TeachersFirst's Media Literacy
Today’s messages come in many forms and literacy can no longer refer simply to the ability to read and write. Media literacy is a set of skills that help people to analyze, evaluate, and create messages in a wide variety of media modes, genres, and formats. To become media literate, students must learn to raise the right questions about what they are listening to, watching, or reading. Media literacy education is about helping students become competent, critical, and literate in all media forms so that they can appropriately interpret what they see or hear rather than blindly accepting what they are told. This collection of resources includes lesson ideas, activities and resources for teaching media literacy skills. Be sure to also check out the media literacy professional learning resources.
Click here to view our complete collection of tagged media literacy resources.

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The Achievery - AT&T
Grades
K to 12tag(s): blended learning (16), coding (82), digital citizenship (81), engineering (117), environment (231), equations (117), geometric shapes (130), graphic design (50), internet safety (110), literature (217), map skills (55), measurement (124), media literacy (96), narrative (15), numbers (120), operations (74), order of operations (28), problem solving (219), remote learning (62), Research (79), social and emotional learning (73), spanish (102), STEM (243), substitutes (27), writing (301)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this site as a resource for lessons in many content areas to engage students using popular video clips. All lessons are created as remote learning activities making them easily adaptable for both in-class and out-of-class assignments. Easily find activities to differentiate instruction for different student ability levels by browsing options below or above the student's current grade level. Many lessons include worksheets in PDF format, turn these activities into a digital format by taking a screenshot of the document, then save as the background on Google Slides, reviewed here. Add text boxes in the appropriate place on the slide for students to add responses. Use Pear Deck Flashcard Factory, reviewed here, to create flashcards for students to practice the vocabulary highlighted in each lesson.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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RumorGuard - News Literacy Project
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): digital citizenship (81), internet safety (110), journalism (69), media literacy (96), news (228), Online Learning (39), Research (79)
In the Classroom
Share RumorGuard with students during digital citizenship and online safety lessons to help students understand how misinformation is shared and provide them with tools for analyzing online information. Engage students in your lessons using RumorGuard by choosing different topics on this page and news stories, then ask students to determine if the information is real or fake. Next, use a simple polling tool such as Poll Maker, reviewed here, to create and share quick true/false polls. Extend and enhance learning by asking students to become fact-checkers of any online information using the model found on Rumor Guard. Create a template on Google Slides, reviewed here, or Microsoft PowerPoint Online, reviewed here, modeling the process used on RumorGuard to determine the authenticity of the information.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Be MediaWise - Lessons to Teach Media Literacy - PBS Learning Media
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): critical thinking (106), media literacy (96), social media (51)
In the Classroom
Teach your middle and high school students how to critically evaluate information with each video's downloadable lesson plans, handouts, and slide decks. Lessons include evaluating actual posts on social media, video, and news sites. Create deeper understanding and extend learning by having your students create "social media" posts using tools such as Canva for Education, reviewed here, or Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, reviewed here, then, evaluate classmates' work.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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iThrive Sim: Follow the Facts - ithrive games
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): bias (21), game based learning (172), journalism (69), media literacy (96), simulations (7), social and emotional learning (73)
In the Classroom
Engage your high school students with iThrive Sim: Follow the Facts. The game-based simulation includes teacher preparation, pre-simulation, and optional post-simulation activities. The entire simulation takes about two thirty-minute sessions total to play. Teachers should plan for the full simulation and activities to take at least five 45-minute class periods. A complete implementation guide is included. Civics topics include effective sourcing of information, SEL skills include understanding bias and collaboration.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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My Media Choices - Common Sense Education
Grades
3 to 5tag(s): digital citizenship (81), internet safety (110), media literacy (96)
In the Classroom
Although created for fourth grade, this lesson works well for grades three through five, with possible adaptations for additional grade levels. First, engage students by conducting a poll or survey of the different types of media your students regularly consume. For example, use a simple polling tool such as Kahoot reviewed here, or take a more in-depth survey using Microsoft Forms, reviewed here. Instead of completing worksheets as a paper and pencil activity, convert the worksheets into an interactive document using Google Docs, reviewed here, and assign within Google Classroom. Add questions or comments to the included video using EdPuzzle, reviewed here, to enhance learning. As an extension activity, ask students to share tips for safe media use by creating short videos to share on your class and school's websites. Use Adobe Creative Cloud Express Video Maker, reviewed here, to create engaging videos from scratch or by using the templates provided.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Twitter Chat: Media Literacy in the Classroom - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): media literacy (96), twitterchatarchive (163)
In the Classroom
Find resources and information about media literacy. Share this chat with your colleagues looking for strategies and resources on media literacy.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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OK2Ask: Fostering Accountability: Media Literacy in the Classroom - TeachersFirst
Grades
1 to 12As digital media increasingly...more
As digital media increasingly replaces traditional media, students must have the skills to think critically about these new types of texts. Media literacy - the ability to skillfully read and write in a wide range of message forms - allows students to identify themes and issues emerging from popular culture and has related standards that have been incorporated across content areas and grade levels nationwide. Join us to learn more about this information age survival skill. As a result of this session, teachers will: 1. Understand the importance of teaching media literacy in the classroom; 2. Explore media literacy resources; and 3. Learn to use the five key questions of media literacy when planning lessons. This session is appropriate for teachers at all technology levels.
