Teaching Kids Media Literacy
By Rowntree Montessori Schools (29/01/2014) Throughout the month of October, our grade 5 students learned about Media Literacy. Media, which is defined as “the ways in which people communicate with each other”, can include a variety of things from books and magazines, to music and movies, to texting and websites. A survey conducted by the Media Awareness Network in November 2005 found that 86% of kids from grades 4 to 11 have an email account (most being free services, such as Hotmail), and 94% of survey respondents have internet access at home. Most kids today have grown up never knowing a world without computers or social media. Therefore, media Literacy is a critical area of study for students today. The grade 5 students spent the month discussing various forms of media, advertising techniques, and the implications of media on people, such as the harmful effects of stereotyping. Our students had a great time discussing healthy and unhealthy media and making good media choice