Lesson Idea: Digital Footprint Mapping
Objective: Students will learn about online privacy and how their digital actions contribute to their online identity.
Activity:

• Have students research and map out their own digital footprints by searching for their names and identifying personal information available online.

• Discuss the implications of oversharing, the permanence of online content, and privacy settings on social media platforms.

• Students will then create a "privacy plan," setting boundaries for their digital presence and listing actions to secure their personal information.

  
  

• Critical Literacy Focus: This lesson fosters critical literacy by helping students reflect on the broader implications of their online behavior, considering the social justice aspects of digital privacy. Students analyze what personal information is accessible to others and evaluate how digital footprints can reflect power dynamics, inequities, and the ethical responsibility to protect one's privacy and data.

• Present students with news stories or images covering the same event from two or more different media sources (e.g., a conservative vs. liberal news site).

• Students will work in pairs to identify differences in language, framing, and imagery that may reveal bias or influence perceptions.

• Afterward, discuss how different representations shape understanding and why media outlets might portray events in particular ways.

  
  

• Critical Literacy Focus: This lesson emphasizes critical literacy by encouraging students to adopt a critical stance toward media texts, looking beyond the surface to uncover underlying biases and omissions. Students analyze how media representation can reflect issues of fairness, equity, and social justice, considering whose voices and perspectives are included or excluded in the coverage.

Lesson Idea: Analyzing How Different Groups Are Represented in Advertisements

Objective: Students will analyze advertisements to understand how different groups (e.g., gender, race, age) are portrayed and discuss the impact these portrayals might have on people's views.

Description:

• Introduction: Start by explaining that advertisements are meant to persuade us to buy something or think a certain way. Talk about how ads sometimes show people in certain roles or with specific characteristics. Ask students if they’ve ever noticed ads showing mostly one type of person (e.g., men always playing sports or women always cleaning).

• Activity: Show a few advertisements (TV ads, print ads, or online ads). Ask students to observe who is in the ad, what they are doing, and what kind of message they think the ad is trying to send. For example, if an ad shows a man playing sports, ask why they think this person was chosen for this activity.

• Discussion: Discuss with the class how these ads might make people think certain groups are only good at certain things or should behave in certain ways. Do students think these ads represent everyone fairly? Why or why not?

• Wrap-Up: Ask students to create their own ad that shows people from different groups doing activities that are often overlooked in typical advertisements (e.g., girls playing soccer, men cooking, older adults exercising). Students will explain their choices in a short paragraph.

Critical Thinking Development: This lesson helps students think critically about media representations by examining how ads portray people and whether those portrayals are fair or limiting. It encourages students to consider the messages these portrayals send and how they might influence the way we view different groups.

Lesson Idea: "What’s in That Ad?" – Decoding Digital Advertising

Objective: Students will develop the ability to critically evaluate digital advertisements and understand the persuasive techniques used by marketers to influence their purchasing decisions.

Description:

• Introduction: Start by discussing what advertisements are and how they can be found in many forms online (e.g., banners, pop-ups, social media ads). Explain that advertisements are designed to persuade people to buy things, and sometimes they use clever techniques to catch people’s attention or create desires.

• Activity:

  • Step 1: Show the class a few digital ads (these could be from websites or social media, if possible) and ask students to identify what the ad is trying to sell. Encourage them to think about what makes the ad appealing. Is it the bright colors? A famous celebrity? A promise of something fun or exciting?

  • Step 2: Break the students into small groups. Each group will receive a different ad (printed out or shown digitally) and will analyze it using a worksheet with questions such as:

    • What is being sold?

    • Who is the target audience?

    • What persuasive techniques are used in the ad? (e.g., emotional appeal, celebrity endorsement, scarcity, testimonials, etc.)

    • What kind of emotions does the ad try to provoke?

    • How does the ad make you feel about the product? Is it positive or negative?

  • Step 3: After the analysis, have each group present their ad to the class, sharing their findings and discussing the techniques used to make the ad persuasive.

• Debrief: Lead a class discussion about how advertisements are everywhere online and how it's important to be aware of the technique’s marketers use to influence their decisions. Ask students how they can use this information to make more informed choices as consumers and how they might recognize when an ad is trying to persuade them.

• Wrap-Up: As a final reflection, have students create a "Truth Behind the Ad" poster where they draw or describe an ad they’ve seen and explain the techniques the ad used to influence their thinking. This will encourage them to identify the persuasive strategies they now recognize.

Critical Thinking Development: This lesson teaches students to be more critical of the media they consume, helping them understand the ways advertisers use emotional appeal and other persuasive strategies. By examining ads, students will develop the ability to recognize manipulative tactics and make more informed decisions as consumers.

Objective:
Students will develop critical thinking skills by analyzing the ethical choices made in media and exploring how empathy can shape the way we create and consume content. They will reflect on the responsibility of both creators and consumers of digital media in making ethical decisions.

Activity:
Students will view a short video or social media post that addresses an ethical dilemma (e.g., cyberbullying, misinformation) and discuss its emotional and ethical implications. In small groups, they will reimagine the media content to be more ethical and empathetic, considering the impact on the audience and the people involved.

Connection to Building Critical Thinking Skills:
This lesson promotes critical thinking by encouraging students to engage with digital media in a thoughtful and reflective way. By evaluating ethical dilemmas in media and discussing their emotional impact, students learn to question the motivations behind the media they consume. The activity pushes them to consider not only the content's message but also its implications on the people involved and its potential influence on the audience. Students are encouraged to use problem-solving skills as they reimagine media content to be more ethical and empathetic, considering how they can create media that respects others' feelings, privacy, and dignity. This process helps students develop a deeper understanding of the power of media to shape opinions and behaviors, promoting responsibility in both consuming and creating digital content. It also enhances their ability to approach media with a critical eye, recognizing bias, manipulation, and emotional appeal, and empowering them to make more informed, ethical choices in their own digital lives.

Objective:
Students will develop critical thinking skills by analyzing how media represents different groups, individuals, and issues. They will reflect on how these representations influence society’s perceptions and develop their own media content that challenges negative stereotypes or misrepresentation.

Activity:
Students will analyze a selection of media content (e.g., advertisements, news articles, TV clips) to identify how different groups or individuals are portrayed. They will discuss the impact of these representations on public perceptions and reflect on how stereotypes or biases may influence the audience's understanding. In small groups, students will create their own media piece that represents a group or issue in a positive and accurate light, ensuring that they challenge stereotypes.

Connection to Building Critical Thinking Skills:
This lesson helps students build critical thinking by encouraging them to evaluate how media shapes our understanding of people and issues. Students will examine how stereotypes and biases are perpetuated through media and learn to identify subtle (and overt) ways that media creators influence public perceptions. By creating their own media content, students will apply their analysis to reshape the narrative and present more balanced, inclusive, and accurate representations. This process enhances their ability to critically assess media messages, recognize the social implications of misrepresentation, and take responsibility for promoting more ethical and reflective portrayals in the media they engage with. Through this lesson, students develop the tools to think critically about the media they consume and create, fostering a deeper understanding of media’s power in shaping social norms and attitudes.

Lesson Idea: Advertisements vs Images - What's the Difference?

Objective: Students will analyze the difference between an advertisement and an image to build critical thinking skills when consuming different forms of media by being able to uncover their intended purpose.

