Basics of Media Literacy
Learn about basic approaches to media literacy from the National Association for Media Literacy Education. Their Key Questions can be applied to any media experience.
» What is Media Literacy? Media Literacy Defined | NAMLE
Media Literacy for K-12 Educators
Empower your students to become thoughtful and critical media consumers and creators through media literacy education. In our media-saturated culture, it is necessary for students to be able to recognize bias and perspective, understand the intent in media messages, and consider the influence that those messages have on their audience, among other vital skills. These are skills that they will build on throughout their academic careers, across academic disciplines, and as they grow into civically responsible adults.
The resources below will give you information on media literacy to explore from an educator's perspective, teaching materials to bring skills practice to your classroom, suggestions and strategies to ensure all learners are supported, and resources to help you guide your students in media creation.
Foundations | Classroom Resources | Support Strategies | Hands-On Learning
Foundations
Find information about what media literacy is and how to include it in your classroom practice.
Learning Standards
Use the Maryland State Department of Education's Digital Learning Standards and the ISTE Standards as a guide as you implement media literacy curriculum.
» Maryland State Department of Education | Maryland Digital Learning Standards for Students
» Maryland State Department of Education | Maryland Digital Learning Standards for Educators
» Standards | International Society for Technology in Education
Media Literacy for All Disciplines
See resources and read statements from these national teacher associations about the importance of incorporating media literacy into your classroom, no matter what you teach.
» Media Literacy Resources | National Council for the Social Studies
» Media Education in English Language Arts | National Council for Teachers of English
» Scientific Media Literacy | National Science Teaching Association
» Media Literacy Resources | National Council for Teachers of Mathematics
Classroom Resources
Find materials to support instruction and build a variety of media literacy skills and competencies in your students.
Resources For All Ages
These sites provide a variety of teaching materials and lesson plans for teaching media literacy to students at every level of K-12, including young elementary learners.
Student-facing Videos
These PBS LearningMedia collections contain videos for middle and high schoolers to help them understand media concepts, along with support materials for teachers.
» News and Media Literacy | PBS LearningMedia
Secondary Lessons
These sites provide lesson plans to support middle and high school media literacy learning, including topics like lateral reading and understanding propaganda and misinformation.
» Civic Online Reasoning | Digital Inquiry Group
» Hit Pause Media Literacy Curriculum I Poynter Institute
Support Strategies
Find expert wisdom to make sure all learners are supported in their media literacy development.
Media Literacy for Multilingual Learners
Hear from ESOL teachers about strategies they use to incorporate media literacy and media creation into language teaching in these episodes of The Teacher Think Aloud Podcast.
» Media Literacy 101: Bias and perspective-taking | The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast
» The Power of Podcasting for Language Learning | The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast
Media and Mental Health
Explore lessons and suggestions for all ages that encourage students to reflect on digital wellness, including topics like social media use, screen time, and developing positive media habits.
» Digital Wellness | Media Literacy Now
» Digital Well-Being Lessons for Grades K–12 | Common Sense Education
» Social Media and Youth Mental Health Resources for Educators | American Academy of Pediatrics
Supporting Learning Differences
Read information from experts about how neurodivergence and learning differences impact media literacy, and take away useful suggestions and strategies for building those skills.
» Neurodivergent Youth and Digital Media | Children and Screens
» Be Internet Awesome BIA 4 All
» Who is my friend? Resources for Teaching Media Literacy in Special Education
Hands-On Learning
Find resources to help students become independent and responsible media consumers, creators, and learners.
Media Creation
Guide students in becoming responsible media creators. These sites include student-facing resources and tutorials as well as lesson plans and other teaching materials.
» StoryMaker | Student Reporting Labs
Practice and Play
Let students have fun while learning about algorithms, AI, machine learning, and how misinformation spreads in these games and activities.
News Literacy
Use these sites to find real news for students to explore bias in reporting, as well as educator materials to help them be critical in their own news consumption.