Media Literacy: Teaching & Learning Resources

The teaching and learning resources on this page include educational content geared towards both K-12 students and the general public. Additionally this list includes a number of introductory and advanced free online classes to help learners better understand media literacy and build their own skills as critical consumers of information.

Table of Contents

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K-12

  • Checkology – New Literacy Project (NLP): “Checkology is a free e-learning platform with engaging, authoritative lessons on subjects like news media bias, misinformation, conspiratorial thinking and more. Learners develop the ability to identify credible information, seek out reliable sources and apply critical thinking skills to separate fact-based content from falsehoods.
  • Citizen Literacy: “[A]n online toolkit that promotes the development of key information skills for democratic citizenship and features short videos, handouts, and activities that faculty across all disciplines can integrate into their courses and assignments.”
  • Civic Online Reasoning: “[T]he ability to effectively search for, evaluate, and verify social and political information online. We use this term to highlight the civic aims of this work. The ability to evaluate online content has become a prerequisite for thoughtful democratic participation.”
  • Critical Media Project: “[A] free media literacy web resource for educators and students (ages 8-21) that enhances young people’s critical thinking and empathy, and builds on their capacities to advocate for change around questions of identity. CMP has a two-fold mission: To raise critical awareness and provide the tools to decode media representations of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, socio-economic class, religion, age, and disability, and develop an understanding as to how these identities intersect.”
  • CTRL+F: “False and misleading information is rampant online, and people lack the skills and motivation to determine what to trust. To build the next generation of informed citizens, we need to adopt new ways to teach digital media literacy and source evaluation.”
  • “Fact Finder – Your Foolproof Guide to Media Literacy” – NewseumED: “Bring the road-tested tools of journalism from the newsroom to your own news feed. Create a complete course of material on today’s media literacy essentials or sharpen a specific skill, from finding quality news to reporting it.” Additional media literacy resources are available.
    • NewseumED has many other teaching and learning resources (e.g., lesson plans, digital artifacts, historical events overviews) sortable by six levels (3-5, 6-8, 9-12, College, Educator, Adult).
  • “Key Questions to Ask When Analyzing Media Experiences” – National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE): A range of question prompts to consider the authorship, purpose, economics, content, techniques and format, interpretation, responses, and credibility of media.
  • KQED for Educators: [F]ree media literacy teaching and learning hub for educators and students. You’ll find professional development courses, classroom resources and unique tools that allow students to practice critical thinking, media making and civil discourse. Provided by the nonprofit public media station KQED.
  • Lesson Plans from European Association for Viewers Interests: “[A]n  international non-profit organization . . . which advocates media literacy and full citizenship.”
  • Lesson Plans from Metuchen School District: Set of plans for 6-12
  • Media Literacy – Edutopia: “Find and share resources to help students learn to analyze, evaluate, and communicate in a world with countless media sources and constant access to powerful computers.”
  • Media Literacy Booster Pack – NewseumED: This collection of resources offers tools to tackle eight pressing challenges, from recognizing bias and propaganda to leveraging your role as a media contributor.
    • NewseumED has many other teaching and learning resources (e.g., lesson plans, digital artifacts, historical events overviews) sortable by six levels (3-5, 6-8, 9-12, College, Educator, Adult).
  • Media Literacy Collection – ReadWriteThink: Lesson plans, calendar activities, and strategy guides.
    • ReadWriteThink: “[P]rovides educators, parents, and afterschool professionals with access to the highest quality practices in reading and language arts instruction by offering the very best in free materials.”
