Description: The attached unit has incorporated Media Literacy for Social Studies by scaffolding a variety of primary source document activities of varying perspectives on New Imperialism (1850-1914) which allow the studnt to identify possible bias or misinformation. The guided questions which accompany the primary sources ask the student to explain differing responses and to think critically about why those responses may be different depending on the context. 

The following artifact analysis worksheet was designed and developed by the Education Staff of the National Archives and Records Administration. You may find this worksheet useful as you introduce students to artifacts and primary sources of material culture, society and history.

The following artifact analysis worksheet was designed and developed by the Education Staff of the National Archives and Records Administration. You may find this worksheet useful as you introduce students to artifacts and primary sources of material culture, society and history.

In his book, Reclaiming the Black Past, author and professor Pero Dagbovie explains how black history is taught in schools and used in popular culture including movies like Green Book. He discussed criticism of the way history is shown and the points of views that are highlighted.

This lesson gives students a strategy for evaluating sources.  This lesson is part of a media unit curated at our Digital Citizenship website, "Who Am I Online?".

SYNOPSIS: In this lesson, students think critically about carbon emission reduction strategies proposed by companies.

SCIENTIST NOTES: This lesson challenges students to analyze "green" claims and provides context to "net zero" greenhouse gas emission goals. Students are tasked with evaluating a company’s sustainability plan and then presenting their findings to classmates. The included video resources are well-sourced and highlight how greenwashing can mislead consumers and how "net zero" emission goals are often just a way for corporations to procrastinate on taking meaningful steps to mitigate climate change. This lesson is recommended for teaching.

POSITIVES:
-Students will be assessing the validity of sustainability plans within companies which helps with critical thinking skills.
-Students become more informed consumers.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-Teachers should try to find their school or Board of Education’s sustainability policy prior to class.
-Teachers should be familiar with what a sustainability plan looks like.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-Students may need help with research techniques. Teacher could give five options for students to choose from, and the students pick a company from those five options.
-Students may need help picking a company to research. Students can focus on companies where they spend money, either online or in their neighborhood.

The cartoon analysis worksheet was designed and developed by the Education Staff of the National Archives and Records Administration. This worksheet will be useful when introducing students to cartoons as sources of historical, social and cultural information.

The cartoon analysis worksheet was designed and developed by the Education Staff of the National Archives and Records Administration. This worksheet will be useful when introducing students to cartoons as sources of historical, social and cultural information.

This kit provides teachers and other educators with the materials and guidance to help fourth grade students understand the reasons that the British colonists elected to declare their independence from King George III between the years 1763-1776. As a part of these lessons students will be encouraged to consider the intent and impact of media documents from a variety of points of view including those of the colonists, King George, patriots, loyalists, slaves and Native Americans.

What is fake news? Why does it matter? How do we challenge it?
This resource is as much about learning about fake news as it is about taking a step back to pause and reflect.

After a warm up "Real or fake" test to engage students in the topic, we get into the crux of the matter, looking at where fake news comes from, it's often political nature and financial incentive, and who is targeted by it.

If fake news is nothing new in human history, recent inventions have massively increased the range and speed at which information spreads. Smartphones and social media means we have never, potentially, been more exposed to fake news and this has negative consequences, including stigmatization of people, reinforcement of stereotypes, the closing rather than opening of discussion and debate. It can even lead to violence.

Thankfully, we can challenge fake news thanks to our critical thinking. An extensive range of tips and steps we can take are taken from the Navigating the News (Part II) resource and linked in the resource before it finishes off with a "fake news" game into order to practice and stimulate thinking more.

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This resource is part of the information science collection.

This kit is a historical overview of American representations of chemicals from the three sisters to the Love Canal. It compares conflicting constructions about nuclear reactor safety, depleted uranium, Rachel Carson and DDT. Through analyzing diverse historic and contemporary media messages, students understand changing public knowledge, impressions and attitudes about chemicals in the environment.

From June 2018 to May 2019, we administered an assessment to 3,446 students, a national sample that matches the demographic profile of high school students in the United States. The six exercises in our assessment gauged students’ ability to evaluate digital sources on the open internet. The results—if they can be summarized in a word—are troubling: •Fifty-two percent of students believed a grainy video claiming to show ballot stuffing in the 2016 Democratic primaries (the video was actually shot in Russia) constituted “strong evidence” of voter fraud in the U.S. Among more than 3,000 responses, only three students tracked down the source of the video, even though a quick search turns up a variety of articles exposing the ruse. Two-thirds of students couldn’t tell the difference between news stories and ads (set off by the words “Sponsored Content”) on Slate’s homepage.Ninety-six percent of students did not consider why ties between a climate change website and the fossil fuel industry might lessen that website’s credibility. Instead of investigating who was behind the site, students focused on superficial markers of credibility: the site’s aesthetics, its top-level domain, or how it portrayed itself on the About page.

This guide walks you through the Civic Online Reasoning curriculum from the Stanford History Education Group. Their extensive suite of lessons and assessments helps students acquire skills for thinking critically about the information they find online. The target audience is high school but some lessons can be adapted for younger students. 

This lesson begins with a look at data storage in the cloud. Cloud computing provides convenience, but there are tradeoffs in security. Our digital lives are stored in data centers around the world. Securing that data leads us to a model for information security known as the CIA (Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability) Triad.

The objectives of this kit are to improve student perceptions of older adults in terms of creativity, flexibility and competence, and to broaden their understanding of what constitutes "creative" expression. Both documentary and feature films were used in order to explore the differences in intent between these different media, as well as the issues of time period, race, gender, culture and nationality.

By looking at advertising and mass media critically, students begin to understand how the media oppresses certain groups, convinces people to purchase certain products, and influences culture.

By critically analyzing popular television programs, students develop an awareness of the messages that are portrayed through the media.

This kit provides teachers and other educators with the materials to help young children begin to understand the purpose of TV commercials (and advertising in general) in terms of selling intent, and to recognize the types of tricks that advertisers may use to make products look better than they really are. Specific lessons focus on foods groups and misleading nutritional messages commonly found in children's TV commercials, especially the "complete breakfast shot" and highly sugared pseudo-fruit snacks and beverages. Lessons are designed to address developmentally appropriate health standards, and many different commercials are provided so that children can discuss and practice what they have learned.

Students examine what deepfakes are and consider the deeper civic and ethical implications of deepfake technology. In an age of easy image manipulation, this lesson fosters critical thinking skills that empower students to question how we can mitigate the impact of doctored media content. This lesson plan includes a slide deck and brainstorm sheet for classroom use.