Learning kitGrades 4-5

Computer science: cybersecurity

Lock down your online identity

Make a safe username, build a password and watch a weak one get cracked in CryptoLab, sort what to share from what to keep private, and learn who to trust online. Ages 9 to 11 or grades 4 to 5: the habits that keep an online identity safe.

Time
About 75 minutes, in one or two sittings
Steps
5 steps, 1 of them in CryptoLab
You need
A computer or Chromebook with a keyboard. Printing is optional: every step works on screen. No account needed.
Unlock the kit, $5 I have a code

$5 for one learner: every step, the CryptoLab activities that check the work, the printable lesson, and the certificate with a page of the learner's own work.

A long practice password made of three words and a number holds up: none of the common passwords match it, and its scrambled hash shows as colored squares.

The 5 steps

  1. 1Create and protect a usernameRead and quizA username is the name other people see in a game or app. A good one is fun, and it does not tell strangers who you really are.
  2. 2Create and protect a passwordIn CryptoLabA password is the key to your account. Hackers have lists of the passwords people use most and try them all in seconds. See it happen in CryptoLab, then build one that holds up.
  3. 3Discover how you share information and what to shareRead and sortYou share information all the time: in games, chats, videos and posts. Some of it is fine to share. Some of it should stay private.
  4. 4Find out how information online can last foreverRead and quizOnce something is online, you cannot be sure it is gone, even after you delete it.
  5. 5Find out who is trustworthy onlineInvestigateOnline, people can pretend to be anyone. Investigate each message below and decide whether to trust it.
CryptoLab's Password Checker: 123456 typed in, its stored hash, and the list of common passwords with 123456 marked as a match.
Each step shows how CryptoLab works, then opens it with a checklist that ticks as the work gets done.

Work on a computer. The apps need a keyboard and a bigger screen than a phone: a laptop, desktop or Chromebook. You can pay here and open the emailed link on the computer.

One learner

Unlock the kit, $5

  • All 5 steps, worked on screen, with a lesson you can print if you like paper
  • CryptoLab activities that check the work as it is done
  • A numbered certificate with a page of the learner's own work: your username, your password rules, your sharing rules and your notes

We email a link that opens the kit on any computer. No account needed. We keep the email only to send the kit and certificate links: privacy.

Have a discount code?
Co-ops and classes: unlock it for a group

One payment and one code. Each learner types the code to unlock the kit on their own computer, and gets their own certificate at the end. Your pack page shows who has started and finished.

See a sample certificate (PDF) · Already paid? Find your link

Questions

What does the learner do in Lock down your online identity?

It has 5 steps: 1. Create and protect a username; 2. Create and protect a password; 3. Discover how you share information and what to share; 4. Find out how information online can last forever; 5. Find out who is trustworthy online. Make a safe username, build a password and watch a weak one get cracked in CryptoLab, sort what to share from what to keep private, and learn who to trust online. Ages 9 to 11 or grades 4 to 5: the habits that keep an online identity safe.

What age is it for?

Grades 4-5. About 75 minutes, in one or two sittings.

What is needed?

A computer or Chromebook with a keyboard. Printing is optional: every step works on screen. No account needed.

Is there a certificate?

Yes. A numbered certificate with a page of the learner's own work, for your records or a portfolio. It is not course credit.

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