PBS
Technology: Conveniences and Consequences
It's a delicate balance—using technology to improve our lives while still protecting the environment, and ourselves, from the hazards of technology use. Class members examine statistics about the increase in media use, complete a survey...
Curated OER
Discrimination and Media: Focus on Mental Health
Students explore discrimination by the media. In this media awareness lesson plan, students examine stigmas concerning mental illnesses as they are portrayed in the media.
Facing History and Ourselves
The Power of Images
One picture but a thousand stories. As a part of a case study of how the death of Michael Brown was reported by professional news sources and on social media class members examine the reactions of various groups to a photograph taken by...
Curated OER
How Media Shapes Perception
Learners analyze how media shapes their perception of events. In this media lesson, students research the home pages of assigned web sites to determine how media influences how they feel about tragic event. They look at head lines about...
Curated OER
Real Life Or Broken Mirror? Examining Media Representations of Teenagers
Young scholars analyze representation of teenagers in the news and other media, discuss importance of media literacy in interpreting media portrayals of reality, and discuss and write about accuracy, or lack thereof, of media images of...
Curated OER
Darfur: Violence and the Media
Learners read an article on Darfur prior to class, discuss the conflict in Darfur, visit a series of websites, and complete a worksheet evaluating the reporting and sources used. They view films on genocide to decide if the Darfur...
Media Smarts
Gender Messages in Alcohol Advertising
Make your students critical consumers of media, and foster an awareness of how culture is reflected and shaped by media. This resource covers how alcohol advertising presents and promotes gender stereotypes. After a discussion on...
Curated OER
Miscast and Seldom Seen
Consider how well students' favorite TV shows, movies and video games reflect the diversity of society. The lesson introduces your class to several media literacy concepts, such as how media conveys values and messages, as well as the...
Curated OER
Analyzing Media Literacy
Fifth graders define propaganda, evaluate World War II propaganda posters to analyze media literacy, complete War Poster Analysis worksheet, and create and share their own propaganda posters containing subject matter pertaining to war in...
Curated OER
Spin and Bias in the Media
Students compare different types of media. In this media comparison lesson, students will assess the where all types of media gets its information by viewing a video of a news story and critiquing it.
Social Media Toolbox
About Facebook
If everyone is on Facebook, should the school's news publication be as well? Scholars study a social media giant in the 11th lesson from The Social Media Toolbox's 16-part series. The activity combines individual study and collaboration...
California Department of Education
Learn to Reach Out
How can social media help my career? Explore the world of networking through a lesson about professional organizations. The fourth of six career and college readiness lessons has seniors research organizations in their professions of...
Brown University
Following the U.S. Presidential Election
Election years provide the opportunity to evaluate news media as well as the next prospective president. High schoolers read about the same event in several different news sources, varying in type, origin, and political leaning, before...
Facebook
What Is Verification?
One of the most important skills news consumers and social media users must develop is the ability to determine the veracity of stories they read or view. Here's an interactive lesson plan that teaches high schoolers how to verify news...
Learning for Justice
Beauty is Skin Deep
If you are in need of a lesson on tolerance or the impact of media, this plan could be useful. The class begins with a brainstorming session in which they reflect on their own experiences with bias based on appearance. Next, they...
Curated OER
Talk Shows
Eighth graders are exposed to different types of media in order to investigate the tendency of being exposed to a set of values that run contrary to conservative values. They role play a television program in order to communicate the...
Michigan State University
Researching and Compiling Survey Information
Bring Internet research and social issues to your language arts class in this activity. After investigating the topic "Media Violence and How It Affects Teenagers" on the Internet, middle schoolers work in groups to compile their...
Curated OER
Stonewall and Beyond: Gay and Lesbian Issues
Help learners understand their own biases and how their perspectives may have been influenced by biased media sources. They keep a journal while viewing videos, exploring websites, and engaging in class discussions related to gay and...
Media Education Lab
Understanding Viral Messages
Imagine advertising for a product but not being paid to do so. Welcome to the world of Viral Messaging. Class members first view a T-Mobile flash mob video that went viral and has been seen by over 14 million viewers. After analyzing the...
Curated OER
A Multi-Media Approach to Teaching The Grapes of Wrath
Integrate history, math, and art into a study of The Grapes of Wrath with a series of activities that ask learners to investigate the social, political, economic, and environmental factors at play during the 1930s. Designed to be used...
Facebook
Raising Awareness Through Media
Spread the word! Passionate pupils engage in creating multimedia awareness messages during a digital citizenship lesson plan. Using an example of a community social issue message for ideas, individuals then take the reins and begin to...
Media Smarts
Challenging Hate Online
Looking at the different ways organizations disseminate their messages using digital media leads to developing a digital anti-hate media campaign. Although some of the resources reflect the Canadian developer, the links provide...
Nemours KidsHealth
Media Literacy and Health: Grades 6-8
Internet suffers could drown in the volume of information available on line. Here's an activity that can be a lifeline and buoy confidence in middle schoolers' ability to find reliable information and credible sources. After reading...
Media Smarts
Kids, Alcohol and Advertising - Interpreting Media Messages
Young scholars investigate the importance of branding and messaging, especially as they relate to party products like alcohol.