Today's definition of literacy is more than reading and writing. In order to be functionally literate in our media-saturated world, children and young people—in fact, all of us—have to be able to read the messages that daily inform us, entertain us and sell to us. Media literacy education, therefore, must begin long before children become print literate to prepare them to critically engage with the media they consume.
In the Nova Scotia Health Education curriculum, media literacy outcomes are included under the general outcomes requiring students to think critically and make informed decisions to enhance health of self, those around oneself, and to demonstrate within a global context and effective communication and interpersonal skills that facilitate positive relationships between themselves and the world.
This outcome chart contains media-related learning outcomes from the Prince Edward Island Grade 4 Health Education with links to supporting resources on the MediaSmarts site.
Media Awareness Network creates new educational resources on media and global issues
Ottawa, May 21, 2008 - Media Awareness Network (MNet) is marking World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development with the release of a new series of lessons for students in Grades 7-12. The lessons, which were funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and are available free on MNet's Web site, offer young people a better understanding of how media portrayals affect our view of global development issues.
This outcome chart contains media-related learning outcomes from the Manitoba, Grade 4 Social Studies curriculum, with links to supporting resources on the MediaSmarts site.
This outcome chart contains media-related learning outcomes from the Saskatchewan, Grade 8 English Language Arts curriculum, with links to supporting resources on the MediaSmarts site.
In the elementary curriculum in Saskatchewan, learning objectives for media studies are included as a category within the supporting domain, Oracy and Literacy: Media. Media-related objectives can also be found within Speaking and Listening, Reading and Response to Literature, Writing, Educational Drama, Research and Presentation and Computer Applications.
This outcome chart contains media-related learning outcomes from the Alberta, Art Level 3 (Grades 5-6) curriculum, with links to supporting resources on the MediaSmarts site.
In the Newfoundland and Labrador Art curriculum, media components are found throughout the K-12 grades under the Key Stage Curriculum Outcomes in which students are expected to demonstrate critical awareness of and the value for the role of the arts in creating and reflecting culture and analyse the relationship between artistic intent and the expressive work. Within the individual courses media components are found in the strands Understanding and Connecting Contexts of Time, Place, and Community and Perception, Culture, Technology.
In the Newfoundland and Labrador Health Education Framework, media literacy outcomes can be found in General Curriculum Outcome 1(Students will demonstrate an understanding of the aspects of their health and the issues and challenges which impact health and well-being) and General Curriculum Outcome 2 (Students will demonstrate the capability/ability to use skills, resources, and processes to create conditions and take actions that promote their health and that of the family) as well as many specific curriculum expectations.
Many curricular expectations in B.C. Social Studies courses relate to media and digital literacy. The core historical and geographical thinking concepts include a consideration for evidence, perspectives, and ethics, all of which are required for teaching students to be digitally literate citizens. Thus, media and digital literacy skills and concepts can be found in many of the Big Ideas, Curricular Competencies and specific course content.