This five-lesson module builds students' media literacy skills sequentially, beginning with foundational concepts and habits of critical evaluation and ending with the tools to recognize and respond to conspiracy theories. Rather than treating media literacy as a single lesson, the module develops skills across five interconnected units: from evaluating sources and understanding how algorithms shape what we see, to identifying misinformation on social media and analyzing the anatomy of the most dangerous forms of false information.
ConnectED's approach treats media literacy as an active, ongoing practice rather than a passive checklist. Each lesson equips students with a concrete, transferable framework that they can apply immediately to their own information habits, and invites them to examine their own feeds, assumptions, and responsibilities as consumers and sharers of information.
Module Big Ideas
- Question Everything
Media literacy begins with actively questioning the credibility, sources, intent, and bias behind information; not just when something seems suspicious, but as a consistent habit of mind. - Understanding the System
Algorithms and platforms are not neutral. They are built to capture attention, trigger emotion, and reinforce what we already believe: making it easier to be misled and harder to see clearly. - Responsibility and Action
Knowing misinformation exists is not enough. Media literacy means building repeatable habits — evaluating sources, recognizing manipulation, pausing before sharing — that make critical thinking automatic.
Essential Questions
- EQ1: Why is it essential to actively question the information we consume, and what habits and frameworks help us do that well?
- EQ2: How do algorithms, emotions, and the structure of today's information landscape shape what we see and believe, and what does understanding that system require of us?
- EQ3: What is our responsibility as consumers and sharers of information, and how do we meet that responsibility when misinformation is designed to feel true?