: 3 minutes and 3 seconds
- If you can’t show the clip, read this description instead:
- Greg Heffley and his friend, Rowley, are to borrow his mum’s computer so that they can research a homework project. However, as soon as the boys reach Greg’s room, they start looking at clips on YouTube. After they watch a clip of an old lady falling off a stage they decide to stage a funny clip that will make them rich. Greg persuades Rowley to pretend to fall off his chair while miming a song, but Rowley can’t fake the fall. Greg then persuades him to put some underpants on his head, but Rowley protests that he doesn’t want to be the one that falls over. While arguing about it, Rowley sits on a foil ball with cocktail sticks that is lying on Greg’s bed and yells. The boys then upload the video and Greg tells Rowley that they will be millionaires. Meanwhile, Greg’s mum pulls the cocktail stick out of Rowley’s bottom and he yells again.
- [PowerPoint slide 4]
- Poor Rowley. Not only did he sit on some cocktail sticks, but he also looked very silly wearing the underpants on his head. He looked funny in the clip, but after they uploaded it to the web, anyone could look at it. Greg thought that they would become millionaires (if you watch the rest of the film you discover that only four people look at the clip, so they don’t get rich!), but to do it he was prepared to make his friend look very silly. Not only that, but the boys were using Greg’s mum’s computer for something they shouldn’t have been. They said they’d only use it for homework, but they got distracted then decided to upload their own video.
- The internet is an amazing invention, but it’s not always used for good, and it’s important that you think about how you are going to use it.
- [PowerPoint slide 5]
- First of all, you should never use the internet for bullying. That means you shouldn’t bully your friends into doing something they don’t want to, like Greg in the clip. It also means you should never use the web to bully other people by posting nasty comments or joining in with cyber-bullying. A good rule, is to decide never to say anything online that you wouldn’t say to someone’s face. If you ever spot cyber bullying you should always report it to an adult, just as you would if you saw someone being bullied in real life.
- [PowerPoint slide 6]
- The second thing to think about is money and the internet. Greg thought that he and Rowley could become millionaires by becoming famous. Some people have become rich through the web, but mostly people don’t, and some people have been tricked into giving money online. You must never spend money online unless you have an adult’s permission and they are with you. There have been some stories recently about children who have spent hundreds of pounds of their parent’s money by mistake. They were playing games on iPads and didn’t realise that they were paying real money for extras. Be very careful and remember that the internet is like real life – not everyone is honest!
- [PowerPoint slide 7]
- The third thing to remember about the web is that there are websites that you shouldn’t go to, even out of curiosity. The web can be a dangerous place, and you should only stick to the sites that you know and trust. Never post details about where you live and never ever agree to meet anyone that you don’t know. Just because someone seems nice online doesn’t mean that they really are who they say they are. You must always be very careful about what you say and who you speak to.
- Now, you might be thinking that the Bible has nothing to say about the internet – if the web is only fifty years old, then how can such an old book ever have something to say about it? Of course, the Bible doesn’t mention the internet, but it does have something to say about what we choose to look at. Let’s read some words together that might help us work out how to use the web.
- [PowerPoint slide 8]
- Read Philippians 4:8-9 (CEV):
- Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don’t ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise. You know the teachings I gave you, and you know what you heard me say and saw me do. So follow my example. And God, who gives peace, will be with you.
- [PowerPoint slide 9]
- These words encourage us to think about good things. We can choose to use the internet in a good way. We can decide only to post things that are true. We can choose only to look at websites that are pure (not rude or bad for us). We can decide that we will only go to websites that we are old enough to look at and that are right for us. We can decide to behave properly and in a friendly way online.
- The internet is full of amazing things, but we want to be people who are careful about the things online that are not so good.
Headings and Bullets
- [PowerPoint slide 1]
- Talking about the internet.
- Used to look at websites, send emails, message each other, watch people do silly things on YouTube.
- How many people here have used the internet in the past week?
- Suggest some of the ways you and your family use the internet.