Description:

• Students will be shown 2 different images. One will be an ad for something (ex. cereal) and the other will be just an image of that thing (ex. cereal box with no brand)

  • Students will engage in a think-pair-share to brainstorm the differences they notice between the 2 images and which image appeals more to them and why

• As a whole class, students will explore the different components of an ad making connections to the images from the previous activity to consolidate their understanding

  • Some other advertisement examples will be shown to students to help them co-create the criteria for an advertisement together

  • Students will also discuss the importance of understanding the purpose of advertisements to build their critical literacy skills for when they consume this media online or in their community

• Students can conclude this lesson with creating an advertisement of their own using the criteria they came up with identifying the purpose, target audience, and elements they used

Critical Literacy Focus:

• Students are critical analyzing different techniques that advertisements use in order to grasp their attention and make them purchase or engage with a particular product. By building these critical media literacy skills, students will be better equipped to engage with advertisements and be able to recognize how their intended purpose is to get them to buy the product regardless of if they need it or not

Lesson Idea: Verifying Information Found Online

Objective: Students will build their critical literacy skills by learning how to verify that the information they are finding online is accurate. Students will identify key things to look for when determining whether or not the information is accurate.

Description:

• Begin with a discussion on real & fake information that students have encountered when exploring different topics online.

  • Have students share how they determined whether or not the information was real

• Show students 2 different article headlines (one true and one fake) and how them discuss which one they think is more believable and how they would check if the headline that seemed fake was true or not

• As a whole class, create a "verifying information" checklist that students can use

  • In small groups, have students research different articles and use the checklist to determine if it is real or fake news

  • Once students have determined whether or not the article is real or fake news, have them cross check it with other sources

• End the lesson with a debrief on why it is important that we always read information that we find online with a critical lens and why it is important to fact check information across multiple sources

Critical Literacy Focus: This lesson helps to build students critical literacy by giving them the necessary tools to be able to check the validity of the information that they are consuming. By building this critical lens, students will be able to engage with digital information in a responsible way and quickly recognize when inaccurate information is being presented.

Lesson Title: Media Makers

Objective: Students will create their own media and make various choices in the creation process in order to shape perceptions of the media. Students will reflect on the way that biases and stereotypes are reinforced in media.

Introduction: Students will be shown a variety of different advertisements for the same product from different places. They will reflect on how the messages in each advertisement differ from each other and consider why that may be. They will consider ways we can make choices in media to convey different messages

Activity: The class will be split into small groups and will be given a product to create a form of media for. Each group will be given a different purpose for the product. Once all groups generate a media piece of their choice, we will have a gallery walk as a whole class. This will lead to a discussion behind the thoughtfulness of the purpose and each media was formed in the way that it was.

Critical Literacy Focus: This lesson helps students understand media as constructed and designed to shape perceptions. This allows studenst to think critically about the media that they consume and take the time to consider bias and stereotypes that exist in that media.

Students will understand cinematic techniques, how this shapes the audiences' perspectives, and the intended message in the media. The lesson will start off with explaining and showing various cinematic techniques, and the purpose behind them (music to set the mood of the scene, lighting for tension). As a class we will watch a clip from a movie, and identify the different techniques, purpose and effectiveness. Students will then choose their own scene from a movie and read the media to then describe to the teacher how the techniques enhance the storytelling.

Students will understand what digital footprint is, risks of sharing information online, and develop strategies to manage their privacy and security through media. In this lesson students will play an online game called "Digital Footprint escape game" https://view.genially.com/650cde714b3b670011f18f62/interactive-content-digital-footprint-escape-game to provide the teacher with an understanding of how much knowledge the students have on security. The teacher will show a list of different words/images, and the class has to decide whether it is appropriate to share online or not. The teacher will then explain how privacy settings work on various platforms. Students will create a privacy survival guide to share with younger grade levels on how to manage privacy online. Students will each have a one-on-one conversation with the teacher discussing three changes they will make to protect their privacy. This lesson is targeted towards older grade levels like Grade 5+. This lesson will build critical thinking skills in digital media literacy because it encourages students to expand their thinking about their own online presence, and take control of their online behaviours.

Objective: Students will understand the importances of safety and privacy online and in person and will brainstorm ways to be safe in both areas.

Introduction: Begin by discussing what privacy means and why it is important to be secure. Have students watch a video on internet safety and discuss the key points. Students can brainstorm ways to keep their personal information safe as a class.

Activity: In small groups students will be given different scenarios and they will make decisions on how they would handle each situation. Students can choose one scenario and role play it for the whole class and have a discussion on online and offline safety and privacy.

Critical Literacy Focus: This lesson will help students make safe choices and consider ways that they can be safer online and offline. They can critically thinking about situations and assess the risks.

Lesson Idea: Analyzing Media Messages

Objective: Students will learn to deconstruct media messages by identifying techniques used to convey meaning and influence audiences.

Activity:

Teacher will select a variety of media, such as advertisements, news clips, or social media posts. Than, divide students into small groups and assign each group a media piece. Teacher will provide guided Discussions: 

Provide guiding questions to help students analyze their assigned media:

What is the main message?

Who is the intended audience?

What techniques (e.g., visuals, language, music) are used to convey the message?

Are there any biases or stereotypes present?

Each group presents their analysis, highlighting how media techniques influence audience perception.

Critical Thinking Development:

Reading media critically enhances critical thinking by teaching students to question the messages they encounter and recognize the techniques used to influence their perceptions. By analyzing how media shapes information through language, visuals, and emotional appeals, students learn to deconstruct the content rather than passively absorb it. This skill encourages skepticism, prompting students to examine the motivations behind media messages, assess potential biases, and consider multiple perspectives. Developing this skill helps students become more discerning consumers of media, enabling them to make thoughtful and informed judgments rather than accepting content at face value.

Lesson Idea: Evaluating Online Information

Objective: Students will develop skills to assess the credibility of online sources and information.

Activity:

Teacher will present a scenario where students need to research a current event or controversial topic. Afterwards, students will find two online articles with differing perspectives on the topic. Teacher will explain to students how to evaluate sources based on: author credibility and expertise, publication reputation, evidence and sources cited, date of publication and purpose and potential bias. Have students compare the two articles, discussing:

Differences in presented facts and opinions

Potential reasons for discrepancies

Which source they find more credible and why

To end the lesson, the class will have a discussion on the importance of verifying information and the impact of misinformation.

Critical thinking development:

The skill of finding and verifying information strengthens critical thinking by encouraging students to evaluate the credibility of sources and the accuracy of the information they encounter online. In a digital world where misinformation is prevalent, this skill empowers students to use fact-checking techniques and cross-reference multiple sources before drawing conclusions. By analyzing the reliability of authors, publications, and evidence, students become more independent thinkers who can navigate the complexities of information in a responsible and informed manner. This process of verification not only improves research skills but also fosters a mindset that values evidence-based reasoning and thoughtful decision-making.

Lesson Idea: Source Scavenger hunt

Activity:

As a class, we would spend time discussing what a valid and reliable source of information is. We would talk about how, just because something is online, one a website or in an article, does not necessarily make it true. We would look at examples of a valid source, and an unreliable source. We would also spend time talking about Wikipedia, and how it can be used as a tool to start research.

We would then co-create criteria for what we think a reliable source would be. Students would then get into to pairs and begin the "source scavenger hunt"

Students will be given a list of websites/articles and they have to determine if its reliable or not, using our criteria and explain why or why not. This activity would preface a research project. Once they have completed this activity, they would then be ready to start research on their own topic, validating their sources in the same way.

2. Media Representation

Lesson Idea: Media Analysis

As a class, we will discuss how media is meant to make think or feel something. We would talk about how media only shows you the parts that you are meant to see in order to make you think what they want you to think. We would then look at examples of advertisements and social media profiles of celebrities, and talk about what they are trying to make us feel.