tag(s): media literacy (96), professional development (352)
In the Classroom
The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Digital Citizenship: Technological Literacy - PBS Learning Media
Grades
K to 12tag(s): digital citizenship (81), internet safety (110), journalism (69), social media (51)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the many videos and resources found on this site to include with your digital citizenship lessons. Engage students in learning about digital citizenship using playposit, reviewed here, to add notes, questions, and student-teacher interactions to any video. Enhance the learning experience by including these videos and your other resources into a digital lesson using Curipod, reviewed here. Extend learning by asking students to share their learning using different technology tools. For example, have some students create a podcast using Buzzsprout, reviewed here, while others create and share video presentations made with Animoto, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Deceptive Detective - Common Sense
Grades
2 to 12tag(s): bias (21), computers (97), internet safety (110), journalism (69), media literacy (96), news (228), social media (51), STEM (243)
In the Classroom
Print this poster to display in your classroom or computer lab after discussing the information with your students. Use Padlet, reviewed here, to break down the questions found on the poster and share student findings. For example, begin by evaluating a website together as a class. Create a column on your Padlet for each question, then add students' responses in the appropriate column. As students become proficient at evaluating online resources, ask them to use Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here, to create infographics sharing the validity of websites and online news resources based upon the questions found on the Deceptive Detective poster. Extend learning by asking students to become the instructor through the use of podcasts. Use Buzzsprout, reviewed here, to create bi-weekly or monthly student-created podcasts sharing tips for evaluating websites, how to recognize fake news sources or suggestions for useful resources for student use.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Teachers' Guide to Cranky Uncle - John Cook
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (137), digital citizenship (81), game based learning (172), internet safety (110), media literacy (96), social media (51)
In the Classroom
Add this game to your toolkit of lessons and activities when teaching Internet safety and media literacy skills. The Teachers' Guide already includes many ideas on integrating the game into classroom lessons and includes using technology to enhance and extend learning. Use these ideas as a starting point to build student engagement and help them understand the real-world applications for the information found in the game. For example, use the suggested Padlet, reviewed here, activity to compile quiz questions as suggested in Activity 5. After completing that activity, have students create their own videos, fake social media posts, or news articles that contain misinformation and create quiz questions for their peers to complete. Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, reviewed here, is an excellent tool for students to use when creating websites, flyers, and infographics. As a final project, and to extend learning, have students share what they learned with others by producing podcasts using Buzzsprout, reviewed here, or digital books for younger students using Book Creator, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Fake News: Misinformation, Disinformation, and Malinformation - Pace University
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): digital citizenship (81), internet safety (110), journalism (69), media literacy (96), news (228), Research (79)
In the Classroom
Include this article with your other resources for teaching how to navigate online information. Include this website within a learning management system such as ActivelyLearn, reviewed here, to build a complete learning unit that includes articles, videos, and assessments that fully immerse and engage students in the learning activities. Enhance learning throughout the school year using Padlet, reviewed here, to curate and organize online information. For example, create a Padlet that includes a column for each of the four categories of fake news mentioned on this website, then ask students to share examples found during online use. Extend learning by asking students to become the teacher through presentations on how to recognize and avoid fake news. Provide a variety of options for student presentations including a comic creation tool like ToonyTool, reviewed here, Adobe Express Video Maker, reviewed here, to create simple video explainers, or use Minecraft Education Edition, reviewed here, and have students create a game to teach the hazards of disinformation.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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News and Media Literacy Resource Center - Common Sense Media
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): bias (21), journalism (69), media literacy (96), news (228), social media (51)
In the Classroom
Bookmark this site to take advantage of the many curated resources for teaching media and news literacy. Use a curation tool like Padlet, reviewed here, to save and share favorite resources found on this site with students. Use the shelf option in Padlet to create columns and organize information by topic, type of content, or for use by different groups of students. Enhance instruction by asking students to become creators of information as they share their learning. Have students use Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here, to create infographics to demonstrate different forms of media bias or to share facts learned from news articles. Extend learning even further by asking students to create blogs using Edublogs, reviewed here, to demonstrate how to write and share the news using credible information and factual resources.Comments
