All resources in Youth Services Librarians

What's the Matter with Trash?

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What's the Matter with Trash?Have you ever wondered what happens to trash once you throw it away?  You may know that it goes to a dumpster or that the trash collectors come and get it.  But, what happens then?  Some of the items you throw away will break down into smaller parts, some might get heated in fire, and others will get buried underground in landfills and might never break down at all!  Trash and the many ways humans “get rid” of it can cause a number of health issues for the community. You will explore the properties of materials we throw away and how you can make your community cleaner and healthier by learning to recycle, reuse, and reduce waste. You will then influence your community by convincing others to improve solid waste management.

Material Type: Unit of Study

Author: Eric Cromwell

Feathered Phenomena

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We have a problem to solve in our school community – litter on our school grounds. We know that this litter can have negative effects on our local bird populations. Sometimes problem-solvers, such as engineers, study natural phenomena to figure out solutions to problems.

Material Type: Unit of Study

Author: Eric Cromwell

Deepfakes: Exploring Media Manipulation

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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.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson, Lesson Plan

Author: Shana Ferguson

How a Medium Changes Discourse

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OverviewThe medium we choose to communicate a message can affect how that message is conveyed and how well the message will be understood by the receiver of the message.  This lesson gives the students a concrete way of seeing the effect a medium has on a message.  This lesson is part of a media unit curated at our Digital Citizenship website, "Who Am I Online?"

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson

Authors: John Sadzewicz, Beth Clothier, Angela Anderson, Dana John

How does the media impact our view of the role of government during times of national crisis

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How does the media influence peoples’ opinion of the government during a national crisis? Students will read several articles on a current (or historical) national crisis and write an argumentative essay analyzing how the media influences the opinion of the people toward the government during a national crisis using relevant evidence from both current and historical resources.

Material Type: Assessment, Diagram/Illustration, Homework/Assignment

Author: Dawn Wood

Introduction to Civic Online Reasoning for Distance Learning

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This collection of lessons represent adapted and remixed instructional content for teaching media literacy and specifically civic online reasoning through distance learning. These lessons take students through the steps necessary to source online content, verify evidence presented, and corroborate claims with other sources. The original lesson plans are the work of Stanford History Education Group, licensed under CC 4.0. Please refer to the full text lesson plans at Stanford History Education Group’s, Civic Online Reasoning Curriculum for specifics regarding background, research findings, and additional curriculum for teaching media literacy in the twenty-first century.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Assessment, Homework/Assignment, Interactive, Lecture Notes, Lesson Plan

Authors: Adrienne Williams, Heather Galloway, Morgen Larsen, Rachel Obenchain, Stanford History Education Group-Civic Online Reasoning Project

23 Things for Digital Knowledge

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23 Things is a suite of 23 self-paced online modules that cover a range of topics from video editing to basic coding. Each module or 'thing' consists of information, interactive activities, and invitations to try out various open and free software applications and technologies. The modules have been created using H5P and can be downloaded individually as a single H5P file, modified and re-used under a CC-BY-SA licence - simply click on the 'reuse' link at the bottom of each module. The content was created by Curtin University students as part of a 'students as partners' project.

Material Type: Full Course, Interactive

Author: Curtin University Library

Reading Media: Analyzing Logos, Ads, & Film in the ELA classroom

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This media literacy unit was designed and piloted with junior English classes at the start of the school year. Activities can easily be adapted to suit secondary students at various levels. Within the unit, students analyze corporate logos, corporate advertising, movie trailers and stereotypes found in media related to Native American culture. Within the unit, students also learn how to consider the ways in which media appeals to ethos, pathose and logos and how to identify the tone of a piece of media. 

Material Type: Homework/Assignment, Lesson, Lesson Plan, Reading, Unit of Study

Author: Shana Ferguson

Introduction to Visual Media Literacy

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This social media literacy unit introduces students to foundational skills in analyzing images and social media posts. It also reenforces critical thinking questions that can be applied to various forms of media. This unit was taught to 9th grade students but is easily adaptible to a range of secondary classrooms. It was also taught in conjunction with another unit focused on social media platforms and content.

Material Type: Assessment, Homework/Assignment, Lesson Plan, Reading, Unit of Study

Author: Shana Ferguson

Identifying Media Bias in News Sources

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Identifying Media Bias in News Sources through activites using relevant news sources to answer the following essential question:Why is this important and relevant today?Students are engaging with a growing number of news sources and must develop skills to interpret what they see and hear.Media tells stories with viewpoints and biases that shape our worldviews.Students must become critical consumers of media which is essential for being an informed citizen.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Assessment, Homework/Assignment, Lesson Plan, Reading, Student Guide, Teaching/Learning Strategy

Authors: Sandra Stroup, Heidi Morris, Greg Saum, Sally Drendel

Two Truths and a Lie Online: Media Literacy for Young Adults

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The internet is full of false information and ads. Sometimes it can be challenging to decipher the validity of content. It is important to learn how to critically evaluate online material for several reasons: you want to know what type of information is trustworthy online, you want to be an informed digital citizen, and you want to ensure that the information that you are using for a school assignment is factual. The purpose of “Two Truths and a Lie Online” is to teach you how to critically evaluate online resources so that you can be both an informed consumer and producer of digital content.

Material Type: Unit of Study

Authors: Deirdre Grace, Erica Hargreave, Jeff Tan, Sarah McLean