As an activity, the teacher will hand out magazines, for students to conduct their own analysis on what the ads or articles are trying to do. They will have to provide evidence of why they think that

Objective: Students will gain an understanding of their own perspective of media and what it means to them. They will analyze how media represents people and ideas, while being mindful of stereotypes and representation. 

Description/Activity: 

Minds-On: Media Mind Map 

• Begin with an interactive class brainstorm, creating a media mind map together. The teacher can draw a large circle on chart paper, labeled “Media” and ask students to provide types of media they encounter everyday (e.g., TV shows, video games, social media, books).

• Prompt: What does “media” mean to you? What types do you use daily?

Action: Ad Challenge 

• Show students two ads (e.g., toys, food, or clothing). Ask students to compare the representation of people and ideas in each ad.

• Prompts: Who is shown in the ads? How are boys and girls represented differently? What do they look like?

• Follow with a class discussion about stereotypes. Ask students how these representations might influence their own ideas about products/people. 

Consolidation: How Media Shapes Us

• Ask students to reflect individually on how media affects the way we see the world and ourselves. Have them write a short journal entry or share in pairs: 

• Prompts (have them choose one): How does media shape the way you see people (like in ads, TV shows, or movies)? Have you ever seen something in the media that made you feel like you didn’t fit in? What’s one thing you can do to be more aware of messages in media? 

  
  

Critical Literacy Focus:

This can help students analyze and critically think about how texts contain beliefs and value messages in a certain way. They can reflect the biases/opinions of the creators, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Students can think about how no text is neutral or free of value; there is a deeper meaning behind it that conveys a certain message.

Objective: Students will understand how tone in digital communication can lead to misunderstandings and practice ways to communicate kindly and responsibly online.

Description/Activity: 

Minds-On: Digital Feelings

• Ask students to think about a time they received an unclear/confusing message online. 

• Prompts: How did it make you feel? Did you find out if the person meant it the way you thought? 

• Discuss how messages can be misunderstood without being able to read tone or body language.

Action: Miscommunication Role-Play 

• Display examples of text messages with unclear tones (e.g., “Whatever”) 

• Ask students to act out how these messages would sound in different emotions (e.g., happy, sarcastic)

• In pairs, have students role-play short scenarios where messages are misunderstood (e.g., a group chat text saying, “Why did you do that?”) 

• After role-playing, students discuss how the message could be more clear/kind.

Consolidation: Kindness Code and Pledge

• As a class, create a Kindness Code for digital communication.

• Prompts: What words make people feel happy or respected? How can we show we care when communicating online?

• Then, ask students to write a brief pledge on one way they will communicate kindly online (e.g., using emojis, asking for clarification) 

  
  

Critical Literacy Focus:

This lesson will allow students to critically think about how everyone interprets messages differently. Demographic factors as well as past experience and knowledge can play a role in how an individual interprets a message. Students can consider their own experiences on how they have viewed other people's messages, and get them thinking about how their messages may have been misconstrued before. This will help teach them about perspective and how tone plays a large role in communicating with others.

Lesson: Spotting Sponsored Content 

Objective: 

• Students will learn to identify sponsored content and distinguish it from unbiased information in digital media.

Description: 

• Students will be shown two different content examples from the media, one being a sponsored post, and another being a true, unbiased post. The sponsored social media example will clearly have the “Sponsored” or “Includes Paid Promotion” label, while the unbiased media post will have no advertising. 

• Students will then engage in a discussion surrounding sponsored content and how they differ from unbiased content in media. Teachers will directly point out key characteristics of sponsored content such as labels like “Ad” or “Sponsored” or “Includes Paid Promotion”, overly positive tones with little criticism, and mentioning brand names multiple times. 

• Students will be asked

  • "What’s the difference between these two examples?"

  • "How can you tell when something is an ad?"

• Students will be provided with a mix of digital media samples: articles, blog posts, social media posts, and YouTube thumbnails. In pairs, students will work together to identify which samples are sponsored and which are not. 

• As a whole group, the students will share their findings and explain why they classified each example as an ad or unbiased content. The teacher will then facilitate a conversation surrounding the prompt:

  • Why do companies want ads to look like regular content? How might this affect the way we think about the product or service?"

Critical Literacy Focus:

• This lesson builds critical thinking by teaching students to recognize the blurred lines between advertising and information in digital spaces. Students can examine how companies design ads that influence their choices and behaviours by using strategies like blending advertising with unbiased content. By identifying and understanding advertising tactics, students build the ability to make thoughtful decisions about what they consume, share, or believe online. These skills align with critical literacy by encouraging students to move beyond passive consumption of media and instead actively interrogate the messages they encounter in the digital world.

Lesson: Recognizing Empathy Traps 

Objective: 

• Students will learn to recognize empathy traps in digital communication and develop strategies to show kindness and respect when communicating online.

Description: 

• The teacher will first introduce empathy traps, asking students questions like:

  • Have you ever misunderstood something that someone has said to you online?

  • What makes it difficult to understand feelings through online communication like texting?

• As a whole group, the teacher will write down their answers, prompting students if necessary. The answers should include, but are not limited to lack of tone, no body language, and no facial expressions. The teacher will explain that these are called empathy traps—situations where digital communication prevents us from understanding the feelings of others that may prevent us from feeling empathy in online interactions.

• The teacher will distribute scenario cards with examples of online communication that might lead to empathy traps. Some examples might include 

  • Someone posts a picture of food, and you comment, “Looks gross.”

  • A classmate writes, “I’m so tired,” but you don’t respond or ask how they’re doing.

• In small groups, the students will read the scenarios and identify the empathy traps. The students will also discuss how these traps can lead to misunderstandings or hurt feelings.

• Students will rewrite the messages in a kinder or more empathetic way. The teacher will prompt and encourage students to consider how they would respond if they could hear the person’s tone or see their face.

• To consolidate, as a class, discuss how empathy traps can happen in different online situations (texts, social media, comments). The teacher will then write down strategies on the board for overcoming empathy traps, such as:

  • Ask questions if you aren’t sure how someone feels 

  • Use emojis, extra words, or emoticons to explain how you feel and demonstrate your tone of voice. 

  • Think before you send

    • How would you feel if you received this message?

    • Would you say what you write online to your friend or classmate in person?

Critical Literacy Focus: 

• This lesson encourages students to think critically about how digital communication differs from face-to-face interaction, and how empathy can be lost when we don’t have cues like tone and facial expressions. By recognizing empathy traps and discussing solutions, students practice responding to others with kindness, respect, and understanding in online interactions. This focus also helps students recognize the ethical responsibility they have to communicate kindly and respectfully online, and are encouraged to become more thoughtful consumers and communicators in the digital world.

Lesson: Becoming Smart Consumers

Objective:

Students will develop critical literacy skills by analyzing advertisements to identify persuasive techniques, hidden messages, and the impact on consumer behaviour. Students will learn to make informed decisions as a consumer by examining and evaluating the purpose and strategies behind advertisements. 

Description:

In this lesson, students will explore the purpose of and techniques used in advertisements. Students will begin by analysing a sample advertisement to identify key features and messages. Students will answer prompts such as, “what do you notice first?”, “what do you notice first?”, and “what does the ad want you to do?”. Then, in small groups, students will examine different advertisements (both print and digital) and will answer critical literacy questions to guide their analysis of their advertisement. Students will answer questions like, “who created this ad, and why?”, “what techniques are being used to grab your attention?”, “does this ad make you feel you need this product? why or why not?”, and “who might benefit or be harmed by this ad?”. These guiding questions will help students uncover explicit and hidden messages, persuasive strategies, and the target audience for each advertisement. After sharing their observations and findings with the class, students will reflect on the activity by completing an exit ticket answering the questions: “what is one thing you learned about how ads influence people?”, and, “how can you make smart decisions when you see an ad?”.

