Description: The attached unit has incorporated Media Literacy for Social Studies by scaffolding a variety of primary source document activities of varying perspectives on New Imperialism (1850-1914) which allow the studnt to identify possible bias or misinformation. The guided questions which accompany the primary sources ask the student to explain differing responses and to think critically about why those responses may be different depending on the context. 

The goal for this unit is to have students analyze a variety of sources on a current events subject of their interest, identify the different perspectives, and defend their own position.This is one lesson from a larger unit on Evaluating Media. This unit will also cover identifying credible sources, analyzing fake news and the role of propaganda, identifying the different ways news is communicated in different communities. This unit will take place in the beginning of the school year to help instill evaluative and critical thinking research skills as we discuss and explore our big ideas throughout the school year. The end goal is to have students create a digital resource for their topic that we can share out as an educational tool for others. We’ll be creating a padlet that links to all of their presentations (students will have their choice in medium, as long as it is digital) that we will share with our school community and ideally can connect and share with other schools and students. There is also a possibility of using PenPalSchools to share out final resources, but that would depend on getting approval from the district to utilize that website.

This unit explores the various ways information and ideas about climate change are presented through a variety of media. This includes the evaluation of social media posts, research into climate change issues, and an exploration of contemporary art and artists. This was designed and taught in an honors 9th grade English Language Arts Classroom by Dr. Tavia Quaid in response to student interest in climate change and to reinforce key information literacy skills.

We may be leaving out information or disregarding it because it doesn't conform with our own beliefs.  Students will learn about confirmation bias, different perspectives and how to avoid confirmation bias.  This lesson is part of a media unit curated at our Digital Citizenship website, "Who Am I Online?". 

This lesson gives students a strategy for evaluating sources.  This lesson is part of a media unit curated at our Digital Citizenship website, "Who Am I Online?".

The COR curriculum provides free lessons and assessments that help you teach students to evaluate online information that affects them, their communities, and the world.

This guide walks you through the Civic Online Reasoning curriculum from the Digital Inquiry Group (formerly Stanford History Education Group). Their extensive suite of lessons and assessments helps students acquire skills for thinking critically about the information they find online. The target audience is high school but some lessons are relevant for middle school. 

Students examine what deepfakes are and consider the deeper civic and ethical implications of deepfake technology. In an age of easy image manipulation, this lesson fosters critical thinking skills that empower students to question how we can mitigate the impact of doctored media content. This lesson plan includes a slide deck and brainstorm sheet for classroom use.

This resource provides a description and links to the original materials for a multi-day unit created by teacher-librarians at Highline Public Schools. The unit shows 9th grade students how to access, analyze, evaluate, and cite information sources.

This resource provides a description and links to the original materials for a multi-day unit created by teacher-librarians at Highline Public Schools. The unit shows 9th grade students how to access, analyze, evaluate, and cite information sources.

Edmonds School District in Washington State implemented a district-wide media literacy support project during the 2022-2023 school year. This is a collection of the resources that came out of that project that other districts might find useful.

Students will learn the potential costs and benefits of social media, digital consumption, and our relationship with technology as a society in the three-week lesson. This inquiry based unit of study will answer the following questions:

Essential Question: How can we use science fiction’s ability to predict the future to help humanity?

Supportive Questions 1: What predictions of future development has science fiction accurately made in the past? This can include technology, privacy, medicine, social justice, political, environmental, education, and economic.

Supportive Question 2: What predictions for future development in contemporary science fiction are positive for the future of humanity? What factors need to begin in your lifetime to make these predictions reality?

Supportive Question 3: What predictions for future development in contemporary science fiction are negative for the future of humanity? What factors need to begin in your lifetime to stop these negative outcomes?

In 2016, Oxford Dictionaries chose "post-truth" as the word of the year. As literacy has shifted from published hardcopy to an online landscape, it is more important than ever to engage and empower students in navigating the complicated battleground of fake news verses responsible, fact-based news. In this multi-day lesson, students will 1) examine terms associated with “fake news” and evaluate sources for their reliability and authenticity, and 2) develop a set of norms for responsible use of online news sources that spans academic and personal interaction with media.Cover image: "Fake news" by pixel2013 from Pixabay.com

This 6 1/2 minute video introduces students to the pros and cons of using Wikipedia as an information source. There's a Google Form that can be used to check for understanding. Created by Lesley James, Media Literacy & Digital Citizenship Program Supervisor, Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

