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Skills Alignment -- Media Literacy

This document is not an official certification or endorsement.

Core Learner Skills​

  • Identifying media type, purpose, and audience
  • Recognizing production choices that shape meaning
  • Understanding how free media makes money (the attention economy)
  • Recognizing persuasion and advertising techniques
  • Verifying information using lateral reading and source tracing
  • Understanding how algorithms personalize and filter content
  • Recognizing filter bubbles and confirmation bias
  • Creating media with ethical intention
  • Evaluating the reliability and bias of sources
  • ELA: Research, source evaluation, argumentation, informational reading, speaking/listening
  • Social Studies: Civic media literacy, democratic participation, information environments
  • Computer Science / Digital Citizenship: Online safety, data privacy, algorithmic systems

Possible Standards Connections​

Common Core ELA Reading (Informational Text) -- may connect to:

  • Determining central ideas, analyzing text structure, integrating multiple sources

Common Core ELA Speaking and Listening -- may connect to:

  • Collaborative discussion, presentation of knowledge and ideas

ISTE Standards for Students (may connect to):

  • Knowledge Constructor (3): evaluating accuracy and credibility of information
  • Global Collaborator (7): understanding different perspectives
  • Creative Communicator (6): media production final project

National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE) Core Principles: This curriculum is broadly aligned with NAMLE's media literacy definition and core concepts, though not officially certified by NAMLE.

Common Sense Education Digital Citizenship: This curriculum complements Common Sense's digital citizenship resources and shares many learning objectives.

Transferable Learner Outcomes​

By end of curriculum:

  1. Name four purposes behind media (inform, entertain, persuade, sell) with examples
  2. Identify at least three persuasion techniques used in advertising
  3. Apply lateral reading to verify one piece of online information
  4. Explain how social media algorithms affect what users see
  5. Create one piece of media with a clearly stated audience, goal, and ethical intention
  6. Describe what a filter bubble is and how to expand beyond it

Evidence of Understanding​

  • Final media project (Weeks 15-18): clarity of purpose, audience, technique, and ethics
  • Fact-check sprint (Week 10): process quality and evidence
  • Discussion quality throughout: can student ask "who made this and why?"

Local Standards Mapping Notes​

Media literacy is increasingly included in:

  • State ELA or digital literacy standards (varies significantly by state)
  • School district digital citizenship frameworks
  • Library information literacy standards

Check whether your state or district has adopted ISTE, NAMLE, or similar frameworks.

Disclaimer​

Literacy for Kids does not claim official alignment with any standards body. Verify against your own requirements.