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Techniques and Resources for Teaching

Media Literacy

in K-12 Classrooms

Presented by:

Maine Humanities Teacher Leader Fellows

Jim St. Pierre and Dorie Tripp

Table of Contents

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Importance of Media Literacy

Resources and Techniques for Middle Grades

Resources and Techniques for Elementary Grades

Resources and Techniques for Upper Grades

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Visual Literacy

Media Literacy

01

The importance of media literacy in the classroom.

Why Consider Media Literacy?

• Our students are consumers of multiple forms of media.
• Media literacy = literacy.
• “Being literate in the media age requires critical thinking skills that empower us as we make decisions, whether in the classroom, the living room, the workplace, the boardroom, or the voting booth.” -NAMLE
• Media literacy empowers students to ask questions and make judgements based on evidence, and provides them with the skills they need to become smart consumers and creators of digital media.

Importance of Media Literacy

Article from the National Library of Medicine detailing the different aspects of media literacy

Media Literacy and Critical Thinking

The linked article in Edutopia discusses how to train students to think critically using media they are familiar with

Media in Elementary Grades

We Should Teach Media Literacy in Elementary School

Helping children distinguish fake from real news will give them a lifelong benefit

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02

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Media Literacy in Elementary School

The Power of Words:

One way to begin fostering media literacy in young students is through exploring the power of words. This offers ways for children to evaluate language. Once they have this ability, it is easy to build basic media literacy skills.

Building Basic Media Literacy Skills:

• Begin to build media literacy by providing students with vocabulary, tools, and model questioning.

• Children are exposed to media at a very early age.
• Help students identify the variety of ways they receive media information.

Exposure

Awareness

Student Resources:

Maine DOE MOOSE Modules

The MOOSE module to the left is a good place to start teaching students how to interpret images through things they already understand.

Media Education Lab

The MEL has a host of useful resources for teaching media literacy in the classroom.

Media Literacy

in the Middle Grades

03

Where questioning of the media really begins:

• Who created this message?
• What did they hope to accomplish?
• What are their belief systems?

• What lifestyles, values, and points of view are represented or omitted in this message?
• What does this tell me about how other people live and believe?
• Does this message leave anything or anyone out?

• How do I interpret this message?
• How and why might different people understand it differently from me?
• What can I learn about myself based on my interpretation?

• Why was this message sent?
• Who sent it?
• Is it trying to tell me something?
• Is it trying to sell me something?

Who?

How?

What?

Why?

Allen, B. J., Difference Matters: Communicating Social Identity, 2nd ed. (Long Grove, IL: Waveland, 2011), 29, 34.

A great place to start…

Political Cartoons. You can find many at the Library of Congress Archives

Discuss how to interpret an image and then have students construct their own or one from another point of view.

The He Man Effect by Box Brown

Brown’s comic is sensibly laid out with simple images and clear transitions. It is easy to follow and high interest.

Checkology

A free online teaching program

Media Literacy

in the Upper Grades

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Resources

This fabulous book is a comprehensive study of the origins and development of media manipulation.

The Influencing Machine

The Influencing Machine is a more in depth yet equally accessible comic with a fair bit of prose as well.

LibreTexts

Libretexts offers free textbooks including several about media studies

Sample Lesson

This is a very controversial commercial by Gillette. I show it to students and we discuss its purpose. Is it meant to sell a product? Advance a public relations campaign? What?

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Then, students need to find another commercial with similar elements.

Visual Literacy

Hand-in-hand with Media Literacy is concept of Visual Literacy. Teaching students to question and interpret images, even at an early age, can dramatically increase their Media Literacy as well. There are several resources that can help with this skill even at a young age.

Visual Literacy Today is a great place to start. This organization has a website with a host of resources for all grade levels from pre-K to college.

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Sample Lesson for Primary Grades

Edutopia article, “How to Incorporate Visual Literacy in Your Instruction”

When students make observations, they learn how to describe what they see, interpret the images, and then make deeper connections.”

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Sample Lesson for Middle Grades

Visual Literacy Lessons on Edutopia, “Common Core in Action: 10 Visual Literacy Strategies”

Sample Lesson for Upper Grades

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Here is a very accessible but informative video about the basics of visual literacy as well as its importance.

After reviewing the video, I will present images connected to our topic of study. Consider the following images regarding World War 1 which we review when reading All Quiet on the Western Front.

Questions to ask

• Look Closely
• Dig Deeper
• Share with a Friend
• Look Again

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Following the discussion that arises from this process, I have students find other images and discuss all of the angles the these images should be considered from:

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• Who made the image?
• What messages are being conveyed?
• Where was the image displayed?
• What emotions are being addressed?
• How is the viewer being manipulated?
• What other questions should be asked when viewing the images?

Things to consider when viewing photographs

• What is the subject of the photograph?
• Where was the photograph taken?
• What equipment was used to take the photograph?
• Who is viewing the photograph?
• Where is the photograph displayed?
• What is the subject meant to convey?

Questions?

Thanks!

Contact Hours:

Fill out this google form.

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Contact Us:

james.st.pierre@maine.gov

dorie.tripp@maine.gov

Website: Maine Humanities

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