Protect the Digital Kingdom — A Cyber Safety Campaign

Introduction

Introduction

A mysterious set of messages has started appearing on the school network. Some harmless, some suspicious. The principal asks your class to act as a team of student cyber-consultants: create a school-wide cyber safety campaign that teaches students and families how to spot phishing, protect passwords, manage privacy settings, and make safe choices online. As consultants, you will research real-world examples, design persuasive materials (such as posters, videos, and short quizzes), and present a campaign plan that the school can actually use. This Quest is a real-world experience: your work will be shared with peers and can be adapted for the school newsletter or website.

 

Task

The Task

You will work in teams of 4–5 to produce a Cyber Safety Campaign for our school. Each team must deliver all of the following:

  1. A one-page campaign plan (Google Doc) that explains your audience, messaging, timeline, and where you would display your materials.

  2. A 24"×36" poster (print-ready PDF) that uses clear visuals and a short, memorable slogan in Canva

  3. A 60–90 second public-service-style video (hosted privately via Flip or WeVideo) with closed captions that highlights one cyber threat and one clear action students can take.

  4. A 6-question multiple-choice Google Form quiz that tests whether viewers learned the campaign’s top 3 points and should be set to be auto-graded.

  5. A 1-page teacher/parent guide with at least three classroom or home-based follow-up activities and links to reliable resources.

You'll present your campaign to the class (3–4 minute presentation) and submit all files in your Google Classroom.

Process

Process

Step 1 — Team roles & kickoff (Day 1)

  • Form teams of 4–5. Assign roles: Researcher, Designer, Videographer/Editor, QA & Accessibility Lead, Presenter. (If  group is a smaller size, combine roles.)

  • Read the Introduction and rubric. Pick a campaign theme (e.g., “Passwords = Keys,” “Stop.Think.Connect.,” or “Phish-Free School”).

Step 2 — Research phase (Days 1–2)

  • Use the curated resource list below to gather facts, examples, and short videos. Researchers collect 3 reliable sources and create a shared research doc with 6–8 bullet facts (with citations/URLs).

  • QA Lead finds a real phishing example (redacted) and annotates why it’s suspicious.

Step 3 — Plan & storyboard (Day 3)

  • The designer creates a poster mockup and the video storyboard. Videographer writes a 30–60 second script. QA ensures content is accurate and accessible (captions, readable fonts, alt text for images).

Step 4 — Build & create (Days 4–5)

  • Create the poster (Canva), record the video (Flip/WeVideo/phone), and build the Google Form quiz (autograded). Use royalty-free images and cite sources.

Step 5 — Test & iterate (Day 6)

  • Peer-review another team’s poster/video using a short 5-question checklist focusing on accuracy and clarity. Incorporate feedback and finalize deliverables.

Step 6 — Present & reflect (Day 7)

  • Present to the class. Complete the reflection form and submit in your Google Classroom: “What did I learn? One thing I would change next time? How can this help our school?”

Evaluation

Evaluation Rubric

Total: 100 points

  • Research & Accuracy - 20 points

    • All claims are supported by 2+ reliable sources; sources are cited on the campaign plan.

  • Message Clarity & Audience Fit - 20 points

    The campaign uses age-appropriate language, clear visuals, and a single strong call-to-action.

  • Creativity & Design - 20 points

    • Poster & video show original thinking, good layout, readable fonts, and attention-grabbing headline.

  • Technical Quality & Accessibility - 15 points

    • Video has captions, poster has alt text prepared, PDF is print-ready, and quiz auto-grades correctly.

  • Usability & Implementation Plan - 15 points

    • The one-page plan explains where/how materials will be used and lists next steps for school adoption.

  • Reflection & Peer Feedback - 10 points

    • Team reflection shows metacognition and concrete revision steps after peer review.

Grading rubric descriptors 

  • Exemplary (A): All criteria met and exceptional evidence of synthesis and accuracy.

  • Proficient (B): Most criteria met; minor lapses in polish or depth.

  • Developing (C): Needs accuracy improvement, audience fit, or technical quality.

  • Beginning (D/F): Missing major deliverables or inaccurate information.

Conclusion

By acting as cyber-consultants, students will practice authentic reading and research while producing materials with a real audience in mind. This Quest hides a lot of reading inside a creative project: students must read articles, analyze examples, choose reliable sources, and synthesize their learning into short, persuasive media. The campaign format connects technology, communication, and civic responsibility, all of which are essential elements of Cyber Foundations II. When students design messages for peers and families, they deepen their understanding of digital safety and practice skills they will use for life: critical thinking, collaboration, and clear communication. Finally, the public-facing nature of the work (presentation and potential school-wide use) increases motivation and accountability. We can use this WebQuest as a unit capstone or spread it across two shorter mini-quests (passwords + phishing) for more scaffolding.

Credits

Resources 

Curriculum / Standards

Digital citizenship & K–12 lesson banks

Phishing & scams (interactive quizzes)

Tools for student creation (free educator options)

Teacher Page

Teacher planning notes & standards alignment

Standards alignment: This Quest maps directly to the Mississippi Cyber Foundations II curriculum (Unit 7: Cybersecurity, digital citizenship, and online safety) and supports the 2025 MDE learning outcomes for safe and responsible digital behavior. See the MDE course framework for unit hours and suggested sequencing: https://mdek12.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2025/03/Tab-H.06-2025-Cyber-Foundations-II-final.pdf

Materials & setup:

  • Devices (groups of 2-3) with internet access

  • Account access: Canva (students already have access), Flip or WeVideo for videos, Google Workspace (Docs, Forms)

  • Screen for presentations

Differentiation & 504 accommodations:

  • Provide reading scaffolds (summaries) and audio versions of research articles for students with reading difficulties.

  • Allow roles to be flexible (students with fine-motor issues can do storyboarding or script-writing instead of editing).

  • Offer extended time and scribe support for students who require it; allow alternative final products (audio PSA instead of video) when needed.

Assessment notes:

  • Use the rubric and a self-assessment checklist for students.

  • Consider a short knowledge pre- and post-quiz that is auto-graded in Google Forms to measure learning gains.

Extensions & community connections:

  • Invite a district IT staff member or local cybersecurity professional to judge final presentations.

  • Host the winning poster in the school hallway and publish the video on the school website with parent permission.

Appendix 

Sample Google Form questions (auto-graded):

  1. Which of the following is the clearest sign of a phishing email? (A) A message asking for your password right away. (B) An email from a friend. (C) An email written in complete sentences. (Correct: A)

  2. Which password is strongest? (A) Password123 (B) BlueFish!78 (C) MyBirthday (Correct: B)

  3. True/False: Using the same password for multiple sites is safe as long as it’s easy to remember. (Correct: False)

  4. If you receive a message from a bank asking to click a link to update your info, what should you do? (A) Click and type in your information (B) ignore the message (C) Click on the hotlink that says to remove you from the mailing list (D) Report the email to a trusted adult or IT support staff