Level: Grades 5 and 10

Overview

The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario has created two guides for teachers that help increase the understanding of open government and personal privacy. What Students Need to Know About Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy for Grades 5 and 10 have been created to provide an opportunity for teachers and their students to discuss why access to government-held information and personal privacy are important public values and how these values are reflected in our relationships with governments.

Both guides are in PDF format, a file format for documents that can be viewed on almost any computer platform, while leaving the original formatting intact. You need PDF Viewer or Acrobat Reader on your computer to read, download or print a PDF file. PDF Viewer, which is usually comes as a plugin with your Web browser software, allows you to view a PDF document within your browser window. Acrobat Reader allows you to view a PDF document in a separate window. It can be downloaded free from the Adobe Web site.

Grade 5 Program (PDF)

The Grade 5 guide contains the following activities:

• Teacher's Notes -- provides background and sources of information.
• Introduction -- provides students with an overview of the subject matter.
• Privacy Alert -- uses an application form for a book club to introduce students to the concept of informational privacy.
• Thinking about Individual Rights -- uses a series of statements to focus the students on the concepts of "rights."
• A Day in the Life of a Student -- uses everyday activities to demonstrate how personal information is collected, used and sometimes abused.

Grade 10 Program (PDF)

The Grade 10 guide contains the following activities:

• Teacher's Notes -- provides background and sources of information.
• Personal Information and Privacy Matters -- defines what personal information is, and how it is collected, used and sometimes abused.
• Freedom of Information Matters -- explains the concept of open government and its importance as a public value.
• Consumer and Workplace Privacy -- examines ways to protect the student's privacy as a consumer or employee.
• Researching Open Government and Personal Privacy -- students will research answers to their questions raised during the other activities, and present these answers to their class.

For further information on these lessons, information on Ontario legislation covering the release of students' personal information, and links to the Ontario Civics curriculum, visit the Information and Privacy Commissioner/Ontario Web site at: http://www.ipc.on.ca.

Source: Information and Privacy Commissioner/Ontario