PBS
Pbs News Hour: Did Fake News Influence the Outcome of Election 2016?
Don't believe everything that is read on the Internet! So many people around the world follow the news, all news, that they find posted on social media. Some news is real, some news is fake. How much of the fake news might have...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Ideas in Action: Visit Other Classrooms
Teachers address the practice of visiting other classrooms to observe student argumentation and criticism in mathematics. [1:19]
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Virtual Professional Learning Series
Our Virtual Professional Learning Series is created for teachers-by teachers-to bring together content experts and educators from all backgrounds. With an emphasis on fun, engaging, accessible, and free tools for classrooms, these...
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Junk Mail: Negotiating Critical Literacy at the Mailbox
Contains plans for three lessons that teach learners to examine junk mail critically. In addition to objectives and standards, this instructional plan contains links to sites used in the lessons as well as assessment and reflection...
Media Smarts
Media Smarts: Stay on the Path Lesson One: Searching for Treasure
This four-lesson unit on search skills and critical thinking teaches young scholars how to target and specify their online searches to avoid unwanted results, how to judge whether a link, search result, or website is legitimate or phony...
McREL International
Mid Continent Research for Education and Learning: Deconstructing Media Messages
This brief lesson focuses on the roles that many different people play in the creation of media messages and advertising.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Pbs News Hour Student Reporting Labs Collection
Student Reporting Labs (SRL) creates transformative educational experiences through video journalism that inspire youth to find their voice and engage with their communities. SRL lesson plans, assignment prompts and instruction tools...
Edutopia
Edutopia: Media Smarts: Students Evolve From Consumers to Critics and Creator
This article from Edutopia offers an overview of both the importance of media literacy and some innovative examples of teaching media literacy.
Other
How to Detect Media Bias & Propaganda [Pdf]
A portion of a larger book, this site is critical of journalism as it is presently practiced. This portion offers characteristics of critical news consumers.
Other
Rhetorica Network: Media / Political Bias
A detailed explanation of how bias works is offered at this site, including critical questions for detecting bias in writing.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Detective Elmo: The Cookie Case
Critical thinking is the spotlight here as you help Detective Elmo save Cookie Monster and crack the cookie case!
Media Smarts
Media Smarts: How to Recognize False Content Online: The New 5 Ws [Pdf]
A tip sheet to help both students and adults learn how to test online content for validity.
American Library Association
Aasl: Standards for the 21st Century Learner
This document contains the Standards for the 21st-Century Learner published by the American Library Association. The standards provide a conceptual framework and broad guidelines for describing the information-literate student. These...
NPR: National Public Radio
Npr: Fake or Real? How to Self Check the News and Get the Facts
Read a story on Facebook. Read the headline and think it's too good to be true, but it looks like it's from a news site. Experts offer tips to help sniff out fact from fake. One of today's greatest challenges in a media bombarded culture.
Other
Media Education Foundation: Deconstructing an Advertisement [Pdf]
Outline of the steps involved and the questions to ask in critically assessing a print advertisement.
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: How False News Can Spread
In previous decades, most news with global reach came from several major newspapers and networks with the resources to gather information directly. The speed with which information spreads now, however, has created the ideal conditions...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Missing From Texts: Critical Changemakers
Here are some changemakers from around the country who do amazing work and deserve to be celebrated for their contributions, the pathways they have set before and ahead of themselves, and the inspiration they provide to the countless...
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: The Re:constructions Project
re:constructions is an online resource and study guide, designed to spark discussions and reflections about the media's role in covering the events of 11 September 2001 and their aftermath. Through discussions with students, staff, and...
Education Development Center
Digital Literacy: Skills for the 21st Century
This tool kit makes the case that critical and creative use of multimedia authoring tools such as PowerPoint must be taught to students. Lessons, background material, assessment and interactive activities are included.
Other
Webliminal: Critically Evaluating Information on the Internet
This site gives excellent information on why it's important to evaluate the content of everything you find in cyberspace, and also tells you how to do so. It also contains information about using search engines effectively and how to...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Pov Collection
POV (a cinema term for "point of view") is television's longest-running showcase for independent non-fiction films. POV premieres 14-16 of the best, boldest and most innovative programs every year on PBS. Since 1988, POV has presented...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Retro Report Collection
Retro Report is a nonprofit news organization that connects the past to our present. Their short videos provide both historical context and new perspectives. You can use the videos and lesson plans to inspire critical thinking and...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Whose Streets?: Lesson Plan Clips
This lesson provides a framework for critical analysis of current and historic race relations in America through the lens of the 2014 shooting of Michael Brown, Jr., a young unarmed black man, by white police officer Darren Wilson in...
Other
Frank Baker: Information Literacy Exercise
Using an article from Dateline Hollywood, this lesson explores a media message and examines its content.