Unit OverviewThis unit focuses on the various modes of local, national and world news. Students will read, evaluate and integrate multiple sources of information to gain perspective and understanding of a variety of news events. Through a structured instructional sequence, students will gain knowledge about current news, discuss the events, analyze news sources, identify bias and write brief news articles or reports based on research. The unifying theme, What’s News? will guide students as they discuss the essential question, How does the news influence us?A variety of focus texts and resources are suggested. Depending on your class and available resources, other texts may easily be substituted. Teachers may develop a customized instructional sequence with alternate news articles appropriate to the needs and make-up of the community/school population.It is important teachers prepare fully by reading all resources and consider their students when planning to implement this unit. Time frames may vary depending on the daily amount of instructional time allotted, the student group and the degree of teacher support required for students to meet with success.Teacher Note: The news of today can be very graphic and disturbing. It is important you intentionally select articles and news that do not deal with violence of any kind but that does engage 5th graders. Remember to consciously be aware of this aspect of the news for the general public. Included in this plan are a variety of “kid friendly” news sites to access. You could write a letter to the parents of your class informing them of the unit’s intent and your plan for implementing it. For guidance, watch the TVO video about TKN and Media Literacy video at the bottom of the home page www.teachingkidsnews.com.The lesson models in this unit feature best practices using informational texts to address Common Core State Standards. Included are examples of text dependent questions and sample responses to guide instruction. Students will engage with technology and practice effective listening and speaking skills in collaborative groups to identify key ideas and concepts and to build deeper understanding.Additional Planning and Preparation:Read the entire unit model, associated texts, and resources.Note vocabulary, phrases, concepts, and terminology that may be challenging.Organize the class in groups or pairs for cooperative work and discussion.Access and bookmark web resources your students will use.You many choose to infuse ‘bigger’ questions into discussion such as:What does it take to overcome challenges?How do we face challenges?What kinds of challenges do we face?Are life always challenges necessary to succeed?Universal Design Principles and strategies for English Learners:Organize the class in groups and pairs for discussion and cooperative work.Use multiple modes of presentation to allow acquisition and integration of knowledge and to increase interest and motivation.Offer students choice of tasks and modes of response.Considering using a word processing program or template for students to keep notes such as Google note taking tools.IMPORTANT NOTE: No text model or website referenced in this unit has undergone a formal review. Before using any of these materials, local school systems should conduct a formal approval review to determine their appropriateness. Teachers should always adhere to Acceptable Use Policy enforced by their local school system.Text Models For Lessons and Lesson Seedshttp://teachingkidsnews.comhttps://theconnectedclassroom.wikispaces.com/NewsInterdisciplinary ConnectionsSocial Studies/Geography/Science/Health/Current EventsAdditional ResourcesTeacher ResourcesDaily News at http://www.nwf.orgWashington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/ecologists-track-dc-ospreys-long-journey-home--from-south-america-to-the-anacostia/2014/04/18/78a5dd18-c3fc-11e3-b195-dd0c1174052c_story.htmlPair these three articles – take down nest, bird rebuilds, rebuild, take down, build platform:http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/osprey-nest-blocking-md-traffic-camera-removed/2014/04/19/64623da8-c7fb-11e3-b708-471bae3cb10c_story.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-installs-nesting-platform-for-osprey/2014/04/24/c4c49eda-cbd8-11e3-b81a-6fff56bc591e_story.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-considers-nesting-platform-for-ospreys/2014/04/23/b82cf0f0-cb10-11e3-b81a-6fff56bc591e_story.htmlREADWORKShttps://www.readworks.org/passages/new-letter-alphabethttps://www.readworks.org/node/2219 batshttps://www.readworks.org/passages/classical-music-wolfgang-amadeus-mozarthttps://www.readworks.org/passages/cool-be-kind-0https://www.readworks.org/passages/endangered-animals-glancehttps://www.readworks.org/passages/finger-foodhttps://www.readworks.org/passages/homemadehttps://www.readworks.org/passages/meet-soldierScience Fridayhttp://auburnpub.com/science-friday-return-of-the-condor/article_54c3335a-cc67-11e3-acda-001a4bcf887a.htmlTime for Kids           https://www.timeforkids.com/NIEhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/http://helenair.com/news/local/th-graders-keep-abreast-of-current-events-school-issues/article_8dad9ea4-cc39-11e3-8e63-001a4bcf887a.htmlhttp://www.nwf.org

The projects in this guide use a student-driven approach to learning. Instead of simply learning about AI through videos or lectures, the students completing these projects are active participants in their AI exploration. In the process, students work directly with innovative AI technologies, participate in “unplugged” activities that further their understanding of how AI technologies work, and create various authentic products—from machine learning models to video games—to demonstrate their learning.

Project 1: Programming with Machine Learning
Project 2: AI-Powered Players in Video Games
Project 3: Using AI for Robotic Motion Planning
Project 4: Machine Learning as a Service

Visit the ISTE website with all the free practical guides for engaging students in AI creation: https://www.iste.org/areas-of-focus/AI-in-education

This guide provides student-driven projects that can directly teach subject area standards in tandem with foundational understandings of what AI is, how it works, and how it impacts society. Several key approaches were taken into consideration in the design of these projects. Understanding these approaches will support both your understanding and implementation of the projects in this guide, as well as your own work to design further activities that integrate AI education into your curriculum.

Project 1: AI Chatbots
Project 2: Developing a Critical Eye
Project 3: Using AI to Solve Environmental Problems
Project 4: Laws for AI

Visit the ISTE website with all the free practical guides for engaging students in AI creation: https://www.iste.org/areas-of-focus/AI-in-education

This collection of lessons represent adapted and remixed instructional content for teaching media literacy and specifically civic online reasoning through distance learning. These lessons take students through the steps necessary to source online content, verify evidence presented, and corroborate claims with other sources.

The original lesson plans are the work of Stanford History Education Group, licensed under CC 4.0. Please refer to the full text lesson plans at Stanford History Education Group’s, Civic Online Reasoning Curriculum for specifics regarding background, research findings, and additional curriculum for teaching media literacy in the twenty-first century.