LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Read opposing viewpoints and take a side; evaluate the pros and cons of parents using apps to track your location.

HEALTH ED STANDARDS

NHES 2: Analyze the influence of family and technology on health behaviors.

 

CASEL: Social awareness

KEY VOCAB

claustrophobic

boundaries

Lesson Plan: Should Your Parents Track Your Phone?

Weigh the pros and cons of your parents using apps to track your location.

Table of Contents:

1. Preparing to Read

2. Reading and Discussing

3. Building Comprehension and Vocabulary

4. Expanding SEL Opportunities

1. Preparing to Read

Before you read the debate “Should You Get a Mental Health Day?” ask your students the following pre-reading question:

What are the pros and cons of parents using apps to track their child’s location?

2. Reading and Discussing

  • Have your students read the debate, “Should Your Parents Track Your Phone?” independently; read the article out loud to them; or have one student read one side of the debate and another student read the other side.
  • After they’ve read the debate, revisit the pre-reading question. Have their answers changed? Remind them to vote in the poll at the end of the story.
  • Next, have your students answer the Close-Reading and Critical-Thinking questions, either working in small groups or independently.


Close-Reading Questions
The following questions can be shared in printable or interactive form from the Resources tab. 

  1. Why does Brodie compare tracking apps to training wheels?
  2. According to Oriana, what is one way that kids can avoid being tracked?

Critical-Thinking Questions

  1. Does a parent or guardian track any of your activities via an app, or do you know of any friends whose parents do this? Explain.
  2. In your opinion, is it OK for parents to track what their child is doing using apps? Why or why not?

3. Building Comprehension and Vocab

Check students’ comprehension of and engagement with the story with the following assessment tools:

  • Quiz

  • Vocab Builder

4. Expanding SEL Opportunities

Continue the learning journey with the following extension activity: 

Once students have chosen a side in the debate, have them work in pairs to write and perform a DRAMATIZED DEBATE, or a short scene, that shows their viewpoint on the use of location-tracking apps. They can use some ideas from the article to help guide them, but encourage students to get creative with their own ideas as well! If they struggle, consider proposing scenarios such as a conversation between two teens (or a parent and a teen) with opposing viewpoints on the issue.

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