- Take suggestions – YouTube, Facebook, email, online shopping, online gaming, watching TV, booking events or holidays, browsing pages, news, Skype etc.
- Talking about the internet.
- [PowerPoint slide 2]
- An amazing invention.
- Invented about fifty years ago, but has only been able to be used by ordinary people for about twenty years.
- Lots of grown-ups can remember what life was like before we had it.
- In 2011, someone calculated that 2.095 billion (30.2% of world population) now have access to it.
- Invention of the web has changed the way people think, watch, shop and work.
- An amazing invention.
- [PowerPoint slide 3]
- Do you think that everything on the web is good?
- The web is a marvellous invention.
- There some things about it that are not good.
- Play the clip from Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2: Rodrick Rules (Twentieth Century Fox, 2011) certificate U.
- Start time: 19:10 (chapter seven, ‘Mom, why are you writing about me again?’)
- End time: 22:13 (Rowley screams so loudly that a crow flies off a branch).
- Clip length: 3 minutes and 3 seconds
- Do you think that everything on the web is good?
- [PowerPoint slide 4]
- Greg and Rowley.
- Greg made Rowley look very silly.
- The boys thought they’d become millionaires.
- They were not using the internet for what they were meant to.
- Greg and Rowley.
- [PowerPoint slide 5]
- Never use the internet to bully others and always report cyberbullying.
- You shouldn’t bully your friends into doing something they don’t want to, like Greg in the clip.You should never use the web to bully other people by posting nasty comments or joining in with cyber-bullying.
- A good rule, is to decide never to say anything online that you wouldn’t say to someone’s face.
- Always report cyberbullying to an adult, just as you would if you saw someone being bullied in real life.
- Never use the internet to bully others and always report cyberbullying.
- [PowerPoint slide 6]
- Be very careful with money and the internet.
- Greg thought that he and Rowley could become millionaires by becoming famous.
- Some people have become rich through the web, but mostly people don’t, and some people have been tricked into giving money online.
- Never spend money online unless you have an adult’s permission and they are with you.
- There have been some stories recently about children who have spent hundreds of pounds of their parent’s money by mistake on iPad games.
- Be very careful and remember that the internet is like real life – not everyone is honest!
- Be very careful with money and the internet.
- [PowerPoint slide 7]
- Don’t go where you’re not allowed to and be very wise about who you talk to.
- There are websites that you shouldn’t go to, even out of curiosity.
- Only stick to the sites that you know and trust.
- Never post details about where you live and never ever agree to meet anyone that you don’t know.
- You must always be very careful about what you say and who you speak to.
- What does the Bible say about the internet?
- If the web is only fifty years old, then how can such an old book ever have something to say about it?
- The Bible doesn’t mention the internet, but it does have something to say about what we choose to look at.
- Don’t go where you’re not allowed to and be very wise about who you talk to.
- [PowerPoint slide 8]
- Read Philippians 4:8-9 (CEV).
- [PowerPoint slide 9]
- Make good online choices.
- Choose to use the internet in a good way.
- Decide only to post things that are true.
- Choose only to look at websites that are pure (not rude or bad for us).
- Decide that we will only go to websites that we are old enough to look at and that are right for us.
- Decide to behave properly and in a friendly way online.
- The internet is full of amazing things, but we want to be people who are careful about the things online that are not so good.
- Make good online choices.
Photo copyright for Pressure to Click Assembly PowerPoint: Slides 1, 2, 5, 6, 7 iStockphoto.com / Slide 3 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation / Slide 4 Diyah Pera, TM and Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
RESPOND
Reflection
- Ask everyone to link arms with the people on either side of them. Remind them that the internet is an amazing way for people to be connected. Ask them to break the link. Remind them that the internet can be a dangerous place to be alone.
Prayer
- Father God, the internet is an amazing invention. Thank you for it. Help us to use it wisely. Amen.
YOU WILL NEED:
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2: Rodrick Rules, (Twentieth Century Fox, 2011) certificate U. Click here to buy the DVD online.
- Pressure to Click Assembly PowerPoint.
Ethos Education 