Media Literacy Lessons & Activities
The Illusion of Choice
This infographic may be a little out of date, but it does so much to inspire conversation in a classroom. Have your students, ages 12-18, review the infographic in pairs. You may want to have them answer a few questions about it. Then, discuss why this all matters. How does it affect our lives?
Advertising Webquest
This advertising webquest is a great introduction to the different kinds of advertising in our world. Pair it with the chart download below for a complete 30-minute activity. Works for grades 4-7.
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Media Perceptions of Ancient Egypt
In this 50-minute lesson, students analyze film clips featuring ancient Egypt to determine how modern myths and assumptions about cultures are created. The structure of this lesson can be applied to any ancient historical time period.
Watch & Write
The simplest-- and sometimes most effective-- media literacy exercise is simply to have students watch something and think about it. Use the CML's 5 Key Questions to guide students toward deep, analytical thinking.
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Utopia/Dystopia in Film
If you are teaching any of the popular sci fi canon that takes place in a utopia/dystopia (The Giver, 1984, Brave New World, Lord of the Flies, Clockwork Orange, etc.), search Youtube for some movie trailers. I like using Minority Report, Gattaca, The Hunger Games, Vanilla Sky... Screen these trailers to students and use this worksheet as a companion. Lesson plan to come.
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Media from the 1930s
This lesson encourages students to examine media artifacts from the 1930s to learn more about the historical setting of Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Although the Logans seem worlds away from movie theaters and magazine advertisements, in this lesson, students realize that their plight does not exist in a vacuum.
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Gender & Digital Life
This is NOT my lesson plan. I attended a workshop recently hosted by Commonsense Media. They modeled this lesson. I can't wait to use it with my students.
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A Journey to Media Literacy
Show this short film created by European Association of Viewer Interests to teachers or students to spark a discussion. Good for a media literacy professional development or an intro to media literacy class.
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