This is such a valuable resource and it's so helpful to have one collection that I know has been vetted with accurate, useful information that teachers can use for themselves as well as with their students. I also love the "In the Classroom" section with suggestions for ways to use the information and resources.Peggy, AZ, Grades: 0 - 8
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Advertising All Around Us - MediaSmarts
Grades
5 to 8tag(s): advertising (23), media literacy (96)
In the Classroom
Take the ideas and activities found in this lesson plan and enhance them with these lesson extensions. During the first activity, the author suggests taking the name of five products and giving a new humorous name. Take that idea further and ask students to design a print ad using Canva, reviewed here, and using the new product name. Ask students to include a slogan for the product along with imagery promoting the virtues of the item. The second lesson activity asks students to create a new ad to replace one that is boring and unimaginative. Ask students to create a video ad using Clipchamp, reviewed here, or another animated video creation tool. As an alternative, have students use Image Annotator, reviewed here, to create annotated images with links to text, videos, and more. As a final project, students create and plan their own ad. Extend learning by asking students to plan and implement a complete ad campaign, including print, video, and online advertising. Before planning their advertisements, ask students to share examples of effective advertising to an online collaboration tool like Padlet, reviewed here. Include links and images of effective advertising along with comments sharing ideas on why and how the ad works. Have students (or student groups) share their ad campaigns using a multimedia presentation tool like Wakelet, reviewed here. Include links to research, student-created projects, and more all within their Wakelet presentation.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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NewsFeed Defenders - FactCheck.org
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): journalism (69), media literacy (96), news (228)
In the Classroom
Include the NewsFeed Defenders game and lesson as part of your broader unit of teaching about online safety and media literacy. Engage studets by using Padlet, reviewed here, to share materials. Include links to videos, articles, and other materials for students to access. Ask them to add comments sharing their insights and information learned. Help students identify online disinformation by collaborating with Fiskkit, reviewed here. Change out paper and pen by sharing the URL of an article to discuss within Fiskkit, then have students highlight any area to discuss the information within the article. Enhance learning by encouraging students to teach others about media literacy using an online book tool like Book Creator, reviewed here. Book Creator can be used for a variety of assignments in any classroom that is integrating technology as an enhancement, modification, or transformation. Have students design and share a book that includes tips for spotting disinformation or bias using specific examples, including text, videos, and images, along with examples of factual, non-biased information.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Bad News - Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab and DROG
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): digital citizenship (81), game based learning (172), internet safety (110), media literacy (96), social media (51)
In the Classroom
This game is perfect for use as an introduction to lessons on digital citizenship, media literacy, and social media. Share the site with your students to explore on their own and encourage them to play several different times using the different options provided. Your students won't mind playing over and over; it is easy to get hooked on trying to find the best way to gain as many followers as possible! Once students become familiar with the game and the different options presented for spreading misinformation, ask them to apply their findings to online content. Have them do some online research to find sites or information using tactics such as emotion and the others featured in Bad News. As they research sites and online information, have them add links to the sites they find on a class Padlet. Padlet, reviewed here, offers an option to create columns, use this option then label a column for each badge found in the game and ask students to share a link to their sites in the appropriate column. In addition to adding a link, have students include a comment providing information on why their site belongs in the category. Instead of assessing learning with quizzes or a written report, enhance learning and transform your assessment by having students create infographics to share information learned. Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here, provides easy to use templates to create interesting and informative infographics. Extend leaning and ask students to become the teacher using Symbaloo Learning Paths, reviewed here, to create an online learning activity teaching others on how to recognize and avoid disinformation found online. Be sure to share your assessment rubric with students as part of your assignment. Find many ideas for implementing rubrics for assessment along with examples and online tools at TeachersFirst Rubrics to the Rescue, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Project Look Sharp - Project Look Sharp, Ithaca College
Grades
K to 12tag(s): american revolution (81), climate change (84), critical thinking (106), environment (231), martin luther king (41), media literacy (96), middle east (43), nutrition (132), OER (42), presidents (117), russia (34), social media (51)
In the Classroom