Critical Literacy Focus:

This lesson will help students examine who created an ad, who it was created for, and why it was created, while considering who benefits from the message and who is affected by the message of the ad. Students will also consider how ads portray products and lifestyles and how these ads influence their perceptions, reflecting and questioning the validity and emotional appeals in advertising, and recognizing bias to make informed decisions and opinions. 

Objective: Students will learn how to find reliable information, tell the difference between facts and opinions, and understand why it’s important to check multiple sources to confirm accuracy.

Activity:

Minds On: "Facts or Opinion Game"

The teacher will present various statements on a board, some factual and some opinion-based (e.g., "Cats are the best pets" vs. "Cats are mammals"). Students will raise their hands to indicate whether they think each statement is a fact or an opinion.

Explore: Source Investigation

The teacher will provide students with a selection of different media sources (e.g., a newspaper article, a blog post, a social media post, and a book excerpt). In pairs, students will analyze each source and discuss whether they believe the information is credible or not.After exploring media sources, the teacher introduces a simple chart outlining criteria for determining credibility (e.g., author expertise, publication date, references). Students will work in groups to create their own examples of credible and non-credible sources. Students will then share their findings to the class!

Objective: Students will develop the ability to critically evaluate the credibility and reliability of digital sources by analyzing various media and recognizing the signs of trustworthy versus unreliable information. They will learn how to apply a systematic approach to assess the validity of online content before accepting it as accurate or sharing it with others. Students will also learn to consider any biases presented in the text based on author and the representation presented.

Activity:

-Divide the class into small groups and provide each group with different articles or websites. Some should be from reputable sources (like academic journals or major news outlets), while others should come from biased or unreliable sources (e.g., pseudoscience websites, satire, or conspiracy blogs).

-Using the provided checklist, each group will evaluate their assigned sources based on criteria such as the author's credentials, the publication date, the presence of citations, and the tone of the content (e.g., sensationalized language).

-Afterward, each group will share their findings with the class, explaining why they believe the source is credible or not. Discuss what red flags or warning signs they found, and why those are important for evaluating digital content.

Critical thinking development:

-Evaluating information for credibility.

-Analyzing and interpreting media for bias or manipulation.

-Applying a systematic approach to assessing source reliability.

Objective: Students will be able to define the term password and describe why we use passwords. They will also understand why a strong password is important and practice creating a strong one.

Lesson:

Begin by asking students "What is something in your life that you take steps to protect? Why and how do you protect it? Have students think pair and share. Ask students if they've ever heard the term password before. Have you ever had to use a password? Why did you have to use the password and why are passwords important to protect information?

Explain the definition of a password "A password is a secret string of letters, symbols, and numbers that you can use to restrict who can access something digital. Some passwords, however, are stronger than others because they are harder for someone to figure out."

Students will then complete a situation handout where there will be different situations that reiterate the importance of protecting a password.

Activity:

• Students will watch and analyze various media content. Students will be shown commercial and TV show clips. The student will be asked to share their thought on:

  • What is this clip trying to tell you?

  • What emotions did you feel watching these clips?

• Then students will be put in groups and asked to analyze the media content again. This time they will look at

  • who was this clip made for?

  • Are there any stereotypes you notice in these clips? Or anything that would be seen as a positive?

  • Does this clip try to convince you of something?

  • does it make you think differently about yourself or other people?

  • Students can then share thoughts with the class

Critical literacy Focus:

This activity will help students evaluate different media content. Students will be able to see the meaning behind different ads and media clips. This activity will also help students analyze different elements of a digital media source, and how it impacts the audience. It will allow students to critically think about the effect different digital media sources have on themselves and others.

• In this lesson, students will begin to develop an understanding of how online spaces provide an opportunity for miscommunication and misinterpretation of messages, and how they can lead to “empathy traps” in which we are unable to feel empathy towards others online because of the lack of features we see in real life scenarios (body language, tone, etc.).

• Students will be split into groups and provided with 4-5 cards with a text message written on them such as “Fine” or “Thanks a lot.” The groups will read these and discuss their interpretations. On the board, various emojis will be placed. Students will be called up one group at a time to tell the class how they interpreted each text message, reading it/acting it out if they’d like, and then placing it with an emoji that best represents this interpretation. Once all groups have gone, have a large group discussion to see where similarities and differences in interpretation arose, why these might have happened, and what this means for how we interpret text online (here is where the teacher would introduce the term empathy traps, as well as touch on the absence of body language, tone, and facial expression if the students do not bring it up themselves).

Activity #2: Making and Remixing

• In this lesson, students would be introduced to the term remix culture and begin to understand the purpose it serves in media today. Additionally, it would get students thinking about how remixing needs to be done appropriately and with considerations of legal and ethical standards.

• To begin, place students into groups of 4 and instruct them to do a quick search of the term “remix culture”. They will write down their findings and the source they got the information from on a piece of paper. Once they have had about 5 minutes to research, the class will create a giant brainstorming web through a whole class discussion, combining the ideas onto one large chart paper.

• After this, the class will participate in a jigsaw activity. The same groups of students will be given a term or aspect of remix culture that they must do more extensive research on (i.e., effect of remixing culture on artists, copyright laws surrounding remixing, remixing in music, remixing in film, etc.) and each group will be given a jigsaw organizer. Once the home groups have researched their topic, they will be split up and new groups will be formed. Here, they will discuss their findings and write the information onto the organizer. After this, a whole class discussion will occur to synthesize the learning and touch on key points of remix culture.

Grade Level: 6-8
Objective: Students will explore how online communication can affect others and learn strategies for practicing empathy and ethical behavior in digital spaces.

Activity Steps:

1. Introduction:

   • Introduce the concept of empathy in digital communication. Discuss how online interactions lack non-verbal cues like body language, tone of voice, and facial expressions.

   • Talk about the ethical responsibilities of online communication (e.g., kindness, respect, and avoiding cyberbullying).

2. Scenario Analysis:

   • Present students with several real-life scenarios involving online interactions (e.g., commenting on a social media post, receiving a hurtful message, or being left out of a group chat).

   • Ask students to work in pairs to analyze how each scenario might make someone feel and what ethical considerations the communicator should keep in mind.

3. Role-Playing Activity:

   • In small groups, have students role-play situations where they must respond empathetically and ethically online (e.g., responding to a friend's post, handling a disagreement, supporting someone who’s been bullied).

   • After each role-play, discuss the choices made and whether the responses were respectful and empathetic.

4. Reflection and Discussion:

   • Have students write a short reflection on how their digital communication can affect others and what they can do to promote kindness and empathy online.

   • Discuss strategies for recognizing and managing emotions in online conversations (e.g., taking a break before responding).

Critical Thinking Development:
This lesson encourages students to reflect on their own digital interactions and the potential impact their words can have on others. By analyzing scenarios and practicing empathy, students develop the ability to engage ethically and thoughtfully in digital spaces.

Grade Level: 6-8
Objective: Students will explore how different media represent reality, discuss stereotypes, and consider how these representations influence their views and actions.

Activity Steps:

1. Introduction:

   • Introduce the concept of media representation and how media (TV shows, movies, advertisements, news stories, social media) shape the way we see the world.

   • Discuss the idea that media doesn’t always reflect reality accurately, but rather it often creates constructed representations of people, cultures, and events.

   • Explain that these representations can influence how we think about others, ourselves, and the world around us.

2. Media Examples:

   • Show clips from TV shows, movies, or advertisements that feature stereotypical portrayals of certain groups (e.g., gender stereotypes, cultural representations, or depictions of social roles).

