English Language Arts and Literature 4-6 Overview

According to the 2023 Elementary English Language Arts and Literature curriculum, “Language is a uniquely structured system that forms the basis for thinking, communicating, and learning.” The curriculum is built around the six strands of language learning: reading, writing, listening, speaking, viewing, and representing, with each strand touching on aspects of digital media literacy. The K-6 curriculum notes that English Language Arts and Literature “[helps] students develop deep understandings of others and themselves, build and strengthen interpersonal relationships, and engage in responsible citizenship,” integrating digital citizenship within citizenship education. To that end, digital media literacy education is integrated into elements of ethical citizenship, critical analysis of literature, differentiation of fact from opinion, access of information, and citation of sources.

Elementary Cycle Two

In the Quebec elementary English Language Arts curriculum, representing literacy in different media is a core competency. According to the End-of-Cycle-Outcomes for Cycle Two,

Technology Education K-12

The Atlantic Provinces technology education curriculum includes expectations that incorporate digital and media education themes. The curriculum document Foundation for the Atlantic Canada Technology Education Curriculum includes a section that demonstrates the complementary relationship between digital and media literacy and technology education:

The focus of this curriculum is the development of students’ technological literacy, capability, and responsibility (International Technology Education Association, 1996).

Business

Many curricular expectations in Ontario Business courses relate to media and digital literacy. The following excerpt from Business Studies, Grades 9 and 10 (2006) detail how media and digital literacy have been integrated into the curriculum:

Applied Design, Skills and Technologies

In 2016, British Columbia launched a new  Applied Design, Skills, and Technologies curriculum which it describes as “an experiential, hands-on program of learning through design and creation that includes skills and concepts from traditional and First Peoples practice; from the existing disciplines of Business Education, Home Economics and Culinary Arts, Information and Communication Technology, and Technology Education; and from new and emerging fields.  It fosters the development of the skills and knowledge that will support students in developing practical, creative, and innovative responses to everyday needs and challenges.”

Verifying Online News - Introduction

Most of us turn to online sources for news, whether it’s reading a newspaper online or sharing a news story with our friends and family. But news stories are one of the hardest things to verify: sometimes early reports that turn out not to be true still circulate on social media and people may spread false reports for political or commercial reasons, or just for “fun.”

Learning Strategies Grades 10-12

The purpose of the Learning Strategies open elective credit is to help students “gain transferable skills and strategies that will enhance and increase their school engagement…”[1] 

There are five key areas pertaining to the course:

Elementary Cycle One

In the Quebec elementary English Language Arts curriculum, representing literacy in different media is a core competency. According to the End-of-Cycle-Outcomes for Cycle One,

Career Education

The Newfoundland career education curriculum includes expectations that incorporate media education themes. The curriculum document Career Development Intermediate (2012) includes a section that demonstrates the complementary relationship between media literacy and career education:

Responding to Online Pornography

Given the high likelihood that youth are going to come across or seek out online pornography at one point or another, not to mention the many messages they receive about sex through other media, it’s important that parents take an active role in their kids’ internet use and start talking to them about healthy relationships and sexuality at early ages to help them contextualize and make decisions about what they’re seeing online.