Become acquainted with these free curriculum kits and lessons to integrate media literacy within content already taught in the classroom. As you teach lessons found on the site, incorporate technology to enhance learning and build student understanding by using Word Ahead, reviewed here, or WordSift, reviewed here, to introduce and develop vocabulary as a prereading strategy or older students can use either as they are reading. Incorporate images with annotations to help students understand "big picture" ideas using Image Annotator, reviewed here. For younger students create a Image Annotator as a class to add text, video, and more to images. Ask older students to create their own Image Annotator sharing information learned throughout your lessons. Be sure to share all of your images on your class website for students to view at any time. To transform classroom technology use and as a culminating activity, use a digital book creation tool like Book Creator, reviewed here, as an alternative assessment to quizzes or tests. Include student-created writing, Annotated images, and add videos with student commentary within each book. Be sure to provide students with your rubric to use as a guide before turning in digital books. Find many ideas for implementing rubrics for assessment along with examples and online tools at TeachersFirst Rubrics to the Rescue, reviewed here. Whether students work individually or in groups, be sure to share your new digital library related to your lesson topic with students to review and revisit at any time!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Glean - Digital Literacy Teaching Tools - The Public Learning Media Laboratory
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): computers (97), digital citizenship (81), internet safety (110), media literacy (96)
In the Classroom
Computer Literacy teachers and those responsible for teaching Internet safety in any course are sure to find a lesson they need. Take advantage of these free lessons to educate students about the basics of the Internet from safety to reading the terms of service to creating or sharing memes. After these lessons, challenge students to create a simple infographic about what they learned using Infogram, reviewed here. The lessons and (some of) the descriptions include resources you may want to share with parents and school counselors so they can have a conversation about the topics with their students. Discuss topics on this site as part of Internet safety lessons. Share this site with school counselors as a resource for teens facing online safety issues.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Making a Change: The First Amendment and the Civil Rights Movement - NewseumED
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): black history (112), civil rights (187), constitution (85), cultures (125), journalism (69), media literacy (96), newspapers (91)
In the Classroom
Use any or all of the units and interactives with any Civil Rights lessons; this site isn't just for Black History Month! Share with journalism students as they explore the role of the press in shaping and telling the story of a nation. Have small groups or pairs of students enhance their learning by making a multimedia presentation exploring the First Amendment and the role of the press using a tool such as Sway, reviewed here. With the web-based Sway, you can include text, images, and video. To illustrate different press coverage around the nation, have students modify their learning by creating maps using Zeemaps, reviewed here. This tool allows students to create audio recordings AND choose a location on a map where the news report takes place.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Believe It or Not? - NewseumED
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): media literacy (96), news (228)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the free lessons, discussion questions, sample articles, and worksheets offered for use in your classroom. Divide students into small groups and assign different discussion questions and activities to each group. Allow all older students to have a voice (and engage their interest) in the small group by using a chat service like Flock, reviewed here. Enhance learning by challenging the small groups to create a slide presentation using the free Microsoft PowerPoint Online, reviewed here, demonstrating information learned. With the online PowerPoint students can add videos, images and documents making them all interactive. Note: with Flock students can also start planning the presentation and keep the plan for 30 days. If you cannot make a field trip to the Newseum for the Gallery Guide Handout, you can do a Google search for Who Controls the News and find many free resources.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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NewseumED - NewseumED.org
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): civil rights (187), elections (78), freedom of speech (12), media literacy (96), politics (109), primary sources (105), sept11 (17), terrorism (41), terrorist (12)
In the Classroom
If you teach or even discuss civil rights, the First Amendment and its freedoms and ideals, current events, or the presidential elections be sure to look at the lessons provided here. The lessons will also help you show students how to tell facts from opinions in current events. Use ideas from the lesson plans to supplement your current teaching materials. Enhance learning and challenge small groups of students to create an infographic sharing their learning from the notes they took during a lesson. Use Infogram, reviewed here, to construct the infographic. If you plan on using one of the EdCollections ask students to enhance and extend their learning and develop a multimedia presention using Presentious, reviewed here, or an interactive poster with a tool like Genially, reviewed here, for one of the suggested Extension Activities.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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