Creating Strong Passwords

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Chapter 2: Creating Strong Passwords

What is a Password?

A password is a secret code that you use to lock and protect your digital property. Just like you lock the front door of your house to keep it safe, a password keeps your device or online account safe. When you have a strong password, it makes sure that only you (or people you trust) can open your device or log into your accounts.

Think of a password as a special key that only you have. Without the key, no one else can get in!

Why Do We Need Strong Passwords?

Not all passwords are the same! A weak password is like using a door lock that’s easy to break. If someone can guess your password, they might be able to get into your account and see your private information, like your messages, pictures, or school projects. Worse, they could change things or even delete important files.

A strong password is harder for other people to guess, so it keeps your digital property safer. Just like you wouldn’t leave your front door unlocked, you don’t want your digital world to be unprotected!

What Makes a Strong Password?

A strong password is:

Long: A password with more letters, numbers, and symbols is harder to guess. Try to make your password at least 8 characters long.
Unique: Don’t use easy-to-guess things like your name or birthday. Instead, pick something special that’s hard for others to figure out.
Mixed: Use a combination of letters (both capital and small letters), numbers, and symbols (like !, #, or $). The more you mix, the stronger your password will be.

Here’s an example of a strong password: Tiger5Sunshine!9

Tiger is a word that’s special to you, but hard for others to guess.
5 is a number mixed in.
Sunshine is another word that makes the password longer.
!9 are symbols and extra numbers that make it even harder to guess!

Passwords are like keys—you wouldn’t give your house key to just anyone, would you? In the same way, your password should be kept secret and not shared with friends or people you don’t trust. If someone else knows your password, they could get into your account and make changes without your permission.

Even if your friend asks for your password, it’s better to say “no” and help them understand why it’s important to keep passwords private. Sharing passwords could lead to trouble, so it’s always best to keep them to yourself.

It’s important to remember your password, but you also don’t want to write it down where someone else can find it. Here are some tricks to help you remember it:

Make it personal: Use words that mean something to you, but that others won’t easily guess. For example, a favorite animal or place combined with numbers and symbols.
Turn a sentence into a password: Think of a sentence you like and use the first letters of each word to create a password. For example, the sentence “I love reading books every day!” could become Ilrbed!2024.
Don’t reuse passwords: Each account should have its own unique password. This way, if one password is figured out, other accounts are still safe.

Class Activity: Create Your Own Strong Password

Now it’s your turn to create a strong password! Think about your favorite things—like your favorite animal, food, or number. Here’s how you can make your own password:

Pick a word: Start with a word that’s special to you, like “Elephant”.
Add numbers: Mix in your favorite number, like “7”.
Use symbols: Add a special symbol, like “!”.
Mix capital and small letters: Try making some letters big and some small, like “Elephant7!Big”.

Now you have a password that’s hard to guess! Here’s an example: Elephant7!Big. It’s long, it uses a mix of numbers, symbols, and letters, and it’s something special just for you.

Discussion: Why Are Strong Passwords Important?

Let’s talk about why we need strong passwords. Imagine if your password was just “1234”. Do you think someone could guess that? Yes! That’s why we need to make our passwords harder to guess. Now, imagine your password is “Cactus!35Sunshine”. That’s a lot harder for someone to figure out, right?

Strong passwords help protect your digital property from people who might try to get into your accounts. Remember, a good password keeps your information safe!

Blogging Activity: What Makes a Password Strong?

For today’s writing activity, pretend you’re explaining to a friend why strong passwords are important. Write a short blog post about what makes a password strong and why it’s important to keep it private. Here are some things you can include:

Why long passwords are better.
What makes a password hard to guess.
Why it’s important not to share your password.

You can also include an example of a strong password you’ve created. Don’t share your real password though—just an example of a strong one!

Vocabulary Review

Term	Definition
Password	A secret word or code that keeps your account safe.
Strong Password	A password that is hard to guess because it uses letters, numbers, and symbols.
Weak Password	A password that is easy to guess, like “1234” or your name.
Security	Keeping your device and information safe from people who shouldn’t see it.
Hacker	A person who tries to break into computers and steal information.
Private	Something that is only for you and should not be shared with others.
Username	The name you use to sign into your device or account.
Login	To sign in to a device or app using your username and password.
Protect	To keep something safe so no one else can use or take it.