Third graders will be understanding the terms copyright law, fair use, public domain, Creative Commons, and why knowing those terms are important to them this week in the computer lab.  Students will watch Common Sense Media‘s video on Copyright and Fair Use posted below.

Then they will watch the video to help them understand how the Creative Commons license allows creators to release their work to the public but still retain certain rights like not being able to change it in anyway, not being able to profit off of it, requiring attribution be given, and/or requiring the user also share with the same kind of license their work.

Finally, students understand their need to follow the steps represented in the acronym HPCF: Harry Potter Can Fly.  This poster was created by Wes Fryer‘s daughter.  I use it every year to help students understand the concept.

H – Homemade
P – Public Domain
C – Creative Commons
F – Fair Use

Finally, students will log in to Google Classroom and take the quiz included in the Common Sense Media lesson called Creator’s Rights and Responsibilities.

Even though copyright can be a difficult subject for even adults to grasp, I am always amazed at how quickly these young students get the concept of copyright.