Research Guides: Teaching Media & News Literacy: Menu

“Media literacy is the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, create, and act using all forms of communication. It empowers people to be critical thinkers and makers, effective communicators, and active citizens.” --NAMLE

Media and news literacy is an important part of education at all levels. Below you will find a collection of easy-to-use, current resources to help you incorporate media and news literacy into your classroom. The resources come in different formats and cover a range of grade levels. The research section provides a short list of reports that advocate for and show the importance of teaching media literacy. The professional development section provides resources to help you stay current on the state of media and news literacy.

Contains Videos Customizable Resource Includes Assessments

Lessons & Activities

Individual lesson plans and activities best suited to integrating media and news literacy into existing assignments.

Citizen Literacy
Recommended! From the University of Louisville Libraries, this resource includes lesson plans, handouts, and videos on recognizing fake news, understanding the impact of online algorithms, and lateral reading. Lessons are designed to be easily incorporated into a wide range of subjects.
Lesson plans; high school; college; adult learner
Digital and Civic Literacy Skills
From the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Learning for Justice, this site includes lessons and learning outcomes for grades K-12 on locating, engaging with, producing, and evaluating online information.
Lesson plans; K-12
Digital Citizenship Curriculum
Recommended! Lesson plans, slides, videos on media & well-being, privacy, digital footprints, digital drama & hate speech, and news & media literacy.
Lesson plans; K-12
Hoaxy
A gamified experience aimed at uncovering the spread of and identification of false or misleading information on Twitter and other sites.
Game; high school; college; adult learner
How to Choose Your News
A TED Ed video highlighting how to be a smart news consumer. Includes discussion questions, suggested next steps and is customizable.
Lesson plan; middle school; high school
Media literacy: Crash Course
Series of videos advertising, funding, influence, and policy surrounding media literacy.
Videos; middle school; high school
Navigating Digital Information: Crash Course
Short videos on a series of digital literacy topics including, lateral reading, fact-checking, evaluating photos & videos, and more.
Videos; middle school; high school
News Literacy Project: Resource Library
Lesson Plan, assessments, activities, and classroom posters on a variety of news and media literacy topics. Lessons can be grouped together to create a news literacy unit or integrated into existing assignments at the point of need. Free account required.
Lesson plans; grades 4-12
SIFT (The Four Moves)
Recommended! This site from Mike Caulfield outlines a simple framework for web evaluation that goes beyond a black and white checklist. It is appropriate for any assignment that requires students to find their own online research. A link to the 2.5 hour mini course called, Check Please!, is included. Check Please! consists of 5 customizable lessons.
Lesson plans; high school; middle school; college
TED Ed Videos: Media & Journalism
Recommended! TED talks and animations on a range of media topics including: fake news, stats in the news, filter bubbles, and more. Customizable videos with interactive questions and discussions.
Videos; grade school; middle school; high school; college

Units & Full Courses

Lesson plans and learning resources that can be built into full units. Works best when you have several class periods to devote to news and media literacy as a stand-alone concept.

Center for News Literacy
Creators of the open online course, Making Sense of the News, aimed at college and high school students. Also includes a digital resource center that collects a wide variety of lessons and activities for topics in news literacy.
Lesson plans, full course; high school; college
Checkology
Includes interactive lessons, teachers guides with standard alignment, and customizable content for Middle and High School learners. Requires free account.
Lesson plans; middle school; high school
Civic Online Reasoning
Recommended! A leader in digital literacy education, Civic Online Reasoning provides lesson plans, assessments, and videos on evaluating online information. Lessons can be grouped together to create a news literacy unit or integrated into existing assignments at the point of need. Most lessons are modified for multiple learning levels. Free account required.
Lesson plans; 4-12; college
CTRL-F
A series of online lessons that include videos, practice activities, and assessments. Focuses on teaching quick strategies to evaluate online information. Free account required.
Lesson plans; middle school; high school; college
Web Literacy for Student Fact Checkers
An open educational resource by Mike Caulfield. This textbook can be used as is or customized to suit various learning outcomes.
Textbook; OER; high school; college

Professional Development

Free Press
National advocacy group promoting open access to information, media accountability, and online privacy. Find resources and tools to get involved in topics surrounding information privilege.
Professional development; educational organizations
Is That a Fact?
A podcast focusing on misleading and false online information and how that information originates.
Professional development
KQED Teach Media Academy for Educators
Recommended! Digital media professional development. Free, hands-on lessons for educators for teaching video production, podcasting, interactive media, and more. Wisconsin cohort: https://pbswisconsineducation.org/medialiteracy/about/
Professional development
National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE)
Promoting media literacy education through conferences, newsletters, educator networking and national advocacy. Sponsors the U.S. Media Literacy Week. Membership is free.
Professional development; educational organizations
The Sift
Recommended! The News Literacy Project’s weekly newsletter. Find current examples of viral misinformation and tips for included them in your classroom. Highlights new trends, research, and news related to media literacy.
Professional development; classroom resources
The Trust Project
An international consortium aimed at increasing transparency and accountability in the news industry. Creators of the Trust Indicators, a set of guidelines designed to help journalists and the general public assess news reliability.
Professional development; research

Research

Data & Society: Media Manipulation & Disinformation
Collects current research and journalism on media and misinformation topics.
Research; reports; news
Evaluating Information: The Cornerstone of Civic Online Reasoning
An executive summary from the Stanford History Education Group of a broad range of tested assessments & tasks to measure online evaluation skills in high school and college students. Includes on overview of the tasks and results.
Research; reports
Lateral Reading and the Nature of Expertise: Reading Less and Learning More When Evaluating Digital Information.
A 2018 study that evaluates how different groups of users evaluate online information. Outlines a fact-checking strategy recommended for finding reliable information online.
Research; reports
Pew Research Center: Internet & Technology
Find reports on a broad range of topics including policy, social media, emerging technology, and public attitudes regarding digital media. The Pew Research Center is not affiliated with any political position and does not advocate for any particular point of view.
Research; reports
The Republic is (Still) at Risk — and Civics is Part of the Solution
This report from Tufts University’s Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life focuses on the importance of civics education, including news & media literacy, as an equalizing force in American education.
Research; reports