Looking for free resources on fighting fake news and developing your students' media literacy skills? Here are some highlights from our activities, lessons, case studies and guest blog posts.
Teaching students how to identify fake news is a daunting task since many adults continue to struggle with this skill. It is imperative that we teach these essential digital literacy skills to students so they automatically think critical y before clicking, sharing, and assuming what they see online is true. I've rounded up some resources and lessons for teaching students how to evaluate information online and identify fake news. 1. iCivics Fake News Literacy Unit Thank you to a member of the Teach With Tech Facebook Group for sharing this fantastic resource. iCivics, founded by Justice Sandra Day O'Conner, is
Current events are a great way for children and teens to learn about the world around them. Teach current events with these free resources.
This blog post explores engaging resources, lessons, and activities for making media literacy relevant in the 21st-century classroom.
It is really hard to find resources to teach media literacy to K-2 students! If you have a subscription to Brainpop, they do have an excel...
Media is exploding around us, and media literacy needs to be taught to every teen. Practice functional literacy and current vocabulary in speech therapy, resource room, or other special education settings. It is so important for all middle school and high school students to be able to sort through social media, misinformation, influencers, bots, and biases. This resource explains to students what media literacy is, and teaches them how to think critically about internet, TV, advertisements, social media, the news, and more. It includes introduction stories about each topic, comprehension and discussion questions, and worksheet activities. This resource targets the following aspects of media literacy: What is Media Literacy? Internet Social Media Influencers Television Advertising What is a Bias? How to Double Check News Media Literacy Review You may also be interested in: Executive Functioning for Teens Bundle Social Skills for Teens Bundle
This blog post explores engaging resources, lessons, and activities for making media literacy relevant in the 21st-century classroom.
Even my students who “don’t have time” for homework spend 2-3 hours a day on Facebook, YouTube, and Netflix. Our students consume media in amazing quantities, and it’s said that traditional advertising doesn’t work on their generation. As advertisers become more and more savvy in an attempt to break through to their younger listeners, it’s important that students understand how to identify the ways in which a speaker could be manipulating their emotions and instincts. Here are some activities for helping students develop an awareness of persuasive techniques. You can use these to start a larger conversation about being an informed viewer (and citizen!) in today’s media-driven climate. 1. Introduction to Rhetoric Use this activity to introduce (or refresh) ethos, logos, and pathos. Students watch two videos and complete a Doodle Notes worksheet, eventually synthesizing the concepts. My students really enjoy watching these short, animated videos a couple of times in order to make sure they “get it”, and the Doodle Notes provide a nice visual to help them remember the important ideas! You can grab them here. 2. “Buy My Pencil” In this activity, students try to convince each other to buy a pencil. They will employ a variety of persuasive techniques, even if they do not yet have the names for all of them. This is because students absorb persuasion constantly, and demonstrate various techniques on a hunch. After a few minutes of letting them try to sell a partner their pencil, call students back together and have them describe the techniques they used. To extend this, you can have students perform these impromptu skits in front of a larger group or in front of the class. This is a great way to get some informal public speaking practice, and I’m always a proponent of making public speaking less intimidating. 3. Introduction to Persuasive Techniques I use this interactive PowerPoint will help students put names to the techniques they’ve grown up hearing and using. Students will be able to identify techniques in context and apply their knowledge of ethos, logos, and pathos. To break up the term-definition monotony, I have students “buzz in” to identify the techniques in some example ads. I also include Think-Pair-Share to get them to generate more examples of various techniques they’ve seen in recent commercials. 4. Persuasive Tweets A fun bellringer or exit slip activity for practicing persuasive techniques is Persuasive Tweets. In 140 characters or less, students can use one persuasive technique to sell something. I’ve had success giving all students one item (similar to “Buy My Pen”) and having them draw a persuasive technique from a hat. You can download my list of persuasive techniques for this activity here. 5. News Literacy Project The News Literacy Project is a new tool that I would like to integrate into my curriculum throughout the year to help students determine the credibility and levels of bias in various news reports. I’m still in the early stages of exploring this project, but they have online modules that take students through the steps of developing media literacy. According to their site, “As students progress through the checkology™ platform, journalists from The New York Times, The Washington Post, BuzzFeed, NBC News and other news outlets are joined by experts on the First Amendment and digital media to guide them through each lesson’s core concepts. These e-learning experiences use real-world examples of news and information that test students’ emerging skills and lead them to mastery.” This has huge potential to help our students become informed, discerning citizens! Wow! 6. Commercial Analysis My students really enjoy applying their new knowledge to commercials! This is a perfect activity to use in this post-football time of the year. Students are still talking about commercials aired during the Super Bowl, and you can find a “top ten” list of commercials to bring to class (vetted first by you for content). Have students choose a commercial, and follow this step-by-step analysis of persuasive techniques. They can complete this alone or in pairs, and can present in small groups. For an added bonus, let them show the commercials in class. Persuasive Techniques are a great way to get students engaged and thinking. You can help develop their media literacy and challenge them to consider the incoming messages. 7. Pop Culture Analysis I LOVE implementing short texts, like music, songs, video games, and more. I simply can't stand the hours of research it entails to find the right short text...so, we've done that part for you with a Pop Culture Analysis Bundle that features... 🎵 15 short texts (see the titles below) 📽️ 15 easy-to-implement standards-aligned lesson plans 📺 Options for discussion strategies 🎮 Editing capabilities to personalize & differentiate This resource also includes the first digital escape game of Terminus and a week of Poetry Bell Ringers. Each Pop Culture Analysis lesson plan includes… ✨ Background information on the short text ✨ Any pre-knowledge (if applicable) ✨ An objective to guide their learning ✨ An anticipatory activity ✨ A group analysis ✨ A wrap-up activity ✨ Extension ideas to continue the learning You can learn more about this resource and even find a FREEBIE of one lesson over at this blog post! Check out these great resources by other Coffee Shop authors: Logical Fallacies by The Daring English Teacher Media Literacy/Advertising Activities by Addie Williams Analyzing Music Videos by Stacey Lloyd What are your favorite resources and activities for teaching persuasive techniques? Pin this article for future reference. :)
This week in Grade 1/2 We are working on finding the "Main Idea" when reading. Here are a few things we did... Main Idea Tab...
Ever thought about using podcasts in your classroom? Or maybe you already are! Podcasts are a great tool for students as they provide instant engagement and practice with listening comprehension. In this resource you will find: Several podcast center signs/designs to choose from (color or b/w) List of recommended podcasts for elementary age students Step-by-step instructions on how to implement and successfully include podcasts in your classroom "The Perfect Podcast" - recommendation slips for students to fill out 20+ organizers, all made for grades 1st - 5th Skills included within organizers: Making Connections Questioning Main idea/details Visualizing (drawing pictures) Reflecting Summarizing Identifying important details Story elements Focusing on Characters Focusing on Setting Focusing on Plot Focusing on Problem/Solution Make a Google Slideshow -------------------- Questions? Email me at [email protected]. Thanks so much! Happy listening! Hannah
Looking for techniques to teach visual literacy? Read on to learn about the OPTIC strategy for rhetorical analysis of visual texts and images.
One strategy for beginning a long-range literacy plan is to determine what should be taught on a monthly basis. Ask yourself, “What goal do I want to accomplish this month?” or “What skill do I want students to develop by the end of the month?” For example, you may want to emphasize procedural writing in one month, then shift the focus to media literacy in another.