  • Media Literacy Toolkit – Regional Educational Media Center Association of Michigan (REMC): [D]esigned to support educators as they introduce students to the process of finding, organizing, using, producing, evaluating, and distributing information in a variety of media formats. As students acquire more experience with resources available across all mediums, they need support in evaluating the quality of those resources and the information found there, ways to work ethically and professionally with the resources, and strategies to adjust to rapidly changing technological environments and tools. The materials provided in this toolkit are selected to align with the needs of educators embarking on a learner-centered, job-embedded approach to implementing media literacy activities across all grade levels and content areas.
  • Media Literacy Toolkit – WeTeachNYC: “This collection shares resources designed to inspire students to think critically about the complex messages we receive constantly, through various media. Includes articles, videos, protocols and hands-on activities that offer students the opportunity to analyze and discuss news and “news-y” messages. Practice discerning messages, authorship, and bias is necessary for all astute consumers of digital media.”
  • The Media Monsters – National Association of Media Literacy Educators (NAMLE): A media literacy lesson for young students to “identify, reflect and recognize behaviors and media practices in themselves, and identify the media literacy skills needed to improve the ways they engage with media and think critically about the media messages around them.”
  • MediaSmarts: “[E]ducational resources are designed to provide 7–17 year olds with the understanding and tools they need to be critical consumers of the media, looking at important subjects like social media and digital advertising, influencer marketing and body image.”
  • Media Smarts: Provides over 350 teacher resources for digital media literacy.
  • MediaLit Kit – Center for Media Literacy: “[A]n accessible, integrated, research-based teaching strategy needed to assist schools and districts in organizing and structuring teaching activities using a media literacy lens. Based on longstanding theoretical foundations and a research-based approach, education tools contained in the CML MediaLit Kit™ reflect a philosophy of empowerment through education and articulate the key components of an inquiry-based media literacy education.”
  • MediaWise: Media literacy resources for people of all ages, with online educational content and fact-checking training.
    • Teen Fact-Checking Network: “[A] virtual newsroom made up of middle and high schoolers who use social media to debunk viral misinformation and share media literacy tips.”
  • News Literacy Project Resource Library: “[I]ncludes lesson plans, classroom activities, posters and infographics, quizzes and more for educators teaching news literacy.”
  • “Parents Guide to Media Literacy” – National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE): “Teach your kids to ask questions” – the guide provides simple techniques and examples to promote critical thinking at home.
  • PBS News Hour Classroom: Broad range of media literacy resources.
    • Lesson Plans
      • Build a “Media Literacy Survival Kit”: “Students will create their own survival kit explaining and illustrating what skills, ideas or tips are most important when navigating social media and online claims. Use the student-facing guide for students to collaborate in partners or small groups or modify instructions to best suit your class.”
      • How to Fight Truth Decay Through Media Literacy: “It’s easy to think of “disinformation” as a new problem that has sprung up on social media in just the last few years, but intentional disinformation has been used by governments, organizations and individuals for as long as there’s been media. In this lesson, students will use a PBS NewsHour segment to better understand the tactics of disinformation, then learn about and practice geolocation skills to evaluate viral misinformation in an online activity.”
      • What’s in the Frame? – How Media Literacy Helps Students Watch and Dissect the News: “In this lesson, students will be introduced to the media literacy concept of “framing” of a photograph or a video. They will learn how editorial decisions and viewer awareness can be shaped by what is inside and what is left outside of a frame. Students will begin to comprehend the broader meanings behind “framing” a topic or story, and how framing can contribute to misunderstanding, misinformation or reflect the bias of media creators, even when no false information is presented.”
  • Project Look Sharp – Ithaca College: “[A] not-for-profit outreach initiative of Ithaca College to support K-12 educators in the integration of media literacy throughout the curriculum.” Provides an extensive collection of media literacy lessons and professional development resources.
  • Teaching Media Literacy – Its Importance and 10 Engaging Activities: Series of lessons to teach media literacy, K-6 Level

