The Teacher’s Guide to Media Literacy: Critical Thinking in a Multimedia World

313 Pages·2011·6.243 MB·English

by  Cynthia (Cyndy) L. Scheibe, Faith Rogow

The Teacher’s Guide to
MEDIA
LITERACY
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The Teacher’s Guide to
MEDIA
LITERACY
Critical Thinking in a Multimedia World
CYNDY SCHEIBE
FAITH ROGOW
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FOR INFORMATION:
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Copyright © 2012 by Corwin
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All rights reserved. When forms and sample documents are included, their use is authorized only by educators, local school
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Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Scheibe, Cyndy.
The teacher’s guide to media literacy: critical thinking in a multimedia world/Cyndy Scheibe, Faith Rogow.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4129-9758-4 (pbk.)
1. Media literacy—Study and teaching (Elementary) 2. Critical thinking—Study and teaching (Elementary) I. Rogow,
Faith, 1958- II. Title.
P96.M4S34 2012
371.33—dc23 2011039021

This book is printed on acid-free paper.
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Contents

List of Figures and Tables Reflection Boxes, and Voices From the Field

Preface

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

Introduction
Expanding Traditional Literacy
Beyond Advertising and Protection
A Curriculum-Driven Approach
Media Literacy and Education Standards
Core Principles of Media Literacy Education
Meeting Current and Future Needs of Educators
How to Use This Book
Creating a Culture of Inquiry

Chapter 1: What Do We Mean by Media?
Books and Other Common Classroom Media
Defining Media
The Nature of Media Messages: Key Concepts

Chapter 2: What Is Media Literacy?
Defining Media Literacy: A Set of Capabilities
The Fabric of Media Literacy
Critical Autonomy: Ideal Versus Reality
Critical Thinking
Intersecting Literacies
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Why Literacy?
Visual Literacy
Media Vocabulary
Subliminal Messages and Media Literacy

Chapter 3: What Is Media Literacy Education?
The Purpose of Media Literacy Education
Developing Habits of Inquiry
Using the NAMLE Key Questions
Critical Literacy
Developing Skills of Expression
The Way We Teach
Featured Example: Inquiry-Based Online Safety Education
What Makes a Curriculum-Driven Approach Different?

Chapter 4: When Are Questions the Answer? Teaching Students How to Analyze Media
Messages
The Fusion of Decoding, Comprehension, and Analysis
Collective Reading of Media Messages
Skill Building
Encouraging Multiple Readings
Finding Media Documents
Leading a Decoding
Cautions
Featured Example: Annotated Examples of Document Decoding
After a Decoding

Chapter 5: General Approaches to Teaching Media Literacy Across the Whole Curriculum
General Ways to Integrate Media Literacy
Featured Example: Developing Student “Noticings”
Information Literacy
News Literacy, Journalism, and Current Events

Chapter 6: Integrating Media Literacy Into Specific Content Areas
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English Language Arts
Social Studies (History, Global Studies, Government/Civics, Economics)
Science and Environmental Studies
Math
Health and Consumer Education
Fine Arts (Music, Art, Drama, Photography)
Physical Education and Sports
Modern Languages
English-Language Learners
Interdisciplinary Approaches

Chapter 7: Media Literacy Lesson Plans
Lesson Plan #1: “Introducing Africa”
Lesson Plan #2: “Media & Activity Diaries”
Lesson Plan #3: “Fact or Fiction? Urban Legends and False Beliefs”
Lesson Plan #4: “Twister”
Lesson Plan #5: “White Towel”
Lesson Plan #6: “News Spin”
Lesson Plan #7: “Middle East Debates”

Chapter 8: Does It Work?
Issues of Assessment
Empirical Research
Addressing the Counterarguments
Conclusion

Chapter 9: “Sounds Great, But I Don’t Have Time!” Getting Past the Barriers and Why It’s
Worth It
Finding Time
Featured Example: A Second-Grade Video Project
Overcoming Technology Barriers
Paradigm Shifts
So, Why Bother?

Afterword: Where Do We Go From Here?
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Appendices
Appendix A: Excerpts From Core Principles of Media Literacy Education in the United States
Appendix B: Designing Media Literacy Lessons: A Checklist

References

Endnotes

Index

Partial List of Materials Available on the Companion Website (www.TGML.info)
Color PowerPoint slides of all images in the book (in single file)
General Support Materials
Glossary of Terms and Concepts
The Fabric of Media Literacy: The Threads
Key Questions to Ask When Producing Media Messages
Media Literacy Organizations and Resources
Links Between Media Literacy and Education Standards
Stories of Student Engagement
Suggested Lessons and Activities
Lesson Idea Grid
Examples of Misleading Charts and Graphs
PowerPoint and Lesson on Agenda Setting
Examples of Counter-Ads
All Materials for Lesson Plans in Chapter 7
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List of Figures and Tables Reflection Boxes,
and Voices From the Field

List of Figures and Tables
Figure 1.1 African and US Money as “Media”
Figure 2.1 The Lorax
Figure 2.2 Truax
Figure 2.3 Yellow Dot
Figure 2.4 Traffic Light
Figure 2.5 Lollipops
Figure 2.6 Subtle ≠ Subliminal: What do you notice in this image?
Figure 2.7 Now that you’re more “literate,” what do you see?
Table 3.1 Key Questions to Ask When Analyzing Media Messages
Figure 4.1 Discovery of the Mississippi by de Soto (cropped)
Figure 4.2 The Last Supper
Figure 4.3 Discovery of the Mississippi by de Soto (rotunda of US Capitol)
Figure 4.4 Discovery of the Mississippi by de Soto (full painting)
Figure 4.5 Example of a “Complete Breakfast Shot”
Table 4.1 Leading a Media Literacy Decoding—Teacher Evaluation
Figure 5.1 Homepage of the Website http://martinlutherking.org
Figure 5.2 IQ in Mice?
Figure 6.1 Martin Luther King Jr.’s Speeches in Word Clouds
Figure 6.2 Graphs Can Be Both Accurate and Misleading
Figure 6.3 Counter-ads
Table 7.1 Lesson Plans in Chapter 7
Figure 7.1 “Introducing Africa” Student Worksheet
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