media literacy

Re-Mixed Media: Inspiring Kids to Question What They Consume

Posted by Andrew Gardner on

In today’s media-saturated world, kids contend with a constant stream of mass media content. From emails and apps to ads and podcasts, they’re plugged in almost every waking second of the day. Though we all struggle to filter through this media overload, children are particularly susceptible.

BrainPOP’s new topic, Media Literacy, is meant to open a dialog around these challenges. To help us get it right, we partnered with the Learning About Multimedia Project (LAMP), an organization dedicated to teaching students and their families to read between the lines and take control of the media they consume.

Our Media Literacy movie explains the basics behind mainstream media. It breaks down the persuasion tactics used by mass media producers, and explains how their messages work on our subconscious minds. Most important, it teaches kids how to filter these messages by becoming active, analytical consumers of visual, written, and spoken media. To extend your lesson beyond the movie, check out our Related Reading’s, activities, and Lesson Ideas.

We owe a huge thanks to our friends at The LAMP for ensuring that this topic encourages kids to think openly and develop their own perspective. If you’re looking for an in-depth media literacy project for your class, check out LAMP’s MediaBreaker. It’s a video editing tool that lets kids comment on commercials, news clips, movies, and shows.

How are you integrating media literacy into your lesson plans? Share your approaches in the comments.