General

Blogs and News Feeds

  • International Council for Media Literacy: News and commentary from the Journal for Media Literacy team.
  • MediaEd: News and commentary from the Media Education Lab focused on research that is “applied and practical, designed to further our understanding of ‘what works’ in the field.”
  • Media Literacy Now: News and commentary focused on fostering a “public education system that ensures all students learn the 21st century literacy skills they need for health, well-being, economic participation, and citizenship.”
  • Media Smarts: Commentary on a range of media literacy issues to promote critical thinking skills and engage with media to foster active and informed digital citizens.
  • Misinformation Watch: Often updated resource that debunks and debates misinformation and disinformation.

Fact Checking

  • AP Fact Check: “We want to identify and debunk trending stories of all kinds, whether in text, photos or videos, that are fictional, contrived, twisted or otherwise patently false yet likely to be mistaken for truth by unwary news consumers.”
  • FactCheck.org: “We are a nonpartisan, nonprofit “consumer advocate” for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. We monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases. Our goal is to apply the best practices of both journalism and scholarship, and to increase public knowledge and understanding.”
  • Google Fact Check Tools: Fact checking aggregator.
  • Lead Stories: “[A]lways looking for the latest false, misleading, deceptive or inaccurate stories, videos or images going viral on the internet.”
  • Open Secrets: “Nonpartisan, independent and nonprofit, the Center for Responsive Politics is the nation’s premier research group tracking money in U.S. politics and its effect on elections and public policy.”
  • Media Bias/Fact Check: “We inspire action and a rejection of overtly biased media resulting in a return to an era of straightforward fact-based news reporting. Our purpose is to give people the resources and tools needed to understand the bias and credibility of the sources they consume.”
  • Politifact: “Fact-checking journalism is the heart of PolitiFact. Our core principles are independence, transparency, fairness, thorough reporting and clear writing. The reason we publish is to give citizens the information they need to govern themselves in a democracy.”
  • PunditFact: “[D]edicated to checking the accuracy of claims by pundits, columnists, bloggers, political analysts, the hosts and guests of talk shows, and other members of the media.”
  • Reuters Fact Check: “Examining social media narratives and misinformation… Combatting misinformation, fact-checking and monitoring emerging narratives require time and resources.”
  • SciCheck: “[F]ocuses exclusively on false and misleading scientific claims that are made by partisans to influence public policy.”
  • Snopes: “When misinformation obscures the truth and readers don’t know what to trust, Snopes’ fact-checking and original investigative reporting lights the way to evidence-based and contextualized analysis. We always link to and document our sources so readers are empowered to do independent research and make up their own minds.”
  • Washington Post – The Fact Checker: “[E]xplain[s] difficult issues, provide missing context and provide analysis and explanation of various “code words” used by politicians, diplomats and others to obscure or shade the truth. The Fact Checker is at heart about policy — domestic and foreign — as we have found that politicians are apt to be more misleading about complex and difficult-to-understand topics.”

Database of Fact Checking Sites

Games

  • Bad News: “[Y]ou take on the role of fake news-monger. Drop all pretense of ethics and choose a path that builds your persona as an unscrupulous media magnate. But keep an eye on your ‘followers’ and ‘credibility’ meters. Your task is to get as many followers as you can while slowly building up fake credibility as a news site. But watch out: you lose if you tell obvious lies or disappoint your supporters!”
  • Cat Park: Your job is to turn public opinion against a new cat park in town using common disinformation techniques.
  • Conspiracy Test: “Conspiracies are real, but it’s hard to know which conspiracy theories are truly likely to be true – what if spreading false conspiracy theories is itself a real conspiracy? The purpose of this website is to see whether a particular conspiracy theory can pass the test of your own critical thinking evaluation.”
  • Cranky Uncle: “[B]uilds resilience against misinformation. It does this through inoculation – building immunity against science denial by explaining the rhetorical techniques and fallacies used to mislead.”
  • Doubt It or Trust It?: “Can you spot the fakes on your feed? Test yourself on these stories — some are the real deal, and some are misleading, questionable, or just plain false. So pick your favorite eyebrow and get ready to raise it.”
  • Fake It To Make It: Set a financial goal and write fake news stories to make it as an influencer.
  • Fakey: “This game aims to teach media literacy and study how people interact with misinformation. The goal is to support a healthy social media experience by promoting information from reliable sources and not from low credibility sources.”
  • Find the Fake: “Can you find the fake online? Select an age-appropriate quiz to play as a family (parents versus children) to learn and test your knowledge on what fake news, disinformation and misinformation is and how to stop it from spreading.”
  • Harmony Square: “[A] game about fake news. The game’s setting is the idyllic Harmony Square, a small neighborhood mildly obsessed with democracy. You, the player, are hired as Chief Disinformation Officer. Over the course of 4 short levels, your job is to disturb the square’s peace and quiet by fomenting internal divisions and pitting its residents against each other.”
  • Libertas Veritas: “This game is an interactive narrative. It is designed to get you thinking about misinformation and propaganda, what they mean and the impact they can have. You will be presented with many choices, and the impact they have may not be clear at the time of choosing. That’s life. Your goal is not to “win” per se. There are fifteen or so possible endings. This is a game of discovery.”
  • NewsFeed Defenders: “[T]eaches players how to detect and disregard disinformation and misinformation in today’s chaotic environment.”
  • Reality Check: “[Y]ou’ll learn how to find clues like finding where a story originally came from and comparing it to other sources, as well as how to use tools like fact-checking sites and reverse image searches. In each mission, you’ll be presented with a story on your social network feed that might be entirely true, entirely false, or somewhere in between.”
  • Troll Factory: “It’s your first week at the new job at Troll Factory. Your task is to grow your influence on social media — by whatever means necessary. How many people can you reel in?”

