The Journalism Education Association has a week-long news literacy curriculum available for free online. The unit, designed by Dr. Megan Fromm and funded by the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, covers a variety of topics under the umbrella of news and media literacy. The first lesson, “Understanding News Literacy,” establishes the framework of what the term itself means. The lesson exposes students to the necessary skills to practice news literacy. These skills include critical thinking, communication, and information and media literacy.

“In designing this lesson, I wanted students to see that news literacy doesn’t exist in a bubble,” Fromm said. “Instead, it’s about the ongoing choices they make as consumers and the interactions they have with news media. Our digital lives are one big experiment in news and media literacy, so teaching it is a more natural fit in classrooms than teachers might first expect.”

“News literacy is the ability to use critical thinking skills to judge the reliability and credibility of news reports and information sources,” said Clark Bell, senior adviser at the McCormick Foundation. “It enables citizens to become smarter consumers and creators of fact-based information. It helps them develop informed perspectives and the navigational skills to become effective citizens in a digitally connected society. News literacy programs also emphasize the importance of news and information, the value of reliable sources and appreciation of First Amendment freedoms.”

This lesson introduces students to these ideas by discussing the First Amendment and press freedom and then moves into a brainstorming session on concepts related to news literacy. After learning the 12 main concepts of news literacy, students search through print publications and websites to find articles that relate to the concepts and demonstrate their new knowledge.

To download the unit, visit the JEA site. Members have access to more resources and JEA’s complete curriculum. Click here to become a member.