Vocabulary: ethics and citizenship
Know and use the vocabulary of ethics and citizenship — bullying, cyberbullying, bystander, upstander, peer pressure, digital citizenship, rights, responsibility, and ethical — and understand the distinctions between these closely related terms
What a learner can do afterwards
- Explain what 'ethics' means in their own words and give an example of an ethical dilemma
- Use 'citizen', 'rights', and 'responsibilities' correctly — e.g. 'A citizen has the right to vote and the responsibility to follow laws'
- Define 'consent' and 'integrity' and explain why they matter in relationships and online behaviour
The lesson
Ethics is thinking about what is right and what is wrong, and why it matters. You are a citizen of your school, your town, and your country. Citizens have rights, things they are allowed to have or do, and responsibilities, things they are expected to do.
Bullying is when someone hurts another person on purpose, again and again. Cyberbullying is bullying that happens online, like in messages, games, or comments. Say you see a mean comment posted about a classmate. If you do nothing, you are a bystander. If you speak up or tell a trusted adult, you are an upstander.
Peer pressure is when people push you to do something you would not choose on your own. Digital citizenship means being safe, honest, and kind whenever you go online.
Before you agree to something or share about someone else, think about consent, saying yes freely without being pushed, and integrity, doing the right thing even when no one is watching. Both matter with friends and online.
Ethics means choosing right over wrong, and being a good citizen means knowing your rights and responsibilities and choosing to be an upstander instead of a bystander.
Watch it
Where it sits
Learn first
Nothing; this is a starting point.
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.