News Literacy Lessons
Project Look Sharp
Mighty media literacy resources powered by inquiry-based approach
Bottom Line: A thoughtfully-created collection of tools for teaching media literacy across the curriculum.
Newsela
Great stories, just-right leveled reading; now mostly by subscription
Bottom Line: While pricey, Newsela has ascended into an all-in-one destination for leveled, non-fiction reading.
NexGen News
Biweekly, homespun news site offers useful videos and lessons
Bottom Line: The combo of newscasts, articles, and media content offers a deep news literacy approach, but it's lacking supports.
CTRL-F
Up-to-date, expert-backed news literacy program builds needed skills
Bottom Line: These trusted lessons, a great fit for middle school, empower students to approach media more intentionally, but teachers might need to adapt.
PBS NewsHour Classroom
Trusted news brand's current events site offers daily discussions
Bottom Line: There's a wide variety of current, credible, and high-quality content on this site that should support interesting classroom discussions.
Checkology Virtual Classroom
Go-to news literacy site is an excellent primer on media issues
Bottom Line: With "fake news" a pressing concern, Checkology's literacy lessons offer essential, if not totally comprehensive, skills to help students evaluate sources.
The Learning Network
High-powered news site offers daily resource to process current events
Bottom Line: Backed by a world-class news team, this stunning free resource can fuel daily topical discussions.
Stanford History Education Group
High-quality, document-based lessons spark stellar historical inquiry
Bottom Line: A gold mine of cross-curricular literacy lessons that encourage sound, research-backed strategies for reading, analysis, and critical thinking.
News Literacy Games and Activities
NewsFeed Defenders
Social media simulation builds news literacy skills
Bottom Line: This is a great tool to kick off critical discussions about news and social media.
Bad News
Modern, minimalist fake news game has players be the villains
Bottom Line: Quick, fun, and to the point, this game gets at the social mechanics behind viral falsehoods.
BBC iReporter
Spot real stories, dodge fake news in cheeky media literacy sim
Bottom Line: A refreshingly modern way for students to explore how to filter and interpret info and media during breaking news events.
Informable
Spot fake news, sharpen media literacy skills with speedy quizzes
Bottom Line: A solid starting point to support critical-thinking habits and media literacy skills.
Fake It to Make It
News site sim demonstrates impact of misinformation
Bottom Line: Creating a fake news site and tracking its success offers students a compelling, real-world way in to important media literacy conversations.
Harmony Square
Take on the role of troll to better spot social media manipulation
Bottom Line: This game-based approach can be an innovative part of your media literacy toolkit.
Journalism in Action
Journalistic history site helps students analyze primary sources
Bottom Line: This is a strong resource for showing the power of journalism and research, and it'll engage most students; others will need teacher support.
Influence, Inc.
Strategically minded simulation shows dangers of media manipulation
Bottom Line: This realistic-feeling strategy game is a compelling way to see false narratives get created.
News Literacy Tools and Resources
PolitiFact
Independent website fact-checks political statements
Bottom Line: A tool to help students become independent thinkers and question what is said by those in positions of power.
Truth or Fiction?
Foil fake news and viral rumors with fact-checking site
Bottom Line: This can be a handy reference -- and a good model for critical thinking -- but it'll require some teacher scaffolding and guidance.
