Press Releases
View our latest press releases and access our press release archives.
View our latest press releases and access our press release archives.
In this lesson, students reflect on the ways in which digital media can cause stress. Through a series of role-playing exercises, they consider how social media can cause stress by making us compare the highlights of others' lives to the lowlights of our own, and practice strategies for coping with digital stress.
This lesson helps children become aware of the types of violence that appear in the media, the frequency with which these acts occur, and how they respond to these acts. It begins with a guided discussion about the different types of violence and then, how violence is portrayed in the media. Using worksheets, students then survey the shows they enjoy for acts of violence and then, as a class, compile and discuss their findings.
Framed around key concepts of media literacy, the That’s Not Me tutorial examines how entertainment and news media represent diversity and the impact these media portrayals can have on the value we place on individuals and groups in society.
Our MediaSmarts bloggers bring you their perspectives on current media topics that matter to teachers, parents, consumers – everyone trying to keep up with the crazy pace of today’s evolving media world.
Are there topics you’d like to see them write about? Just let us know at info@mediasmarts.ca.
In this lesson, students learn about the ways in which news coverage of an event or issue can be biased, focusing on the aspects of the medium and industry that can lead to bias. They read an article that examines the coverage of mental illness in the news and then participate in an interactive activity that lets them compose their own article. Finally, students find and analyze a recent news story on a mental health topic and write a letter either praising or critiquing it.
Students begin by viewing a slideshow that explores common stereotypes of mental illness and mental illness treatment in media. They read a prepared analysis of the portrayal of mental illness in a TV show popular with teens, then in a small group analyze another text of their choice. Finally, students create an annotated version of a scene or excerpt from a text in which they analyze and evaluate its portrayal of mental illness.
“Science and technology both exist in a broader social, cultural, and economic context. They are affected by the values and choices of people and governments and in turn have a significant impact on local as well societal issues.” K-6 Science and Technology Curriculum (2004)
Media and digital literacy enable students understand the ways in which science and technology affect and are affected by their social contexts by helping them to develop critical thinking habits and skills and to interpret the ways in which they gain information about the world around them.