Media Literacy Resources

Looking for free resources on fighting fake news and developing your students' media literacy skills? Here are some highlights from our activities, lessons, case studies and guest blog posts.

Fact finder logo

EDCollection

Fact Finder: Your Foolproof Guide to Media Literacy

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.

Junk News poster image

Lesson Plan

E.S.C.A.P.E. Junk News

Students learn a handy acronym to help them remember six key concepts for evaluating information, then test the concepts in teams.

Shareworthy poster image

Lesson Plan

Is This Story Share-Worthy? Flowchart

Students use an infographic to gauge the value of a news story and weigh what they should do with it.

Finding evidence

Lesson Plan

Evidence: Do the Facts Hold Up?

Students dig into an article to determine whether they can trust the information by verifying the evidence it presents.

Weed-Out-Propaganda poster

Lesson Plan

Weed Out Propaganda

A bold digital poster outlines a simple acronym — S.E.E.D. — to help students learn to spot propaganda by recognizing four of its key techniques.

newspaper stack

Lesson Plan

Source: Can I Trust the Creator?

Students dig into an article to determine whether they can trust the story by investigating its producers and the sources within.

Fundamentals-of-news

Lesson Plan

The Fundamentals of News

Students learn why news matters and how to distinguish between the different media-related terms they might hear being thrown around.

Media Literacy Booster Pack logo

EDCollection

Media Literacy Booster Pack

Staying fresh and fluent in today’s media landscape isn’t easy. This collection of resources offers tools to tackle eight pressing challenges, from recognizing bias and propaganda to leveraging your role as a media contributor.

Fake news video

Lesson Plan

Fake News – What’s the Big Deal?

Students watch a video in which teens reflect on the concept of fake news, and then discuss their own experiences with misinformation.

Lesson Plan

Believe It or Not? Putting the Consumer’s Questions to Work

In this activity, students apply the “consumer’s questions” to a chosen research topic in order to improve their media literacy skills.

Two editions of The Philadelphia Inquirer

Lesson Plan

Believe It or Not? When the News Media Make Mistakes

Freedom of press doesn’t promise perfection. By exploring corrections, students learn why the news media make mistakes and what happens.

9/11 Gallery

Lesson Plan

Breaking News: Tracing the Facts

Students use news reports to understand how information evolves during a disaster.

Nina E. Allender, Cartoonist for 'The Suffragist,' 1915

Lesson Plan

The Tools to Persuade

Students use examples from the pro- and anti-suffrage movements to dissect the persuasive techniques used to shape public opinion then and now.

Analyzing-Political-Cartoons

Lesson Plan

On the Campaign Trail: Decoding an Editorial Cartoon

Students analyze editorial cartoons from history and today to explore the role of illustrated commentary in politics and society over time.

Political ad

Lesson Plan

Evaluating Election Ads

In this activity, students examine some of the techniques political campaigns use in ads to persuade voters.

debating media ethics

Lesson Plan

Media Ethics: Scenarios

This activity helps students apply journalism standards of accuracy, fairness and clarity in deciding how to report the news.

Sept. 11 gallery at the Newseum

Lesson Plan

Covering a Catastrophe: Evaluating Disaster News

Students research news coverage of a recent catastrophe and evaluate the information it provides.

Lesson Plan

Photo Ethics: Photojournalists’ Code of Ethics

This activity introduces students to the standards expected of photojournalists in their daily work.

Lesson Plan

Photo Ethics: Points of View

This case study explores a journalist's duty to present multiple points of views while sharing the news.

Lesson Plan

Photo Ethics: Diversity

This case study explores a photojournalist’s ethical duty to be fair, accurate and clear.

cartoon

Lesson Plan

Here’s What We Think, Editorials and Opinion Articles

In this activity, students learn the purpose of editorials and opinion articles and evaluate their effectiveness.

Lesson Plan

The Speed of News: Are You a Star Reporter?

This activity introduces students to the variety of places a good reporter goes to for information and the importance of documenting sources.

Reporting out

Lesson Plan

Civil Rights: Reporting Out

Students prepare for a lifelong practice of civic engagement by identifying, analyzing and reporting about a contemporary civil rights issue.

Lesson Plan

Photo Ethics: A Photograph’s Integrity

This case study explores a photojournalist’s ethical duty to be fair, accurate and clear, specifically in regard to manipulating photographs.

Lesson Plan

‘Sources’ Video Lesson

Five journalists look at the use of anonymous sources and the impact they have on the public’s perception of the news media.

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“My students now are interested in the news, understand media bias and are aware of checking multiple sources to properly evaluate.”

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