Bioregional Economy

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson in which students will complete and present a multimedia research project on just and sustainable economic development projects in their bioregion.

Black Lives Matter and Climate Change: What's the Connection?

This is a media literacy and critical thinking activity in which students decode a news article and an opinion piece about the connections between the Black Lives Matter movement and climate change for issues related to social and scientific content and geographical context.

Bottled Water?

This media literacy activity was created to integrate the teaching of English language instruction with media literacy for educators in Panama. In this media literacy activity students watch short video clips with English narration and text to analyze authorship, purpose and target audience and to discuss environmental issues related to bottled water.

Boulder Dam Report Cover

Students analyze a report cover for messages about dam construction and about target audience. This simple decoding activity has been taken from a larger lesson with many slides titled “History of Resource Depletion." To access this lesson, type the title with quotes into the PLS keyword search bar.

Briefing: Project Look Sharp's Decoding Media Constructions and Sustainability

Antonio Lopez, in his coda to Greening Media Education, summarizes the complex set of skills needed “to bring ecologically oriented cultural practice into the realm of media education (which) promotes systems thinking, collaborative learning, critical thinking, lifelong learning and digital media literacy.” This article offers cases studies of two Look Sharp lessons, one for elementary age students and another for upper level high school, each of which was designed with these skills in mind as a way to bring Lopez’s vision into practice in the classroom.

Buffalo Hunt: Slaughtered for the Hide

Students analyze a 19th century magazine cover for messages about buffalo hunting and about point of view in media messages.This simple decoding activity has been taken from a larger lesson with many slides titled “History of Endangered Species." To access this lesson, type the title with quotes into the PLS keyword search bar.

Butterflies in the Media

Students analyze a magazine cover, a T-shirt, a book cover, a webpage, a button and a comic for messages about butterflies, endangered species and media forms.

COVID-19 & Climate Change: Graphing the Connection

In this media literacy activity students analyze online graphs and text for messages about the connections between the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.

Carbon Sequestration: Solutions to Climate Change

In this media literacy activity students analyze videos for messages about the effectiveness of different carbon sequestration solutions in reversing the impacts of greenhouse gas releases on climate change.

Carbon Trading: Arguments for and Against

This is a media literacy and critical thinking activity in which students analyze a webpage from the World Economic Forum and an online comic book for conflicting perspectives on the impacts of carbon trading.

Case Study: From Witness to Action

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson using four short film excerpts to teach about strategies activists have taken to remedy environmental injustice.

Chevron and Species Protection: Differing Perspectives

Students analyze a magazine advertisement and a mock ad for messages about waterfowl protection, greenwashing and corporate responsibility. This simple decoding activity has been taken from a larger lesson with many slides titled “History of Endangered Species." To access this lesson, type the title with quotes into the PLS keyword search bar.

Chukchi Sea Oil Drilling

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson using four short informational writing excerpts to reflect on the pros and cons of Alaskan oil drilling.

Climate Change, Agriculture & Sustainability

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson reflecting on the impacts of climate change on agriculture and the role of agricultural practices in contributing to climate change.

Climate Change, Biodiversity and Magazine Cover Priorities

Students analyze a webpage for messages about climate change, biodiversity and about editorial choices for magazine covers. This simple decoding activity has been taken from a larger lesson with many slides titled “History of Endangered Species." To access this lesson, type the title with quotes into the PLS keyword search bar.

Climate Change: Do Corporations Have an Obligation to Share Their Research Findings for the Public Good?

This is a media literacy activity in which students analyze two web video clips for conflicting perspectives on Exxon's research into climate change and its responsibility to release its findings to the public.

Climate Disaster: Young People Act

In this media literacy activity students analyze videos of young climate activists for messages about the forms and effectiveness of climate disaster protest.

Climate: Climate Change & Biodiversity

Media literacy and critical thinking activity in which students decode webpages for messages about the impact of climate change on ecosystem biodiversity.

Climate: What Can We Change?

In this media literacy activity students analyze children’s videos for messages about the impacts of climate change and what people can do to help.

Coal: Benefits and Costs

Media literacy and critical thinking activity in which students decode a magazine cover and spread for messages about how human use of natural resources for energy affects the biosphere.

Cochabamba, Water for Sale

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson using four short informational writing excerpts to reflect on the pros and cons of water privatization in Bolivia.

College Level: Hydrofracking, Media and Credibility

Related to kit: Media Constructions of Sustainability: Fingerlakes

This 9 minute annotated video demonstrates constructivist media decoding using the lesson "Exploring the Impact of Hydrofracking on Aquifers," where college students analyze pro and anti-fracking diagrams.

Community Organizing for Environmental Justice

Students analyze a webpage for messages about community building for social justice and about website design choices. This simple decoding activity has been taken from a larger lesson with many slides titled “Merging Social Justice with Environmentalism." To access this lesson, type the title with quotes into the PLS keyword search bar.

