Integrating+Media+Literacy

= = = Title: Middle School Media Literacy: An Integrated Multi-Year Science and ELA Approach to Scientific Validity in the Media =

**Authors:** William Gillespie and Katie LaFrance, Mary Nellenback and Erik Untiedt **Grade Level:** 6th and 7th Grade ELA and Science

//For additional free online lessons integrating media literacy and critical thinking into the curriculum, go to www.projectlooksharp.org.//

**Summary:** This adjustment to ELA and science teaching is designed to provide students with an opportunity to apply Key Questions for Media Analysis to a wide range of texts and controversial scientific issues (e.g. hydrofracking), as well as to skills like expository writing, online research, and assessing credibility of websites. The cooperation between ELA and science teachers reinforces lessons and is intended to strengthen student performance in both subject areas

**Time Needed:**  Approximately 5 class periods (42 minutes each)

**Objectives:** Students will:
 * Determine the scientific validity of any form of media.
 * Determine the reliability of the author or sponsor of media messages.
 * Identify the author's purpose and intended audience for any media messages.

**Materials:**
 * A number of web sites and videos, which are linked to throughout the lesson plan.

**Vocabulary:** Fact, fiction, plate tectonics, earthquake, fault, magma, lava, tsunami, crust, mantle, core, plate

**Lesson Steps**


 * __ Grade 6: Introductory Lessons __**


 * Lesson 1** - Identifying author, author’s purpose, and intended audience. This lesson will be delivered through ELA classes, during Unit on Expository Reading. Students will be using a variety of expository text and media to identify author, author’s purpose, and intended audience. These sources will vary according to current events and topics being covered in Science and Social Studies classes. Repetition is needed for the development of this skill.


 * Lesson 2** - Fact vs. Opinion, also delivered through ELA classes, during Unit on Expository Reading. Students will be using a variety of expository text and media to identify the difference between factual text and opinion pieces. These sources will vary according to current events and topics being covered in Science and Social Studies classes. Repetition is needed for the development of this skill.


 * Lesson 3** - Looking for proof of scientific credibility in Expository text. This lesson will be delivered through Science classes during the unit on Geology and Geological Events. The topic for the lesson will be Hydraulic Fracturing (Hydrofracking). Students will work in pairs. Each pair will be asked to examine a website for scientific validity (Berkeley Checklist) for the position presented at that web location. They will use their analysis of the website to decide if the author has stated an opinion OR proven a hypothesis.

Site 1: Position: Hydrofracking is a safe way to get to a huge supply of natural gas, which will be a good thing for the USA. []

Site 2: Position: Hydrofracking is dangerous because waste water from the process could contaminate our drinking water. []

While analyzing the website, students will be asked to identify:
 * The author or sponsor of the website?
 * The purpose of that author for creating the website?
 * The intended website audience?
 * The evidence found in website details that show scientific information?
 * The website details that show the position is an opinion of the author?


 * __ Grade 7: Reinforcing Lessons __**

These lessons will be focused on identifying author, author’s purpose, intended audience, and fact vs. opinion. Students will be using a variety of expository text and media in all content areas to identify author, author’s purpose, and intended audience. These sources will vary according to current events and topics being covered in Science and Social Studies classes. Repetition is needed for the development of this skill.

Looking for proof of scientific credibility in Expository text - Reinforcing Lesson to be delivered through 7th grade Life Science.

This lesson will be part of the Life Science unit on disease. Students will be asked to compare three websites and evaluate them to answer the following question: What scientific evidence is presented at each web site to recommend it as a source to a person suffering from skin cancer ?

Students will base their recommendation on the following criteria:
 * Reliable author?
 * Author’s purpose?
 * Intended audience?
 * Evidence of scientific and biological information

[|http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/skin-cancer/DS00190/DSECTION=treatments%2Dand%2Ddrugs] [] [|http://www.enzogenol.co.uk]/

//This lesson was produced during 2011-2011 as part of a collaboration between Project Look Sharp at Ithaca College and four NY State BOCES School Library Systems. The initiative brought together pairs of secondary science teachers and school librarians to develop models for integrating critical thinking and media literacy into secondary science content. The project was supported by federal LSTA funds awarded to the NY State Library by the Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services.// //To view additional lessons from this series go to: www.projectlooksharp.org.//