Student learning · Grades 6–8 · 40 minutes
Our Home Screen Map
A student and a family member map where and when screens actually live in their home, then negotiate a few device zones together, trading blanket rules for choices the whole family helped make.
Most screen-time fights at home are really about places and moments: the phone at dinner, the tablet in the bedroom at midnight, the TV that is always on. This activity turns a vague argument into a map. In class, students practice on a sample floor plan, marking where devices live, where they charge, and when screens feel helpful versus when they get in the way. Then they take the map home and build the real one with a family member, naming a few "device zones": places or times the family agrees are screen-friendly, screen-light, or screen-free, and why. The approach is deliberately balanced: the goal is not to banish devices or to pretend heavy use is harmless, but to make screen use visible and decided together. Research on screen time is genuinely mixed, and families differ, so students practice negotiating agreements that fit their own home instead of applying one rule to everyone.
In this packet
- Handout A: Sample Home (Practice Map) (organizer)
- Handout B: Our Real Home Screen Map (worksheet)
- Handout C: Three Zones Agreement (worksheet)
TCEA ELE indicators
- S4.1 I know how to take responsibility for my own learning.
- S3.1 I know how to work effectively in a team.
- S3.2 I can communicate my ideas clearly to others.
- S2.3 I am aware of the potential risks of sharing content online.
Full facilitator guide: mglearn.github.io/eles/activities/our-home-screen-map.html
Handout A for Our Home Screen Map
Sample Home (Practice Map)
Practice before you go home. For this made-up home, fill in where each device lives and when it is used, then decide a zone color and a reason. There is no single right answer.
| Room or time | Which screens are here | Zone (friendly / light / free) | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kitchen table at dinner | Phones, sometimes a tablet | ||
| Living room, weekend evening | TV, game console | ||
| Bedrooms overnight | Phones charging, tablet | ||
| Desk during homework | Laptop, phone nearby | ||
| Car on a long drive | Phones, tablet |
Handout B for Our Home Screen Map
Our Real Home Screen Map
Do this at home with a family member. Draw your home (or list the times of your day) and talk it through together. Map the home you actually have, a one-device or shared-room home works fine.
Draw a simple map of your home (or a timeline of your day). Mark where each screen lives and where screens charge overnight.
When do screens really HELP in your home? (homework help, a recipe, a call with relatives, relaxing together)
When do screens get IN THE WAY? (meals, sleep, time together, focus)
Color your map: green = screen-friendly, yellow = screen-light, red = screen-free. Write any spot you and your family disagreed about and why.
Handout C for Our Home Screen Map
Three Zones Agreement
Turn your map into an agreement everyone helps write. Family note: research on screen time is genuinely mixed, so families get to decide what fits them. This is about agreeing together, not handing down bans. Please build and sign this with your child, and set a date to revisit it.
SCREEN-FRIENDLY zone or time (where screens are welcome) and why:
SCREEN-LIGHT zone or time (screens okay but limited) and why:
SCREEN-FREE zone or time and what we'll do instead:
One thing each person gave up or agreed to, to make this work:
We will revisit this agreement on (date):
Signed by everyone who agrees: