Resource: Powerful Voices for Kids

POWERFUL VOICES FOR KIDS is a free online resource that helps teacher educators introduce digital and media literacy to teachers in the elementary grades. Watch videos of classroom practice, see samples of student work, get lesson plans, and discuss strategies that help children build literacy, language, critical thinking, creative and collaborative skills by exploring mass media, popular culture and digital media tools and technologies.

IDEAS for exploring digital and media literacy in elementary school include: 

• Interpreting and Creating Photos
• The Power of the PSA
• City as Classroom
• Authors and Audiences
• Remix Play as Media Literacy
• Making Inferences
• Warm and Cool Feedback

Ideas for Teaching With/About Film In A Common Core Environment

Here are some key ideas (written in a blog post by a participant in the Jacob Burns Film Center Summer Teacher Institute)  that can be applied in any classroom relating to teaching media literacy and film studies.

Close Reading of Advertising Promotes Critical Thinking

Advertising: it’s everywhere. As media literacy educators work to engage students in conversations about commercial marketing, we have to consider the close reading of print and video ads. Frank Baker provides starting points and resources for teachers.

Author: Teens should read graphic novels not just 'worthy' novels

“(this conference) is all about repositioning reading for teens. Books should also be celebrated for their enormous entertainment value – they don’t need to be worthy.”  (children’s laureate Malorie Blackman ) added she would advocated “anything” that encouraged young people to read, including graphic novels, or film and TV adaptations. (Source)

Deconstructing A News Magazine Cover (Visual Literacy)

Check out this recent cover from Newsweek Magazine. 

Having students identify the people portrayed, their clothes, and even the symbols might be productive.

Whether you're a fan of  HBO's series "Game of Thrones" or not, this might be good for student analysis, deconstruction and discussion.

Here is a simple handout I developed with questions you might consider using with students.