Media Literacy Week is November 6 – 10, 2017 and the Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, a part of the National Archives and Records Administration, is happy to share classroom-ready materials specifically designed to build stronger literacy skills in students.
Through innovation and technology the National Archives sets the gold-standard in education for using primary sources in the classroom. Below educators will find links to resources that are useful for teaching media literacy and critical thinking in the classroom.
For teachers, representatives from the Johnson and Reagan Presidential Libraries roll out and share a media literacy curriculum created using both contemporary and historical documents from the National Archives. Designed to be used to help students identify and recognize bias in media.
The “How to Read a Document” guide provides examples of newscasts, historical photos, newspaper articles, cables and memoranda. The diagrams within are available to provide students with historical literacy skills.
How to Read a Document Workbook
The “How to Read a Document” workbook is a packet of worksheets designed to help students practice historical literacy skills.
The purpose of the case study is to engage students in a group decision making experience around a complex fictional community issue. Students will have the opportunity to gather information from difference sources and rank the sources from 1 – 5 with 5 being the “best” source. This exercise will help prepare students to engage critical thinking skills in a social setting.
For additional resources from the National Archives visit the following URL: https://reaganlibrary.gov/ed-additional-resources
