What is Constructivist Media Decoding?

Explains Project Look Sharp's "constructivist" media decoding pedagogical approach to media analysis.

What is Project Look Sharp's Approach to Media Literacy?

Explains Project Look Sharp's 3-pronged approach to Media Literacy Education.

What is Media Literacy?

Explains how media literacy is an extension of traditional "literacy" in that media literacy applies to all different forms of media through which we get our information, impressions, and understandings of the world.

What is Project Look Sharp?

Overview of Project Look Sharp's goals and mission.

Constructivist Media Decoding in the Social Studies: Leveraging the New Standards for Educational Change

Related to kit: Media Constructions of Presidential Campaigns

This article explores the role that media analysis can play on educational reform tied to the new NCSS C3 Framework for the Social Studies and the Common Core ELA standards for secondary social studies. It uses examples from media decoding activities on the Project Look Sharp website tied to specific standards. It also explores professional development tools that support methodological shifts towards inquiry and assessments of critical thinking skills. By Chris Sperry, The Journal of Media Literacy, Vol. 62, pg. 46-54, 2015.

Looking at World War I Propaganda

Related to kit: Economics in U.S. History: A Media Literacy Kit

The article explores teaching about WWI through interactive decoding (analyzing) of propaganda posters from different countries. It lays out the theory and practice of media analysis for teaching critical thinking, questioning strategies, media literacy and core social studies content.

Voices from the Field: Sounds Great, But I Don't Have Time! Helping Teachers Meet Their Goals and Needs With Media Literacy Education

If we can find ways to demonstrate how media literacy can meet the existing needs of teachers, administrators, support staff, and students themselves, then our educational system will embrace media literacy education and its potential to create a new generation of critical thinkers, effective communicators, and active citizens for today’s world. By Cyndy Scheibe, The National Association for Media Literacy Education's Journal of Media Literacy Education, Vol. 48 No. 1, September 2009.

The Search for Truth Teaching media literacy, core content, and essential skills for a healthy democracy

Strategies and perspectives of using media literacy in core subject matters such as social studies and language arts by Chris Sperry, Threshold Magazine, Vol. 48 No. 1,Winter 2006.

U.S. Media Timeline

Timeline of media in U.S. 1789-2010 including transportation, communications, digital technology and graphic print, audio and visual media.

Tips for Decoding

Tips for finding rich media documents and for leading a decoding.

6 Key Concepts in Media Analysis

Key concepts to be aware of to practice critical thinking when evaluating media messages.

Key Questions To Ask When Producing Media Messages

Graphic display of media production questions related to audience & authorship, messages & meanings, and representations & reality.

Key Questions to Ask When Analyzing Media Messages

Graphic display of questions related to audience & authorship, messages & meanings and representations & reality.

12 Basic Ways to Integrate Media Literacy and Critical Thinking into Any Curriculum

This booklet is designed for teachers and support staff at all grade levels who are interested in using media literacy in their classroom curriculum. The approaches are based on the concept of weaving media literacy training into the curriculum whenever and wherever possible throughout the school year. Routine integration is much more effective than simply treating media literacy as a special, isolated topic and may better meet the needs of teachers who are already at capacity with the demands of a full curriculum.

NAMLE Core Principles of Media Literacy Education in the U.S.

NAMLE is excited to offer to educators, advocates and allies these Core Principles of Media Literacy Education in the United States. We believe that these Core Principles articulate a common ground around which media literacy educators and advocates can coalesce. NAMLE is committed to using the Core Principles as a springboard for vibrant and ongoing dialogue, and as a first step in the development of clear, measurable outcomes and benchmarks for U.S. schools.

Consulting

Project Looksharp personnel are available for coaching and consulting about media literacy in K-12 and teacher education, including ways to integrate media literacy into an existing curriculum, use media literacy with particular student populations (e.g., English as a second langauge or at-risk students), or build media literacy offerings into staff development within a school district.

Critical Thinking & the News

Democracy requires an educated and literate citizenship. This 2-hour workshop provides guidelines and strategies for training our students to consistently assess the credibility, accuracy, and bias of various news sources.

Youth Culture and New Technologies

Wikis, Facebook, Twitter, Texting, Gaming. How and why are students using new communication media, what are our concerns, and what are the implications for our classrooms? This 2-hour (exposure) to full-day (hands on) workshop will explore literacy for the 21st century.

Secondary Social Studies Integration with Curriculum Kits

This training will provide content and materials that enable teachers to reach both high achieving and traditionally disengaged students through use of Project Look Sharp curriculum materials that teach core social studies content and skills. The workshop will cover classroom decoding methods using key concepts and questions for media analysis, teaching 21st century critical thinking skills (e.g. identifying sourcing, credibility, and bias), and issues of copyright, accessing media documents, and assessment.

Integrating Media Literacy and Critical Thinking into the Curriculum

This popular interactive workshop introduces the theory and practice of media literacy integration throughout the curriculum, emphasizing the development of critical thinking and analysis skills. It can be adapted to address the needs of a mixed group of K-12 educators, or focus on a specific target audience (e.g., middle school ELA and social studies, librarians, elementary health). Participants will receive materials and learn approaches that can be immediately used in the classroom or other educational context.