Module+Topic+-+Media+Literacy

=Watching Your Sources= //Students will be tasked with analyzing three separate stories, each written by fictional news agencies. Each of these stories will support a different view on what happened, and the students are tasked with combining all three stories together to find the truth of what actually happened. They will also be lead in a discussion of skepticism regarding sources. //

=What's in a Candy Bar?= //Students will look at the ingredients of their favorite candy bar and map out where the ingredients come from, where the candy bar is produced, and the route it takes to get to them. An extension of this assignment can also explore costs and how a candy bar can be sold so cheaply despite having ingredients from all over the world. //

=Excuses= //Students will write excuse notes for Oil executives, politicians, and other opponents of sustainable action. They will use these notes as tools to gain insight into the thought process that powers decisions that are bad for the environment. //

=Water Rights= //Students will be engaged in a game named “Water War Game” in which students are taught the importance of water and water rights. Students will also learn more about this subject through the use of a PowerPoint Presentation. //

=Media Literacy= //Students will be tasked with writing and producing a news report on the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill from the perspective of various stakeholders. They will then write their own response to the spill in the form of a blog post. //

=Opt-In= //Sixth through Eighth grade students are invited to join a research program to explore effects of opt-in versus opt-out programs. Outcomes should be a reconsidering of some of the many everyday things we take for granted. //