From headlines to homework: teaching media literacy using news archives

Join the Schools Engagement team for a professional development workshop exploring how to use State Library’s news archives for teaching and learning – and be among the first to preview two new media literacy skill building modules being developed especially for Queensland students.

These interactive modules will provide a scaffolded approach to learning crucial media literacy knowledge and skills, helping students separate fact from fiction when engaging with news on social media or online news sites. They can be explored as a package or independent lessons and are designed to engage students’ prior knowledge through activities based around interesting, age-appropriate case studies on the topics you teach in the Australian Curriculum.

Module 1: The P.A.R.T.Y. Test (content knowledge)

An easy-to-remember strategy for checking whether the news students are consuming is true, taught through interactive lessons on:

• Purpose – Why was this content created?
• Author – Who created it and are they credible?
• References – Are there reliable sources to support it?
• Time – Is the information current and relevant?
• You – How does this content make you feel? Does it seem true to you?

Students gain foundational media literacy knowledge while participating in activities that strengthen their critical thinking skills to confidently navigate the contemporary media landscape and identity misinformation and fake news.

Module 2: Using news for research (skill development)

Strategies for using news as a credible information source in research assessments, with lessons on:

• Evaluating news sources
• Using contemporary news archives
• Using historical news archives
• Verifying information in a news story
• Including diverse perspectives in research

Students develop real-world skills to access, evaluate, and analyse local, national, and international news, while also learning how to confidently navigate State Library’s news archives to find high-quality sources for assignments across all subject areas.

Book now to discover resources and strategies to help your students become responsible digital citizens, capable of engaging in honest, informed and balanced debate on the issues that matter most to their generation.