Unit 7 Reading and Writing Workshop
Media Literacy and Digital Communication:
Workshop Overview:
This workshop focuses on developing students' abilities to analyze digital and multimedia texts, evaluate the credibility of online sources, and understand how media shapes perspectives. Additionally, students will engage in creating multimedia presentations, building both critical thinking and digital literacy.
Week 1: Introduction to Media Literacy
Objective:

• Understand what media literacy is and why it is important.
• Begin evaluating different forms of digital media.

Reading:

• A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift (public domain text)
  • Analyzing satire: Students will examine how the tone and style of Swift's work could influence a reader's perception and understanding of the issue of poverty.

Activities:

1. Discussion:
   • What is media literacy? Why should we be critical of the media we consume?
   • How does media shape what we believe or understand about an issue?
2. Guided Practice:
   • Analyze different online sources related to current events. Compare and contrast the perspectives of two news articles about the same event, focusing on how language shapes perspective.
3. Mini-Lesson on Credibility:
   • Discuss how to evaluate credibility (authorship, publication date, domain type, biases, etc.).
   • Practice evaluating online sources.

Assignment:

• Students will choose an online article, evaluate its credibility using the provided checklist, and write a reflection on how its content and tone could shape readers' views.

Week 2: Understanding Media’s Role in Shaping Perspectives
Objective:

• Understand how media (including digital texts) can influence or shape perspectives on topics and issues.

Reading:

• The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (public domain text)
  • Analyze how the narrative perspective influences the reader’s understanding of mental illness and gender roles.

Activities:

1. Group Discussion:
   • How does media shape our view of the world? Consider how advertisements, news stories, and social media portray different groups of people.
   • How might The Yellow Wallpaper change a reader’s perception of the treatment of women in the 19th century?
2. Digital Text Comparison:
   • Students will compare two different types of media (e.g., a YouTube video and a news article) about mental health. They’ll analyze how each medium influences its message and shapes perspectives differently.
3. Mini-Lesson on Understanding Bias in Media:
   • Explore how media outlets use language and visuals to support particular viewpoints.

Assignment:

• Write a short essay (1-2 paragraphs) explaining how Gilman’s portrayal of mental illness in The Yellow Wallpaper shapes the reader’s understanding, and relate it to how media today shapes our views of similar topics.

Week 3: Evaluating the Credibility of Online Sources
Objective:

• Critically evaluate the credibility of online sources.

Reading:

• Common Sense by Thomas Paine (public domain text)
  • Evaluate how Paine’s arguments in Common Sense are crafted to persuade readers, and how this relates to digital content today.

Activities:

1. Mini-Lesson:
   • Dive deeper into credibility evaluation: Identify unreliable sources by examining common characteristics of misinformation (clickbait, lack of author qualifications, no sources cited, etc.).
2. Group Activity:
   • In groups, students will be given a set of different online sources about a historical event (e.g., the American Revolution). They will assess the credibility of each source based on the checklist and discuss which sources they believe are trustworthy.
3. Analyzing Digital Persuasion Techniques:
   • Review how Paine used persuasion techniques (pathos, ethos, logos). Then, students will analyze a digital ad or social media post to identify how it persuades audiences and the techniques used.

Assignment:

• Choose a modern digital source (website, article, or social media post), evaluate its credibility, and write a short analysis of its strengths and weaknesses.

Week 4: Creating Multimedia Presentations
Objective:

• Apply learned skills to create digital content that communicates effectively and responsibly.

Reading:

• Letter from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr. (public domain text)
  • Analyze King’s rhetorical choices and how he uses language to persuade and influence.

Activities:

1. Mini-Lesson on Multimedia Creation:
   • Teach students how to create a multimedia presentation using digital tools (e.g., Google Slides, Canva, or Microsoft PowerPoint). Focus on using text, images, and video to enhance communication.
   • Review effective use of visuals, sound, and text in digital presentations.
2. Rhetoric Analysis:
   • Analyze Letter from Birmingham Jail to discuss how King's language (persuasive techniques, structure, tone) shaped his message.
3. Group Work:
   • In groups, students will create a multimedia presentation based on a historical or current event that showcases an argument or perspective. They will include at least one multimedia element (image, video, etc.) and ensure their sources are credible.

Assignment:

• Students will submit their multimedia presentation, along with a brief written reflection on their creative process, their choice of sources, and how they used their understanding of media literacy to craft the message.

Week 5: Reflection and Wrap-Up
Objective:

• Reflect on the importance of media literacy and how it applies to both academic and personal digital media consumption.

Activities:

1. Final Discussion:
   • How can understanding media literacy impact our daily lives? Why is it important to evaluate sources and perspectives before forming an opinion?
2. Student Presentations:
   • Students present their multimedia projects to the class, explaining their choices of content and how they ensured credibility in their sources.
3. Wrap-Up Activity:
   • Students will write a reflection on what they learned throughout the unit about media literacy, its importance, and how they will apply these skills in the future.

Standards Addressed:

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.8–8.8: Evaluate the credibility of online sources.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.7–8.7: Understand how media shapes perspectives.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.5–8.5: Create multimedia presentations that effectively communicate ideas.

This workshop fosters critical thinking and equips students with the tools to become savvy consumers and creators of digital content.