Podcasts

  • Is it a Fact?: “”Is that a fact?” is produced by the non-partisan national education non-profit the News Literacy Project. It seeks to inform listeners about news literacy issues that affect their lives through informative conversations with experts working to combat misinformation.”
  • Minds Over Media: “Media literacy is the key to nurturing informed, discerning, and empowered students. Our podcast is your resource to navigate this dynamic field, providing you with the tools to guide your students toward understanding and using media effectively.”
  • News Over Noise: “[E]xplores the challenge of separating spin and click-bait from good journalism and why it matters. This podcast empowers our citizenry by giving listeners the tools they need to balance staying informed while protecting their well-being and the public good.”
  • UNESCO Media and Information Literacy: “[C]entered on developing the concepts and competencies of Media and Information Literacy (MIL), to enrich our knowledge and understanding of how to critically search, read, analyze, and utilize information, media content, as well as digital technologies, enabling us to become active, media-literate citizens. Here we can hear stories from all over the world and practical advice from media experts in a content-based learning to educate and raise awareness of media and information literacy and digital competencies.”

Online Classes

All the courses below are free to take. Most have the option to pay for a certification.

Brief Overview

  • Beginner Media and Culture by Saylor Academy via Alison: “This course will teach you the basic theories of mass media and new media, the different ways media affects culture, and the evolution of media over time. Mass media refers to the technology that reaches a large audience, while new media refers to forms of mass media that involve digital technologies.”
  • English for Media Literacy by University of Pennsylvania via Alison: “This course has been specially designed for non-native English speakers interested in learning more about American media. The cause covers the different types of mass media, such as newspapers, magazines, television, and social media, and the role they play in our lives. This will greatly enhance the vocabulary and language skills needed to critically analyze what you read and watch in today’s modern media.”
  • Making Sense of the News – News Literacy Lessons for Digital Citizens Coursera: “Never before has the need for News Literacy been more urgent. As news consumers are bombarded with a constant stream of fake news, propaganda, hoaxes, rumors, satire, and advertising — that often masquerade as credible journalism. . . This six-week course will help learners develop their critical thinking skills to enable them to better identify reliable information in news reports and to become better informed about the world in which we live. The course will discuss the key elements of journalism from the viewpoint of the news audience.”
  • Media, Society and Culture by BCcampus OpenEd via Alison: “This free online media, culture, and society course will give you an introduction to mass media, legacy media, social media, and society digital culture. You will learn how mass media products work and look into the influence of TV, film, and music on society and culture.”

Advanced

  • Critical Media Literacies and Associated Digital Skills by OERu: “Learning in a Digital Age (LiDA) is about learning on the Internet. Critical media literacies and associated digital skills is the fourth of four LiDA micro-courses, where you will develop critical media literacy skills and use multimodal communication to express outputs of learning effectively in a digital online environment.”
  • Empowering Yourself in a Post-Truth World by State University of New York via Coursera: “The post-truth world is a divided and partisan environment in which factual information has been displaced by subjective and biased viewpoints. Facts and expertise no longer matter when isolated communities deny truth and scientific reasoning in favor of whatever information suits their needs or aligns with their beliefs. Social media and emerging technologies have the power to connect global participants in a meaningful way; yet, they have also led to disconnected communities that fail to communicate past their own self-imposed boundaries. In this course, you will gain insights to recognize your own biases and identify preconceptions in today’s dynamic social information environment.”
  • Think Critically, Click Wisely: “[F]ollows the latest version of the UNESCO Media and Information Literacy Curriculum for Teachers, a pioneering document that presents a broad framework of competencies and pedagogical suggestions for educators and students to navigate today’s communication ecosystem with critical thinking and wisdom. This resource connects Media and Information Literacy to emerging issues such as artificial intelligence, education for digital citizenship, education for sustainable development, cultural literacy and the exponential increase in misinformation. With the effective use of this curriculum, everyone can become media and information literate.”
  • Media Literacy in the Age of Deepfakes by MIT OpenCourseWare: “Media Literacy in the Age of Deepfakes aims to equip students with the critical skills to better understand the past and contemporary threat of misinformation. Students will learn about different ways to analyze emerging forms of misinformation such as “deepfake” videos as well as how new technologies can be used to create a more just and equitable society. This module consists of three interconnected sections. We begin by defining and contextualizing some key terms related to misinformation. We then focus on the proliferation of deepfakes within our media environment. Lastly, we explore synthetic media for the civic good, including AI-enabled projects geared towards satire, investigative documentary, and public history. In Event of Moon Disaster, an award-winning deepfake art installation about the “failed” Apollo 11 moon landing, serves as a central case study”