   • Ask students to note how people are portrayed in these examples, focusing on characteristics like race, gender, socioeconomic status, or abilities.

   • After viewing, lead a class discussion with the following questions:

     • What stereotypes or biases can you identify in these media examples?

     • How do these representations affect our understanding of the group or person being portrayed?

     • Are these representations accurate or exaggerated? Why do you think that is?

3. Group Work – Rewriting Media Representation:

   • Divide students into small groups. Each group will choose one of the media examples previously shown (or a new example) and re-imagine it with a more accurate or inclusive representation.

   • Students will work together to modify the media clip, advertisement, or scenario by changing the portrayal to reflect diversity and a more accurate representation of the group in question.

   • Encourage students to consider different perspectives, focusing on inclusivity and challenging stereotypes.

4. Group Presentations:

   • Have each group present their re-imagined media representation to the class, explaining the changes they made and why.

   • In their presentations, students should discuss how their new portrayal reflects a more accurate, diverse, and inclusive view of the group or issue.

5. Class Discussion:

   • Discuss as a class: How does media representation shape our perceptions of reality?

   • What impact can stereotypical or biased representations have on society, especially on younger audiences?

   • How can we challenge stereotypes and promote more inclusive representations in the media we consume and create?

6. Reflection:

   • Have students write a short reflection on what they learned about media representation and how it affects their views on others.

   • Encourage them to consider how they can critically engage with the media they encounter in everyday life.

Critical Thinking Development:
This lesson promotes critical thinking by encouraging students to analyze and challenge stereotypes in the media. It also empowers students to think about the ethical implications of media representations and how these portrayals influence societal views. By re-imagining media content, students learn to critically evaluate and reshape how people and groups are represented in the media.

Objective: Students will develop the skills to effectively search for and critically assess online information for accuracy, reliability, and credibility.

Activity:

- Begin by discussing the importance of being able to find reliable information online. Explain that the internet is a valuable resource, but it is also filled with misinformation, rumours, and fake news.
Introduce the concept of verification, emphasizing the importance of checking the source, cross-referencing information, and questioning the credibility of what we read online.
- Provide students with a simple research question (e.g., “What are the benefits of recycling?”). Have them search and find information on this topic online. Ask students to identify the types of sources that appear, such as news articles, blogs, academic websites, or opinion pieces.
Discuss how different types of sources have different levels of credibility, and that we need to be cautious about the sources we trust.

- Once students have found information on their topic, guide them through the steps of verifying the information:
Check the Source: Is the website reputable? Is the author an expert in the subject? Look for official domains like ".edu" or ".gov."
Cross-Reference: Are other reliable sources providing the same or similar information? If multiple trusted websites agree, the information is likely credible.
Look for Bias: Does the source have an agenda? For example, does it try to sell something or present one side of the issue? Bias can affect the reliability of the information.
Check the Date: Is the information current, or is it outdated?
- Group Fact-Checking Challenge: In groups, students will be given three pieces of information about the same topic: one that is accurate, one that is partially false, and one that is completely false.
Their task is to use the verification steps to identify which pieces of information are trustworthy and which are not. Students will document their reasoning for each determination.
- After the activity, have each group present their findings, explaining how they verified each piece of information.
- Lead Class Discussion: Discuss the challenges students faced while verifying information. Which strategies were the most helpful?
How can students apply these skills in their everyday online activities, such as when they read social media posts or watch videos online?
Why is it important to verify information before sharing it with others?

Critical Thinking Development:
This lesson helps students develop critical thinking skills by teaching them how to evaluate and verify information they find online. It encourages students to question the accuracy and credibility of sources and to make informed decisions about the information they trust. By practicing fact-checking, students also learn to become responsible digital citizens who engage in thoughtful and accurate information sharing.

Grade: 6
Objective:
Students will remix a traditional story or myth into a digital format, fostering creativity, digital storytelling skills, and ethical awareness of remixing narratives.

Activity:

• Introduction to Digital Storytelling:
  Explain how digital tools (e.g., video, audio, slides) can bring stories to life. Discuss remixing narratives by changing elements like the setting, characters, or perspective (e.g., modernizing a fairy tale or retelling a myth in the future).

• Examples of Digital Stories:
  Show examples of remixed narratives (e.g., modernized fairy tales or reimagined myths) and highlight the creative techniques used.

• Choosing and Planning a Story:

  • Students select a familiar traditional story or myth.

  • Plan their remix:

    • Narrative Structure: Beginning, middle, and end.

    • Changes: Characters, setting, or plot.

    • Multimedia Elements: Use visuals, sound effects, or narration to enhance storytelling.

• Creating the Digital Story:
  Students use digital tools (e.g., iMovie, Google Slides) to create their story, incorporating their planned multimedia elements.

• Presenting and Peer Feedback:

  • Present digital stories to the class, explaining the remix process.

  • Classmates provide feedback on how effectively the story was transformed and how well multimedia elements supported the narrative.

• Reflection:

  • Class discussion on the ethics of remixing stories and the importance of crediting original creators.

  • Students write a short reflection on how they reimagined the story, how digital tools enhanced it, and what they learned about remixing.

Critical Thinking Development:

This lesson develops critical thinking by encouraging students to analyze and reimagine traditional stories, consider the impact of their creative choices, and explore the ethical responsibilities of remixing. It promotes creativity and digital literacy, helping students see how media can influence audience perceptions.

During this lesson, students will work together to analyze the main idea and who the audience would be for different types of media. For this lesson, we will start off by having a whole class discussion about different types of media, what different types of media might be trying to tell us (advertising, persuading, in forming, entertaining, etc.), along with who the audience for these types of media might be. Then, students will get into small groups (3-4 students) and be given a source of media and 3 sticky notes. Some of the sources of media will include advertisements, flyers, magazines, and textbooks. Students will be asked in their small groups to write down on sticky note # 1) the type of media, # 2) the purpose of this type of media, and # 3) the audience for this type of media. After completing this as a group, we will all come together and share our findings.

This lesson will help students think critically about the media they encounter every day, recognize the intentions behind it, and question how it influences their thoughts and actions. These are important skills as students encounter media in their everyday lives.

During this lesson, I will begin by reading a short picture book about online safety called “On the Internet: Our First Talk About Online Safety” by Dr. Jillian Roberts (Author), and Jane Heinrichs (Illustrator). This story uses real-world examples, like a child watching an older sibling on social media, to explore topics like parental supervision, online bullying, and anonymity. This story highlights both safety concerns and positive uses of the internet, while also addressing why online safety and boundaries are important. After reading this short story, we will come together as a class to discuss what the book had talked about and make a brainstorming web with all of our ideas. To consolidate, students will complete an independent exit card that asks: What is one thing you can do to be safe online?

This lesson helps students develop critical thinking skills by exploring online safety through real-world scenarios that are presented within the story. By discussing topics like parental supervision, online bullying, and anonymity, students learn to analyze and make informed decisions about their own online behavior.

Objective:
Students will critically evaluate digital advertisements and understand how companies use persuasive techniques to influence consumer behavior.

Activity:

• Introduction: Start by discussing the concept of advertising and its presence in everyday life, focusing on digital ads in social media, websites, and YouTube.

• Lesson: Present a variety of online ads (e.g., pop-up ads, sponsored social media posts, product ads in videos). Ask students to observe and note the persuasive techniques used, such as emotional appeal, celebrity endorsements, or the use of special offers and deals.

• Critical Thinking Discussion: In small groups, students will analyze one advertisement of their choice. They will discuss the following:

  • What is the ad trying to persuade me to do?

