Media Smarts
Selling Obesity
Learners examine health issues that are associated with our fast food culture, and the advertising of it. They begin with a snack-food survey to assess their own eating habits. Pupils are encouraged to think critically throughout the...
Curated OER
Campaign Ad Critique
Students analyze current campaign TV ads and literature. They identify the ad by "type." They learn to look beyond the ad to understand its intended purposes and its real content.
Maryland Department of Education
The Concept of Identity Lesson 3: The Archetypal Approach to Literary Criticism
As class members continue their study of approaches to literary criticism, readers examine the symbolism and archetypal patterns in John Knowles' A Separate Peace, and how these parallels are used to develop a theme...
Curated OER
American Imperialism
Critical analysis skills can be built in a variety of ways. Using editorial cartoons (both domestic and foreign) learners will consider how American Imperialism was perceived during the late 19th century. Critical thinking questions,...
Prestwick House
Fahrenheit 451—Activity Pack
The burning questions is at what point do readers of Fahrenheit 451 recognize the many literary devices Ray Bradbury employs in his dystopian classic that warns of a society that uses media to indoctrinate the public and denigrates...
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Case Study: The 1918 Influenza Pandemic – Factors Beyond the Biological that Influence the Spread of Disease
A very timely lesson looks at the social and political factors that affect the spread of disease. Using the 1918 Influenza Pandemic as a case study, pupils research factors that influenced the spread of the disease, including the role of...
Humane Education Advocates Reaching Teachers
Justice for All - Educating Youth for Social Responsibility: Grades 6-8
Teach middle schoolers how to develop healthy relationships with activities and lessons designed to create a kind and inclusive
classroom. Pupils create guidelines to develop a safe and civil learning environment. They learn how to...
Newseum
Weighing the Arguments
To understand how personal perspectives can affect policy and politics, scholars examine the woman suffrage media map and historical artifacts to analyze arguments for and against women's suffrage. Class members then take on the role of...
Curated OER
Children's Media and Censorship
Students examine the point of censorship when dealing with Students. They explore essays by Stephen King.
Curated OER
Introducing Visual Literacy
Students view examples of images and discuss why a director or writer chose these images. Using different forms of media, they develop their own standards by which to judge television or films. They discover the use of visual literacy...
Curated OER
Wisdom of the Ages
Students reflect on the different stages of life that humans pass through. They challenge common sense assumptions and critically engage media representations of people at different ages. They determine that media have embedded values...
NPR
Distracted by Everything - Being Wired at All Times
This multimedia activity challenges media-savvy learners to look at the critical issue concerning the inundation of technology and multitasking in the classroom, and its effects on the education of themselves and others. The tasks...
Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights
Van Jones: Police Brutality
Develop an understanding of how the media and society are connected and responsible for the defense of universal human rights. Learners investigate and examine the conflicts of police brutality as it is portrayed in the media and through...
Curated OER
Papyrus to PDA
What a great project. Graphic arts learners consider the social, political, and economic impact made by a chosen invention. They build an argument to substantiate their reasons for choosing said invention. They create an oral...
Sharp School
The Bill of Rights and Supreme Court Cases Project
Social media and United States history combine as your young historians design a Facebook page for two major defendants of landmark Supreme Court cases. The resource includes a detailed rubric for research and page design, as well as a...
Curated OER
The Library Dragon
Third graders examine the role of the library media specialist in the school by listening to a read aloud of The Library Dragon and visiting Carmen Agra Deedy's website. They talk about respect for the books and the others using the...
Curated OER
Conversation Lesson: News
In this conversation lesson worksheet, 7th graders use context clues to get the meaning of 8 words, then select 6 news stories from a list of 12 and explain why they would choose those for an evening TV news broadcast.
Curated OER
What Is Your Favorite Place?
Good writing can come from personal places. Budding online authors read an excerpt from a narrative-style newspaper article and then respond to several related writing prompts. They compose blog responses that use vivid imagery to...
Curated OER
Grading Khan Academy
Who is Salman Khan? That is the first question learners will answer after reading a New York Times article about the online math and science educator. They'll read the article and respond to eight questions that ask, who, what, when,...
University of North Carolina
Sociology
What exactly does sociology entail? Sociology is a broad field that covers many topics, including culture, mass media, and social movements. A helpful handout prepares scholars for typical writing found in college-level sociology...
Curated OER
Shrek
Students watch the movie Shrek and compose a text that displays an understanding of the film. Also, they create writing that reflects a critical analysis of content and a personal interpretation of the film's meaning.
Curated OER
Blogging to Create a Community of Writers #6: Writing a Review
Looking for a good social media lesson for your class? Then, this lesson is for you! They study various written reviews, then must choose an item to review of their choice. They can choose from: a book, restaurant, CD/musical...
Curated OER
The Student Cafateria as the "Leafy Chestnut Tree"
Students examine the difference between "news" of earlier periods, and "news" as we know it today. They then go out into the school common areas and analyze news from the perspective of word-of-mouth storys and discuss what they can...
Curated OER
Life as a Legend: Marilyn Monroe: What is Beautiful?
Students consider the notion of beauty and what impact the media and popular culture have on it. In this cross curricular lesson, students examine print ads, write down and share their thoughts on them. Then students form literary groups...