Community Responses to Climate Disaster Recovery

This is a media literacy and critical thinking activity in which students analyze an opinion piece and the executive summary of a governmental report for conflicting perspectives on effective climate disaster recovery efforts.

Comparing Renewables: U.S. vs. Global Energy Use

Media literacy and critical thinking activity in which students decode graphs for messages about how the use of renewable energy sources can help to reduce human vulnerability to climate change.

Consumerism & Sustainability

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson asking students to consider their own consumer decisions relating to sustainability through a process of decoding TV commercials and videos about bottled water.

Corporate Greenwashing? Exxon and Greenpeace

This is a media literacy and critical thinking activity in which students decode an ExxonMobil commercial and an environmental advocacy video for conflicting messages about corporate advertising credibility and about human impact on the environment.

Creative Visions of the Future

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson analyzing the imagined future of food, water and agriculture as viewed through the creative media of film, song, poetry and science fiction literature.

Damming the Rivers

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson using four short film excerpts to reflect on river damming projects and on the use of water as a resource.

Dams and Rivers: To Build Or To Remove?

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson analyzing videos to discern messages about the human benefits and environmental impacts of building and removing hydropower dams

Dealing with Invasive Species: Different Approaches

Students analyze a webpage and a book cover for messages about invasive species and sponsorship and purpose in media messages. This simple decoding activity has been taken from a larger lesson with many slides titled “History of Endangered Species." To access this lesson, type the title with quotes into the PLS keyword search bar.

Deciding On Our Food Choices Assessment

Media literacy and critical thinking assessment analyzing messages in posters and writing about food choice messages and persuasion techniques in posters.

Defining Sustainability

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson analyzing textual and diagrammatic definitions of sustainability presented by diverse corporate and civil society sources.

Depleted Uranium

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson using four short informational writing excerpts to reflect on the health and environmental effects of depleted uranium as a weapon in war.

Discourse or Disinformation?

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson analyzing conflicting presentations of scientific information about global warming in various drafts of government reports, video and opinion articles .

Dolphins in the Media

Students analyze a book cover, a magazine cover, a tweet, a poster, a cartoon, a toy and an advertisement for messages about media forms, dolphins and environmental concerns.

Drinking Water: Two Points of View

Students analyze a film poster and an advertisement for messages about drinking water, target audience and techniques in media messages. This simple decoding activity has been taken from a larger lesson with many slides titled “History of Resource Depletion." To access this lesson, type the title with quotes into the PLS keyword search bar.

Drought & Farming: Thirsty Crops

Media literacy and critical thinking activity in which students decode web pages and graphs for messages about how agricultural demands for irrigation impact freshwater resources during times of drought.

Drought Causes: Climate Change Impacts

Media literacy and critical thinking activity in which students decode web pages messages about the relationship between climate change and droughts.

El Nino: Connections to Global Warming

Media literacy and critical thinking activity in which students decode videos for messages about patterns of ocean warming during an El Nino year and the subsequent impacts on worldwide weather.

Endangered Peoples: Multiple Perspectives

Students analyze a DVD cover, a cartoon and a book cover for messages about people as endangered species and about techniques and interpretations in media messages. This simple decoding activity has been taken from a larger lesson with many slides titled “History of Endangered Species." To access this lesson, type the title with quotes into the PLS keyword search bar.

Endangered Species Act, Spotted Owls and the Lumber Industry: Dueling Perspectives

Students analyze a magazine cover and a news article for messages about the Endangered Species Act, spotted owls and the lumber industry. This simple decoding activity has been taken from a larger lesson with many slides titled “History of Endangered Species." To access this lesson, type the title with quotes into the PLS keyword search bar.

Endangered Species Act: Different Points of View

Students analyze an editorial cartoon, a webpage and a children's book cover for messages about the Endangered Species Act and target audiences. This simple decoding activity has been taken from a larger lesson with many slides titled “History of Endangered Species." To access this lesson, type the title with quotes into the PLS keyword search bar.

Environmental Injustice At Work

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson using four short song excerpts to compare musical forms carrying messages about environmental justice in the workplace.

Environmental Justice – For Whom, How and Why?

In this media literacy activity students analyze videos for messages about impacts and potential remedies for environmental justice.

Ethanol: Pros and Cons

Media literacy and critical thinking activity in which students decode videos for messages about the benefits and costs of using corn-based ethanol as an energy source.

Exploring Economic Models for a Healthy Planet and a Just Society

This is a media literacy and critical thinking activity in which students analyze three writings about sustainability and economy for conflicting perspectives on possible economic remedies to environmental destruction and economic inequality.

Exploring the Impact of Hydrofracking on Aquifers

Media literacy and critical thinking activity in which students decode diagrams for messages about how hydrofracking impacts freshwater resources.

Extreme Weather: Climate Change Connections & Water

Media literacy and critical thinking activity in which students decode webpages for messages about the relationship between climate change and extreme weather.

Exxon Valdez, Oil and Water

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson using four short film excerpts to reflect on the impacts of the Exxon Valdez oil spill.