Species Preservation: Seeking Solutions

Media literacy and critical thinking activity in which students decode videos for messages about how people take action to address local and global problems related to the loss of biodiversity.

Standing Rock Dakota Pipeline Controversy

This is a media literacy and critical thinking activity in which students analyze an op-ed and a web page for conflicting perspectives on the impacts of the Dakota Access pipeline..

Starter Kit for Science 6-12

This guide gives users a brief overview of our approach (question-based media decoding) and materials (e.g., lessons) available for free from the Project Look Sharp website for a particular level and subject.

Student Media Research Project on Sustainability

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson in which students will complete and present a quantitative research project on media representation of sustainability.

Suburbanization: Ordinary Places or Land Investment?

Students analyze 2 webpages for messages about land development and about values 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.

Sustainability Stories: Identifying Good Stories (Middle School)

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson analyzing videos to discern messages about how videos can tell stories to inform and engage the public about sustainability issues and initiatives.

Sustainability Videos: Start to Finish

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson in which students collaboratively design a short video message about a sustainability effort.

Sustainability and Media: Introducing Content Analysis

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson introducing the differences between qualitative and quantitative research by decoding messages about sustainability in magazine covers.

Sustainable Cultures

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson about sustainable agricultural practices among traditional land-based cultures by analyzing web pages and videos.

Sustainable Economics

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson analyzing the relationship of economics to the sustainability of food systems by reading the work of authors presented in five periodicals.

Sustainable Food Security Systems

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson analyzing models for food security through the lenses of access, culture, employment, environment, health, ownership, scale and worker safety.

Teaching About Climate Change: Why Does the Source Matter?

This is a media literacy activity in which students analyze two letters for the National Science Teachers Association and the Heartland Institute for conflicting perspectives about how to teach about global climate change.

The Consequences of Global Warming

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson analyzing news articles about the impact of global warming on hurricanes, diseases, agriculture, sea level rise, severe weather, freshwater and biodiversity.

The End of Suburbia, 2006 Blog Page

Students analyze a blog page for messages about peak oil and about sponsorship of 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.

The Precautionary Principle

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson analyzing potential costs and consequences of different responses to climate change by comparing brief text selections from four authors.

The Public Trust - Doctrine Government's Role in Protecting Natural Resources for the Future

This is a media literacy activity in which students analyze two video clips for different techniques in portraying messages about young people who are suing the government to demand that it protect future generations from the impacts of global climate change.

The Stump and Trunk of the Mammoth Tree of Calaveras, 1862 Lithograph Print

Students analyze a 19th century print for messages about harvesting ancient trees and about values 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.

The Urgency of Climate Action

This is a media literacy and critical thinking activity in which students analyze videos by Desmond Tutu and Al Gore for conflicting perspectives on the urgent need to take action to respond to climate change.

The Value of Trees

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson reflecting on the free market's role in the 19th century lumber harvest by interpreting maps and comparing texts from John Muir and John J Audubon .

The Value of Water

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson about threats to and protection measures for water supplies and values related to stewardship of water resources explored by decoding book covers and tables of contents.

Threatened Orangutans: Where's the Hope?

Students analyze a report cover and a webpage for messages about threatened orangutans and about purpose in media message design. 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.

Throwaway Culture: To Buy or to Reuse?

This is a media literacy and critical thinking activity in which students decode web videos and commercials for messages about buying disposable products vs. reusing and reducing waste.

Traditional and Industrial Farming

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson analyzing examples of corn and dairy farming to understand the diverse philosophies, tools and practices that distinguish traditional and industrial farming.

Transforming Environmentalism: The Origins of Environmental Justice

Students analyze a book cover for messages about the origins of the environmental justice movement and about book cover 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.

Transition to Renewable Energy Now

This is a media literacy and critical thinking activity in which students analyze two short excerpts from a documentary film for the impacts of solar energy technologies on urban China and rural Zambia.

Transitioning to a Sustainable Future

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson in which students will analyze models for sustainability through the lenses of social justice, climate change, fossil fuel depletion and economic systems and thereafter define and articulate their views on transitioning to a sustainable future.

Trophy Hunting: Conservation or Destruction?

Media literacy and critical thinking activity in which students decode a poster and a webpage for messages about the impact of trophy hunting on animal species.

Trophy Hunting: Different Views

Students analyze a poster and a webpage for messages about trophy hunting and about target audience and techniques 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.

Twister: A Film Decoding Activity

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson reflecting on the concept of target audiences, and how messages can be crafted for a specific audience through visuals, language and sound.

UN Sustainable Development Goals and Graphics

Students analyze icons for messages about graphic design and the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

Vaccine Safety - Exploring Our Own Biases

Students analyze two short news videos about the safety and speed of the creation of the mRNA Covid vaccine, about sourcing and credibility of the videos and the scientific information presented in them, and about their own confirmation biases.

Valuing Water: Different Perspectives

Media literacy and critical thinking activity in which students decode a book covers and tables of content for messages about human impacts on freshwater resources.

Voices Role-Play

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson in which students will study and communicate in a role play debate the perspective of a sustainability advocate and then articulate their own opinions about the topic.

Volcanoes: Can We Protect Cities from Lava Flows?

This is a media literacy and critical thinking activity in which students analyze a National Public Radio report and a clip from a 1940s era Superman animated cartoon for messages about engineering solutions to protect cities from volcanic lava flows.

Wa-Ba-Sha Prairie, 1855 Print

Students analyze a 19th century print for messages about prairie lands on the upper Mississippi River and about target audience 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.

Walden, Power and Markets: Views on Humans and the Natural World

Students analyze title pages from two 19th century books and a webpage for messages about human relationships with the natural world and about individual interpretations of 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.

Watershed Stakeholders

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson in which students analyze maps, videos and informational text to reflect on stakeholder interests in maintaining watersheds.

Watersheds: Stewardship & Climate Change

Media literacy and critical thinking activity in which students decode web pages messages about which strategies might be most useful to deal with climate change impacts on human communities.

What About Bottled Water?

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson analyzing videos and TV commercials to discern messages about decisions to purchase or not purchase bottled water.

What Do You Know? Sourcing, Credibility and Bias

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson reflecting on sourcing, credibility, accuracy and bias of information presented in the media while introducing students to vocabulary and issues addressed in Media Constructions of Sustainability lessons.

What Is Causing Global Warming?

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson analyzing conflicting perspectives on the causes for global warming by decoding short excerpts from two films, The Great Global Warming Swindle and An Inconvenient Truth.

What is the Role of the Federal Government in Protecting the Environment?

This is a media literacy and critical thinking activity in which students analyze three short news reports for conflicting messages about the appointment of Scott Pruitt to head the Environmental Protection Agency.

What's So Funny about Climate Change? Editorial Cartoon Opinions

This is a media literacy and critical thinking activity in which students analyze six editorial cartoons for conflicting perspectives on the direness of the threat of climate change.

Where Does My Food Come From?

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson analyzing videos to discern messages about the production and transportation of food.

Where Does Water Go?

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson analyzing videos to discern messages about the role of the hydrologic cycle in creating watersheds.

Where Media Literacy Meets Sustainability Education

Related to kit: Media Constructions of Sustainability: Fingerlakes

The webinar offers educators and teachers-in-training pedagogical techniques and curriculum materials to support constructivist media decoding to help students engage in critical thinking about the complex environmental, economic and social systems that underly sustainability.

Who Owns the Water?

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson exploring how water rights decisions impact communities by decoding excerpts from four films.

Who Stewards Seeds?

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson comparing varied perspectives about the best approach to stewarding corn seeds by decoding six video clips.

Why Protect Our Water Resources?

Media literacy and critical thinking lesson analyzing book and report covers and tables of contents to discern messages about how people impact water supplies and what individuals and communities can do to protect water resources.

Wind Farm Site Selection: A Community Debates the Issues

This is a media literacy and critical thinking activity in which students analyze two op-eds for perspectives on siting local wind farms.

Wind: Benefits and Costs

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

Years of Dust, 1937 Poster

Students analyze a poster for messages about the dust bowl and about artistic design choices. 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.

Young People Taking Action to Protect our Warming Planet

This is a media literacy and critical thinking activity in which students analyze four short excerpts from online articles for messages about youth activism for environmental protection and social justice.

Youth, Hip Hop & Climate Change

This is a media literacy and critical thinking activity in which students analyze two short hip hop music video to compare different approaches to encourage youth activism to deal with climate change.

“Saving the Planet With Pesticides and Plastic” Book Cover

Students analyze images of a book cover for messages about the suggested benefits of pesticides and plastics and about the ways in which publishers determine media messages. This simple decoding activity has been taken from a larger lesson with many slides titled “History of Chemicals in the Environment." To access this lesson, type the title with quotes into the PLS keyword search bar.