Seeking Truth in the Social Studies Classroom: Media Literacy, Critical Thinking and Teaching about the Middle East

Students are bombarded daily with a torrent of media messages, many of them with historical content. By selecting the right media documents for decoding, teachers can teach core content while guiding students to think critcally about these messages. By Chris Sperry, Social Education, January/February 2006

The Epistemological Equation: Integrating Media Analysis into the Core Curriculum

Related to kit: Media Constructions of the Middle East

In his Keynote to National Association for Media Literacy Education biannual conference in 2009, Chris Sperry draws lessons from 30 years integrating media decoding into high school social studies and English classes. Beginning with a 6-minute video from a high school academic performance about the Middle East, Sperry connects media literacy methodologies and materials to the development of core knowledge, skills, attitudes and motivation in adolescents. By Chris Sperry, The National Association for Media Literacy Education's Journal of Media Literacy Education, Vol. 48 No. 1, September 2010.

Teaching Critical Thinking Through Media Literacy

Constructivist media decoding in the science classroom trains students to carefully examine information and messages in different types of media; to interpret meaning while applying knowledge and identifying document-based evidence; to ask a consistent set of questions about all media messages that address sourcing, meaning, and credibility; to draw well-reasoned conclusions after weighing the evidence, evaluating different interpretations, and reflecting on their own biases; and to share their observations and conclusions and defend their analysis. The teachers saw this technique as a way of teaching inquiry related to everyday messages in the media. By Chris Sperry, Science Scope, Summer 2012.

Media Constructions of Peace and Social Justice: Reflecting Diversity

Related to kit: Media Constructions of Martin Luther King, Jr.

The webinar offers educators and teachers-in-training pedagogical techniques and curriculum materials related to peace and social justice topics to support diversity in the media documents we choose for classroom decoding. We explore how to seek out and use diverse media sources to deepen critical thinking practice with our students.

Media Constructions of Food Justice: Shining a Light on Equity, Economy and Sustainability

Related to kit: Media Constructions of Sustainability: Fingerlakes

The webinar offers pre-service and high school teachers along with college and community food justice educators pedagogical techniques and curriculum materials to support a deeper understanding of how to tie goals to content in lesson design.

Media Constructions of Presidential Campaigns

Related to kit: Media Constructions of Presidential Campaigns

The webinar offers high school educators and teachers-in-training pedagogical techniques and free curriculum materials to support a deeper understanding of how to use a wide variety of media forms across the historical spectrum - media from 19th century portraits, songs and handbills, to 21st century websites, twitter and email - to study historical context and to question their credibility.

Media Constructions of Martin Luther King Jr.

Related to kit: Media Constructions of Martin Luther King, Jr.

This webinar offers pedagogical techniques and curriculum materials to support a deeper understanding of how to use a wide variety of media documents that: support content teaching about social justice movements, examine media representations of ongoing struggles against racism and the practice of nonviolence, and encourage analysis of meanings and messages constructed about Dr. King's life.

Lesson Elements

The Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Online Guide consists of a series of pull-down menus and embedded links to specific examples from existing Project Look Sharp curriculum kits and lessons, particularly those designed for community groups and broad audiences, such as the sustainability curriculum kits. These suggestions on the topic of Lesson Elements include sections on: providing background information, adding additional information, extending the activity, and evaluating student learning.

Question Design

The Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Online Guide consists of a series of pull-down menus and embedded links to specific examples from existing Project Look Sharp curriculum kits and lessons, particularly those designed for community groups and broad audiences, such as the sustainability curriculum kits. These suggestions on the topic of Question Design include sections on: understanding the nature of effective key questions, address content knowledge, literacy and critical thinking, designing effective probe questions, and develop culminating and further questions.

Selection of Media Documents

The Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Online Guide consists of a series of pull-down menus and embedded links to specific examples from existing Project Look Sharp curriculum kits and lessons, particularly those designed for community groups and broad audiences, such as the sustainability curriculum kits. These suggestions on the topic of Selection of Media Documents include sections on: selecting media formats, searching for media documents, addressing copyright issues, seeking diverse representations, tracing media sources, teaching rigorous independent and reflective thought, and do no harm.

Lesson Conception

The Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Online Guide consists of a series of pull-down menus and embedded links to specific examples from existing Project Look Sharp curriculum kits and lessons, particularly those designed for community groups and broad audiences, such as the sustainability curriculum kits. These suggestions on the topic of Lesson Conception include sections on: tying to your goals, choosing strategic learning and teaching options, and adapting Project Look Sharp (PLS) lessons.

High School Students Speak about Media Literacy

Documents students' reactions to media literacy integration at their school and how it has impacted their lives and learning experiences.

High School Social Studies: National Geographic's Africa

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, Seeing Africa. Students reflect on stereotyping while analyzing the representation of Africa in the lead pages from the 20 National Geographic articles on Africa in the 1990's.

High School Social Studies: Newsweek Covers on US Wars in Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan

Related to kit: Media Constructions of War: A Critical Reading of History

An example of leading a class through a constructivist media decoding using a lesson from our kit, Media Construction of War. Students in this video are lead to decode Newsweek covers from various US Wars.

Does Fair Use of Copyright Apply in Education?

Explains Project Look Sharp's approach to creating curriculum that contains copyrighted media materials. Media materials can be reproduced and used where critiquing of the media is the central objective.

How Does a Teacher Lead a Media Decoding?

Related to kit: Media Constructions of Presidential Campaigns

Demonstrates best practices used for leading a media decoding in the classroom. Be sure to read the subtitles while viewing the video as they refer to the pedagogical implications.

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.