Let Us Tell You About the Animals Where We Live

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson analyzing various media documents focused on messages about human impacts on animals and creating a simple video production based on impacts to animals where you live and action ideas to protect them.

Let Us Tell You About the Bodies of Water Where We Live

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson analyzing book covers for messages about water-centered disasters related to oil spills, drought and hurricanes and creating a simple video production based on impacts to your region's water bodies and action ideas to protect them.

Let Us Tell You About the Plants Where We Live

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson analyzing book covers focused on different messages about human impacts on plants and creating a simple video production based on impacts to plants and action ideas to protect them.

More Commercials & Their Tricks

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson will teach the purpose of a commercial and wording tricks advertisers use to sell their products

Raptors in the Media

Students analyze a book cover, a magazine cover, a tweet, a poster, a website and a YouTube screen shot for messages about media forms, osprey, eagles and condors and environmental concerns.

Removing Plastic from the Ocean: From Trash to Art

This is a media literacy and critical thinking activity in which students analyze two short videos about artistic repurposing of plastic trash for messages about artistic expression of human impacts to the environment.

Sculptures of Dr. King: Reading the Messages

This is a media literacy and critical thinking activity in which students analyze four sculptures for messages about Dr. King's life and legacy.

The Face of Cereal: Using Cartoon Characters to Persuade Children

This is a media literacy and critical thinking activity in which students decode cereal packages for messages about health and advertising.

The Food Groups

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson using the food pyramid to introduce the concept of food groups.

The Food Groups (First Grade)

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson using the food pyramid to introduce the health benefits of eating from all food groups.

Toy Commercials & Their Tricks

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson will teach the purpose of a commercial and editing tricks advertisers use to sell their products

Understanding TV Commercials

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson will teach the purpose of a commercial and some tricks advertisers use to sell their products

What Can You Tell From a Book Cover?

Students analyze pairs of different covers for the same children’s book for messages about techniques, purpose, impact and target audience.

What Does the Dollar Bill Tell You About the United States?

Students analyze the imagery on the dollar bill for symbols and messages about the beliefs of the founders of the United States and about what constitutes media.

What’s in My Lunchbox?

In this media literacy activity students analyze a book cover, a lunchbox, a YouTube screen grab and a webpage for messages about eating fruits and vegetables.

Who is Family?

In this media literacy activity students analyze children’s book covers for messages about diversity in families.

Why Vote?

In this media literacy activity students analyze videos for messages about why voting is important.

Standards Alignment: National Media Literacy Alliance Joint Statement on Media Literacy Education

This 3-page document briefly summarizes the alignment of media literacy with the core standards for each of the following disciplines: library (AASL + YALSA), technology (ISTE), Journalism (JEA), Early Childhood (NAEYC), Social Studies (NCSS), ELA (NCTE), Math (NCTM), Science (NSTA), and Writing (NWP).

Elementary Level: First Contact Between Europeans and Native Americans

An example of leading a class through a constructivist media decoding using our lesson, First Contact. Students in this video decode two opposing paintings to understand how Europeans impacted Native American life.

Elementary Level: Decoding Money

Related to kit: Introducing Africa: Critical Thinking and Media Literacy

An example of leading a class through a constructivist media decoding using a lesson from our kit, Introducing Africa. Students in this video compare two African currencies to the U.S. Dollar to gain insight about cultural differences.