Grade 9 · English Language Arts · Unit 10 of 10
Digital Smarts
Trust, privacy and credible sources
What your child practises
Telling misinformation from disinformation, checking sources before trusting them, managing passwords and privacy, spotting phishing, and citing and using other people's work respectfully.
Ontario Curriculum expectation: A2.2, A2.3, D1.3 · online safety and privacy, misinformation and disinformation, and judging sources
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
Which source is most reliable for facts about vaccine safety?
- A friend's short video
- A public health agency page that lists its studies
- An anonymous forum post
- A company's advertisement
Show answer
A public health agency page that lists its studies
Hint: Reliable sources show their evidence and are accountable for accuracy.
Question 2
A chatbot gives you a statistic for your report. What is the best next step?
- Delete the rest of your research
- Assume it is correct if it has a number
- Check it against a reliable source before using it
- Use it because it sounds confident
Show answer
Check it against a reliable source before using it
Hint: Tools can sound sure while being wrong. Verify facts before you use them.
Question 3
Which password is the strongest?
- 12345678
- password123
- Jay2010
- Blue!Canoe7Maple
Show answer
Blue!Canoe7Maple
Hint: A longer mix of words, symbols and numbers is harder to guess than a name, a year or a simple sequence.
Question 4
Why is it helpful to look at the 'About' page of a website?
- It turns off ads
- It can tell you who runs the site and why
- It shows only photos
- It lists the latest scores
Show answer
It can tell you who runs the site and why
Hint: Knowing the creator helps you judge purpose and bias.
Question 5
You want to use a photo from the internet in a class presentation. What should you check?
- Whether it is the biggest photo you can find
- Whether it has a watermark
- Its licence or permission to use it
- Nothing: anything online is free to use
Show answer
Its licence or permission to use it
Hint: Creators have rights to their work. A licence says how it may be used.
Question 6
What is an algorithm in a social media app?
- The name of a website
- A kind of password
- A set of rules that decides what content you see
- A photo filter only
Show answer
A set of rules that decides what content you see
Hint: Algorithms sort and recommend posts.