  • What emotions or values is it targeting?

  • Is there any misleading or exaggerated information in the ad?

  • How do these techniques influence our purchasing decisions?

• Reflection: Have students create a brief infographic or write a short blog post summarizing their findings and offering advice on how to critically evaluate digital ads in their daily lives.

Connection to Digital Media Literacy:
This activity teaches students to be more discerning consumers of digital media, developing skills to critically evaluate the messages being presented to them and identify the persuasive techniques companies use.

Activity:

• Introduction: Begin by discussing privacy in the digital age, explaining what personal data is and why privacy policies are important. Briefly explain the concept of data collection, cookies, and how companies track personal information online.

• Lesson: Provide students with the privacy policies from various popular websites or apps (e.g., a social media platform, a shopping website, a news website). Ask students to read through the policies, highlighting key points related to data collection, third-party sharing, and how personal information is used.

• Critical Thinking Discussion: In groups, students will:

  • Identify what personal information the website/app collects.

  • Discuss whether the website clearly explains how that information is used or shared.

  • Evaluate the readability of the privacy policy – is it clear and understandable, or filled with jargon?

  • Discuss potential risks of sharing personal data with these websites/apps.

• Activity Wrap-Up: Have students compare different privacy policies to identify best practices for protecting their own privacy online. They can then create a checklist or infographic summarizing key things to look for in a privacy policy when using digital services.

Connection to Digital Media Literacy:
This activity empowers students to become more informed about privacy risks online, teaching them to critically assess privacy policies and make informed decisions about how and where to share their personal information.

Objective: Students will develop critical thinking skills by understanding the importance of online privacy. They will learn how to manage their digital footprint and make informed decisions about what to share.

 Introduction

Discussion about how students use the internet and social media. Questions are posed such as “what types of content do you share/see online? Who can see the content you share? Do you have private or public social media profiles?” Begin to explain why privacy and security are important in digital media, highlight that it is crucial to think about who may see the information before posting. 

 Activity 1: Privacy Settings Exploration (15 minutes)

• Present a fake social media profile to students with different age-appropriate posts 

• As a class, discuss what should be private and what could be public

• Go through different privacy settings and decide together the appropriate settings for each type of post, discuss the harms of posting publicly 

Activity 2: Think Before You Share (20 minutes)

• Divide students into small groups

• Provide each group with scenario cards (ex. sharing a photo of a friend, posting your home address, uploading a vacation photo while still on vacation).

• Each group discusses the potential risks and benefits of sharing the information in their scenario

• Groups present their decisions to the class, explaining their reasoning

Consolidation

• Students reflect on what they learned about managing their privacy online. They will be encouraged to share at least one thing they learned. 

This lesson builds students critical thinking skills by exploring online safety in an age-appropriate and relatable manner. Teaching students about their digital presence will help them make safe decisions when using social media and online tools, fostering responsible and informed behavior.

Purpose of lesson: Students will be learning about how to stay safe in their online communications with others whether it is via email, or other social accounts, educational or not.

Students will start by having a discussion and brainstorming as a class what it means to be safe when talking to people online. This will show what students already know. This can follow with an explanation and short lesson on online safety while communicating with others. This could include a video or some examples of safe online interactions versus unsafe ones.

Then, students can be placed into groups and receive case studies that describe situations where online safety may be at risk when talking to others online. As a group, students will be discussing and coming up with a plan to safely act on the situation.

To conclude, students can all come together and share their case studies and the plan they made to address them, giving the class a toolkit of ideas and scenarios to use / look out for.

This lesson helps students to develop their critical thinking skills by getting them to think twice about the conversations they have online, and not to trust everyone. It will teach them what types of messages to look out for and what information not to share with someone online.

Objective:
Students will learn and demonstrate understanding of digital citizenship and demonstrate community and cultural awareness by collaborating to create an engaging infographic to display in the school.

Minds On: Introduction to Digital Citizenship

1. Quick Poll -5 mins:
   Ask students: "What does being a good digital citizen mean to you?" Use sticky notes or an online poll to get responses.

2. Video Clip - 5 mins:
   Show a short video (3-5 minutes) that demonstrates positive and negative examples of digital citizenship, including online kindness, safety, and cultural respect.

3. Class Brainstorm - 5 mins:
   Create a class mind map on the board with "Digital Citizenship" in the center. Add student ideas and examples of responsible online behavior and cultural awareness.

Action: Group Work – Infographic Creation

1. Group Formation - 2 mins: Divide students into groups of 3-4 using randomized grouping methods

2. Task:
   Each group will design an infographic that:

   • Defines what digital citizenship is

   • Explains 3-4 key principles (e.g., online safety, respectful communication, digital footprints).

   • Shows how digital citizenship connects to respecting diverse communities and cultures.

   • Includes visuals, headings, and at least one real-life example.

3. Infographic Options:
   Groups can choose their format:

   • Digital: Use tools like Canva or Google Slides.

   • Handmade: Use chart paper, markers, and printed visuals.

4. Guided Work Time - 30 mins:
   Groups collaborate to plan and create their infographic. Provide templates or examples for inspiration and circulate to offer support.

Consolidation: Sharing and Reflection

1. Gallery Walk - 15 mins:
   Groups display their infographics around the classroom. Students do a gallery walk, leaving sticky-note compliments or questions for each infographic.

2. Class Discussion - 5 mins:
   Bring the class together to share their favorite insights from the gallery walk and discuss how these infographics could impact the school community.

Students can then display their work around the school to teach others about digital citizenship!

Connection to Critical Thinking: This lesson encourages critical thinking by having students learn and understand the principles of digital citizenship and consider their impact on communities. Creating infographics challenges them to organize ideas clearly, connect concepts to real-life examples, and think about how their work can influence others. Discussions and group work also help them reflect on different perspectives and apply their learning in a meaningful way.

Objective: Students will develop their critical digital media thinking skills by learning and applying basic techniques to verify the credibility of online information. 

Introduction: 

• Ask students if they have ever seen something online that turned out to be false news?

• Present them with an example of a false claim

• Discuss why it is important to introduce verification techniques (checking the source credentials, looking for reputable sites, cross checking information)

Activity

• Students work in small groups, provide each group with a set of various online claims or articles- can be true or false news 

• Students can use the internet to verify each claim writing whether it is true or false and why 

• As a class each group can share one of the online claims they investigated with their peers and explain whether they determined this to be true, or false 

Connection to critical digital media literacy

• This lesson connects to critical digital media literacy by equipping students with the necessary skills to navigate and analyze digital information critically. It teaches them to see and understand the credibility of sources, reputable resources and analyze media for potential bias. This practice fosters an inquiry based approach, encouraging students to question and verify information instead of passively accepting it.

Topic: Consumer Awareness
Objective:
Students will become "ad detectives" to uncover hidden marketing strategies and develop smart consumer habits.

Lesson Plan:

1. Hook: “Detective Briefing” 

   • Introduce the lesson with a short, dramatic detective story:

     • "A mysterious company is trying to influence your choices without you even knowing. Your mission? Uncover their secrets!"

   • Show a compilation of popular online ads (social media, YouTube, influencer endorsements).

2. Activity: “Ad Detective Mission” 

   • In small detective squads, students will:

     • Investigate different types of digital ads (sponsored posts, pop-ups, targeted ads).

     • Use a "Detective Toolkit" worksheet, checking for emotional triggers, misleading information, and persuasive techniques (e.g., celebrity endorsements, urgency tactics).

     • Gather “evidence” (screenshots or descriptions) to support their findings.

3. Game: “Spot the Fake” 

   • Play an interactive class quiz where students view real vs. fake ads and decide which ones are trustworthy.

