Integrating Media Literacy Into Your Classroom Activities

What is Causing Global Warming?

Ithaca.edu Global Warming Lesson

1. Choose a grade level and explore the West Virginia  CSO's. How many CSO's would that lesson plan meet? List the CSO's in a Blog posting. Then answer the question:

Grade 8 Science

The lesson itself would meet at least 12 of the West Virginia CSO’s. If I were actually teaching this lesson however, I would focus on 5 or 6 of CSO’s to narrow the lesson, for a more thorough understanding of what they are to learn.

SC.O.8.1.01  Formulate scientific explanations based on historical observations and experimental evidence, accounting for variability in experimental results.

SC.O.8.1.02 Demonstrate how a testable methodology is employed to seek solutions for personal and societal issues. (e.g., “scientific method”).

SC.O.8.1.03 Relate societal, cultural and economic issues to key scientific innovations.

SC.O.8.1.04 Conduct and/or design investigations that incorporate the skills and attitudes and/or values of scientific inquiry (e.g., established research protocol, accurate record keeping, replication of results and peer review, objectivity, openness, skepticism, fairness, or  creativity and logic).

SC.O.8.1.06 Use appropriate technology solutions within a problem solving setting to measure and collect data; interpret data; analyze and/or report data; interact with simulations; conduct research; and present and communicate conclusions.

SC.O.8.1.07 Design, conduct, evaluate and revise experiments (e.g., compose a question to be investigated, design a controlled investigation that produces numeric data, evaluate the data in the context of scientific laws and principles, construct a conclusion based on findings, propose revisions to investigations based on manipulation of variables and/or analysis of error, or communicate and defend the results and conclusions).

SC.O.8.1.08 Draw conclusions from a variety of data sources to analyze and interpret systems and models (e.g., use graphs and equations to measure and apply variables such as rate and scale, evaluate changes in trends and cycles, predict the influence of external variances such as potential sources of error, or interpret maps).

SC.O.8.2.01 Demonstrate an understanding of the interrelationships among physics, chemistry, biology, earth/environmental science, and astronomy.

SC.O.8.2.18 Examine the various sources of energy (e.g., fossil fuels, wind, solar, geothermal, nuclear, biomass.

SC.O.8.3.02 Investigate, compare and design scientific and technological solutions to personal and societal problems.

SC.O.8.3.03 Communicate experimental designs, results and conclusions using advanced technology tools.

SC.O.8.3.06 Given a current science-technology-societal issue, construct and defend potential solutions.

2. Can integrating media literacy into your classroom activities help prepare your students for taking the Westest? Use what you learned from this week's reading in your answer.

If I were teaching a subject such as Science where a good portion of the subject is critical thinking then yes integrating media literacy, with a focus on critical thinking could be added to help prepare my students for Westest.  Media literacy is used more frequently in the classrooms in all subjects however it is used to enhance the lesson in order to reach out to more students. Teachers use hands on projects and teacher based instruction to teach the main factual information to their students. Media should be used as another outlet for students to learn. All students learn differently therefore it is the teacher’s job to use every idea possible to better their students’ education. As far as the Westest, it is still very focused on items learned from books. It is close- minded to media education and still requires a student to use pencil and paper to complete the test. The only section of the entire test that uses a computer is the writing portion, in this section students simply answer a prompt by typing in their response. There are very few media related questions on the test and none that require the use of a computer screen or other commercial type media to complete. Until it is required on the Westest to use certain types of media, I feel teachers will still be using it simply as a teaching enhancement. The article from our weekly reading,  “Learn critical thinking through media literacy education” says: “Summers states, `Teachers who recognize the goal of teaching thinking rather than just imparting knowledge help students make connections beyond the content of the coursework’ (2005, pp. 2) She suggests teaching critical thinking by applying it to the study of media literacy. This practice gives students the skills and knowledge needed to `access, analyze, evaluate and communicate’ (NAMLE) media messages.” Their belief is quite different. They feel that we need to use the media literacy and critical thinking in our plans everyday to enhance their skills. This idea is a good theory and should work however most teachers barely have time to make it through the lessons that they are required to cover let alone add new complications and assignments for their classes. The other problem is that to increase critical thinking we must teach it from the beginning and have an active educational support system from the parents to encourage critical thinking at home. If we ask a group of eighth graders to critically examine an assignment but this hasn’t been taught in prior years they will have great difficulties with the task at hand. Critical thinking is a skill to be learned to help reach greater levels of achievement on the Westest and in basic everyday life.