Media Literacy Lessons and Worksheets
Teach students in grades 5-9 how to recognize and respond to common online problems with these ready-to-use presentation slides and worksheets.
These 10 lessons can be used for classroom instruction, homeschooling, or extra enrichment at home. They can be paired with Critikid's online course, Social Media Simulator, which covers similar topics. If you'd like to use both resources together, they are available in the Media Literacy Bundle.
What's Included
Slides: 10 presentations for teacher- or parent-guided teaching. Each lesson focuses on a different type of online problem with examples and discussion questions.
Worksheets: 10 printable worksheets for independent reflection and review.
Cumulative Assessment: A final assignment where students create their own examples of problematic posts.
Answer Key: Sample answers for the worksheets and a suggested rubric for the final assignment.
Topics Covered
- Engagement bait
- Harmful advice
- Bad arguments
- Hidden ads
- Sensationalized news
- False claims
- Misleading data
- Online scams
- Privacy risks
- Unsafe contact
Duration
Each of the 10 lessons is estimated to take 30-45 minutes if the worksheet is completed in class.
Approximate timing:
- Slides: 20-30 minutes
- Worksheet: 10-15 minutes
The final assignment will take about 60-90 minutes. Part of it can be assigned as homework.
Presentation Options
The slides are PDFs, so you can present them easily without any special software.
Editable Canva template links are also included. You can use these if you want animated presentations or if you would like to make small changes. A free Canva account is enough to access and present these, but you will need a paid account if you want to download the presentations with premium elements.
Do these lessons align with Common Core standards?
Yes. These resources align with several Common Core ELA standards.
View the alignments by grade:
For writing standards with subsections, teachers and parents can guide the open-ended writing prompts toward particular skills within a standard for more targeted practice.
Do these lessons align with CASEL competencies?
Yes. These lessons support CASEL competencies, mainly in the areas of Relationship Skills and Responsible Decision-Making.
What are the usage rights for this resource?
Your purchase is for one teacher/household. You may print and reuse the worksheets as many times as you want for your own students/children, but you may not share the files or copies with other teachers, classrooms, households, or organizations (including emailing, uploading, or posting).
Can I use ESA funds to buy this?
Critikid is an approved Education Service Provider with the New Hampshire Children’s Scholarship Fund. Learn more.
Families enrolled in other ESA programs may also be eligible for reimbursement. Check your program's requirements to confirm eligibility.
Buy Media Literacy Lessons and Worksheets in Kids Bundle
Ages 8–12Includes 6 items: Fallacy Detectors, Social Media Simulator, Logical Fallacies Worksheets and Lesson Plans, Media Literacy Lessons and Worksheets, Elementary School Worksheets and Lesson Plans, Middle School Worksheets and Lesson Plans.