   • Encourage discussion about why certain ads are misleading and how to fact-check information.

4. Creative Task: “Ad Buster” 

   • Students create their own “Truthful Ad” by redesigning an ad with honest language, disclaimers, and ethical marketing strategies.

5. Conclusion: “Case Solved” 

   • Share takeaways on how to be a smart consumer online.

   • Award detective badges for participation and completion of their mission.

Topic: Privacy and Security
Objective:
Students will navigate a “data maze” to understand the importance of protecting their digital footprint and staying safe online.

Lesson Plan:

1. Hook: “Welcome to the Data Maze” 

   • Set the scene: "You've been trapped in the internet’s Data Maze! To escape, you must solve challenges related to online privacy before your data gets stolen!"

   • Introduce key terms like digital footprint, data tracking, and privacy settings.

2. Activity: Escape Room Challenge

   • In teams, students will complete a series of privacy challenges at different “stations” (set up around the classroom or online):

     • Station 1: Password Puzzle – Solve a code-breaking activity to create the strongest password.

     • Station 2: Phishing Challenge – Identify which emails are fake and which are safe.

     • Station 3: Social Media Privacy Check – Adjust privacy settings on a mock social media profile.

     • Station 4: Digital Footprint Cleanup – Rank activities that contribute to a positive or negative digital footprint.

3. Game: Privacy Truth or Myth? 

   • A fun, interactive game where students guess whether statements about online privacy are true or myths.

   • Example: “Your social media photos can be used by companies without your permission.”

4. Creative Task: “Privacy Superhero” 

   • Students design a superhero character with special abilities to protect their online privacy (e.g., “Firewall Girl” or “The Encrypter”).

   • They create a short comic strip showing their superhero in action.

5. Conclusion: “Escape & Reflect”

   • Discuss what they learned and set a personal privacy goal (e.g., “I will update my passwords monthly”).

   • Teams that successfully escape the Data Maze earn a “Privacy Pro” certificate.

Lesson: Your digital footprint

Objective:

Students will analyze how personal information is collected, shared, and used online. They will develop an understanding of the importance of privacy and security, and learn strategies and steps that they can take to stay safe online and protect their digital footprint.

Description:

In this lesson, students will understand the importance of privacy and security in the digital world. Students will begin by engaging in a discussion about what they share online, why they think that apps and websites ask for your personal information, and what they think happens once they share their information. We will create a chart on chart paper with two columns; information shared online, and why is it being collected? I will then introduce the term digital footprint and explain how it represents the information we leave behind online. Then, students will work in small groups to analyze scenarios featuring a fictional characters' online behaviour. Each group will identify what elements of the character's digital footprint are safe or unsafe, considering their privacy, information sharing, and potential consequences. Students will discuss how to adjust these factors to practice a safer online presence to protect their personal information online. In pairs, students will then create an online safety guide poster to illustrate key strategies for developing and maintaining a positive digital footprint. They will hang their posters around the classroom and we will have a gallery walk so that students can see what their peers have come up with. Finally, there will be a final whole class discussion on privacy and security in the digital world and students will be asked to share one takeaway, as an oral exit ticket.  

Critical literacy focus:

Throughout this lesson, students will learn how to critically evaluate websites, apps, and advertisements, to understand how their personal information and personal data is requested and then used. Students will also question the power dynamics and purposes behind the collection of this information, understanding why websites, apps, and advertisements collect their data and how they use it against them. They will also reflect on how their privacy can be safeguarded to prevent personal data from being collected. 

• Grade 6 

In this lesson, as a minds on, we would have a class discussion regarding posters, advertisements, posts, videos, tiktoks, etc. regarding diet. On the board, I would project one good example and one poor example of advertisements that represent "health". We would critically analyze and discuss the differences of each advertisement. Considering features of text, music, images, lettering, etc. and how that impacts the ways we interpret media. As well, the ways portraying negative or false claims about diet can be harmful. In the action, students would be given the opportunity to look through various negative posters, instagram posts, tik toks about health and diet. The students will pick an advertisement that they would like to conduct research on/learn more about. The reason I would have multiple resources ahead of time for research instead of allowing them full access is because I would not want to expose students to extremely harmful or potentially triggering content. Diet and health can be a difficult subject for students and I would not want them to witness anything that could upset them. Furthermore, students would conduct research on the advertisement they selected. They would make posters informing individuals how the original ad was false or the truth behind the original statement. For example, a student is investigating an ad for an energy drink. They may make a poster highlighting the sugar and caffeine levels and how that could impact the body. Or they could make a poster on foods one could eat that gives them natural energy and how that would benefit the body. This action would take a few work periods to complete. Once completed, the class could do a gallery walk to view others' work or present their posters to the class and what they discovered in their research as the consolidation. 

Critical thinking development:

This lesson allows students to critically think about the media they see. This includes the features brands, people, companies use to make their product or message more appealing. It allows students to critically think in real world scenarios if what they are seeing is realistic or providing misleading information. This allows them to reflect on messages and hopefully continue researching media representations rather than believing everything they observe or hear. In turn, this develops their research and information literacy skills (specific expectation A2.3). As well, students will be able to understand that fitness personales/influencers have an intended audience. They are attempting to sell products or provide information that may be untruthful. When they can critically think about the purpose and intent behind a message within this lesson, they are developing their media, audience and production skills (specific expectation A2.5).

• Grade 5

As a minds on, the class will have a discussion regarding what is a consumer. Then they will go through an interactive slideshow where they differentiate if certain things are a necessity or a want. This will help students understand the concept of some items that they need, and other items that they want. There will be a picture of name brand sneakers that are new and associated with a celebrity, alongside a normal pair of running shoes. The prices will differ and we would discuss why. Students will be challenged to critically consider why one pair is more expensive when they are both sneakers. In the action, students will work in groups and go on a fake shopping spree based on needs and wants. Each group will be given $500 of fake money, and they will rotate through each scenario station and determine if they want to buy the product based on if they need it or not. They will not know what the other potential products are, making them think critically and consciously about their purchases. In the consolidation, groups would share what they bought, how much they spent and if they have any money left over/are in the negatives.

Critical thinking development:

This lesson challenges students to resist purchasing items they may want over what they may need. If students spend money on a want at one of the stations, this may leave them with little to no money when they get to a need station. This teaches them that they cannot always predict finances that they may come across in the future, reasoning why they should save their money. In other words, it puts students in a situation, similar to real life. As well, when looking at examples of consumerism, students can critically reflect if they have fallen subject to these advertisements before and how they can become a more critical buyer. Meaning, they critique ads, and products prior to buying.

Lesson Title: The Power of an Online Voice
Objective: Students will analyze the effects of online comments on others and practice crafting empathetic, responsible responses in digital interactions.

Activity:

• Show real-life or fictional online interactions (e.g., supportive comments, hurtful posts).

• Students analyze the tone and potential impact of these messages.

• In pairs, they rewrite harmful messages to be more empathetic and create a “Digital Kindness Guide” with examples of positive communication.

Connection to Critical Thinking: This lesson teaches students to assess digital interactions critically, fostering ethical reasoning and empathy in creating thoughtful, respectful online behaviour.

Activity:

• Students select a news article about a global or local issue.

• Using tools like Canva, Adobe Spark, or Google Slides, they create an editorial combining text, images, and captions to convey their interpretation of the issue.

• Present the editorial, explaining the creative choices and how they reflect the message.

Connection to Critical Thinking: This lesson builds analytical skills as students evaluate the original article and apply creativity to reshape its message while maintaining factual accuracy.

This lesson would begin by watching a few different clips that represent a particular marginalized group in a negative way (for instance, a person of colour, a female, someone with a disability). After watching the clips, students will be shown someone from that particular marginalized group along with someone not part of that group and will be asked, "who do you think the 'bad guy' is?" Assuming some students will choose the person from the marginalized group, a discussion will follow about media representation and the way it can influence how an entire group of people are perceived, which can have very negative consequences and be very difficult for those who are part of those groups.

Students will be placed into groups and each assigned a different story where a particular marginalized group is shown in a certain way. Students will work together to determine how which group of people is being represented in the particular way, whether they are represented in a positive or negative way, and the impact this has.

To conclude, students will get back together as a big group and have a representative from their group to share their findings.

This lesson helps students develop their critical thinking skills because it gets students thinking about hidden messages that exist in the stories or other medias they read, listen to, or watch. This encourages students to read between the lines when they come across new texts and to be more self-aware of the biases they hold.

Objective: Through the means of creating digital media for the class to analyze and discuss, students will explore themes of online interactions and how they come across when taken out of context. It follows themes of online safety, cyberbullying, and being aware of the media we interact with.

Introduction:

Begin by sharing the idea that when we text family and friends, words and phrases may be taken out of context due to the inability to hear tone, see body language, or notice facial expressions.

Show an example text "why didn't you finish the project?" and ask the class to brainstorm what the other person may be feeling, how we, the consumer, might interpret it.

The person who sent it may be...

• concerned

• frustrated

• angry or aggressive

• sarcastic or joking

We might feel...

• worried

• anxiety

• defensive

• supported

Allow students to think about some ways they can improve this text to ensure they are not coming across in a rude or mean way.

• add emojis

• friendly tone with an opening and punctuation

• communicate directly that you are not upset/your intention for reaching out

Students need to understand the impact their words can have online, even when they do not mean harm by their words.

Activity:

Students will make a 1 minute scenario video on receiving a text that is taken out of context or seems like a cyberbullying message. While the film can have dialouge, students are to communicate this message/what the character is feeling through sound effects, music, camera angles, and other media effects. The video can either be an advertisement for ethical online responsibility or can be a short narrative that shares solutions to avoiding these encounters.

Consolidation - Viewing and Analyzing Party:

Set up the classroom as a premeire room. You can make it fun by adding a theme, making popcorn, etc. Students will view other groups videos and respond to their media piece and the overall message. As a class, they will discuss what they interpreted and how certain elements made them feel when watching. They will use a worksheet to pick one of them with prompts regarding how they read the media. This will be used as feedback (AaL) for the groups to reflect on, while allowing students to actively practice reading and analyzing media

Critical Literacy Focus:

• the activity allows students to think critically about the way they interact in online spaces and how they should be more elaborate to transfer their message as they intended and without harm.

• Simultanouesly, through responding to other peoples short films/ads, they are practicing critical literacy skills by viewing the video beyond what is presented and making inferences through the multiple elements involved in the video (ie. music, camera angle, slogans, easter eggs etc)

Subjects: Language, Religion & Drama

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the concept of empathy and its role in ethical decision-making.

• Analyze ethical dilemmas from multiple perspectives.

• Develop critical thinking skills by evaluating the impact of decisions on others.

Lesson Outline

Minds On Activity: What is Empathy?

• Start with a group discussion:

• Define empathy and ethics in simple terms, emphasizing the connection between understanding others’ feelings and making ethical choices.

Action Activity: Ethical Dilemma Roleplay

• Step 1: Group Roles
  Divide the class into small groups and assign each group one role (ONLINE scenario... Perhaps cyberbullying?)

• Step 2: Perspective Building
  Each group discusses how their role would feel about the decision and why. Encourage them to think deeply about the needs and values of their assigned role.

• Step 3: Class Debate
  Groups present their perspectives to the class. Facilitate a discussion where students evaluate the different viewpoints, weighing the pros and cons of each option.

Consolidation Activity: Ethical Decision Chart/Reflection

• Provide students with a decision chart to analyze the dilemma:

• After filling in the chart, students write a short paragraph explaining which option they would choose and why. Encourage them to justify their decision with evidence from the discussion.

Grade: 5 or 6

Subjects: Science (or music)

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the concept of remixing by combining elements from existing ideas or creations to form something new.

2. Develop critical thinking skills by analyzing and reimagining the use of materials, concepts, or art forms.

3. Foster creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving.

Lesson Outline

MINDS ON Activity: What is Remixing?

• Show examples of remixing music remixes, art, upcycling items

• Discussion about what this means

ACTION Activity: Remix Challenge

Step 1: Choose Your Materials

• Divide students into small groups.

• Provide each group with a mix of materials

Step 2: The Challenge

• Each group must create something new by remixing the materials provided. Possible themes:

  • "Invent a New Tool"

  • "Design a Futuristic Animal"

  • "Build a Miniature Park or Playground"

• As they work, ask questions to prompt critical thinking:

  • Why did you combine these materials in this way?

  • How does your creation serve a purpose or tell a story?

  • What would you change if you had different materials?

Step 3: Present their Idea

• Each group presents their remix creation to the class, explaining:

  • What they made.

  • How they combined the materials.

  • The purpose or story behind their creation.

CONSOLIDATION: Reflection and Discussion

• Discuss as a class:

  • How did remixing the materials challenge your thinking?

  • What decisions were difficult to make?

  • How can remixing apply to other areas of life (e.g., writing, technology, sustainability)?

• Journal Prompt: Write about how remixing can solve real-world problems (e.g., turning waste into useful items or combining ideas to innovate).

Objective: Through the means of creating digital media for the class to analyze and discuss, students will explore themes of online interactions and how they come across when taken out of context. It follows themes of online safety, cyberbullying, and being aware of the media we interact with.

Introduction:

Begin by sharing the idea that when we text family and friends, words and phrases may be taken out of context due to the inability to hear tone, see body language, or notice facial expressions.

Show an example text "why didn't you finish the project?" and ask the class to brainstorm what the other person may be feeling, how we, the consumer, might interpret it.

The person who sent it may be...

• concerned

• frustrated

• angry or aggressive

• sarcastic or joking

We might feel...

• worried

• anxiety

• defensive

• supported

Allow students to think about some ways they can improve this text to ensure they are not coming across in a rude or mean way.

• add emojis

• friendly tone with an opening and punctuation

• communicate directly that you are not upset/your intention for reaching out

Students need to understand the impact their words can have online, even when they do not mean harm by their words.

Activity:

Students will make a 1 minute scenario video on receiving a text that is taken out of context or seems like a cyberbullying message. While the film can have dialouge, students are to communicate this message/what the character is feeling through sound effects, music, camera angles, and other media effects. The video can either be an advertisement for ethical online responsibility or can be a short narrative that shares solutions to avoiding these encounters.

Consolidation - Viewing and Analyzing Party:

Set up the classroom as a premeire room. You can make it fun by adding a theme, making popcorn, etc. Students will view other groups videos and respond to their media piece and the overall message. As a class, they will discuss what they interpreted and how certain elements made them feel when watching. They will use a worksheet to pick one of them with prompts regarding how they read the media. This will be used as feedback (AaL) for the groups to reflect on, while allowing students to actively practice reading and analyzing media

Critical Literacy Focus:

• the activity allows students to think critically about the way they interact in online spaces and how they should be more elaborate to transfer their message as they intended and without harm.

• Simultanouesly, through responding to other peoples short films/ads, they are practicing critical literacy skills by viewing the video beyond what is presented and making inferences through the multiple elements involved in the video (ie. music, camera angle, slogans, easter eggs etc)