LPTP+William+Gillespie+and+Katie+LaFrance,+Mary+Nellenback+and+Erik+Untiedt


 * Title ** : Middle School Media Literacy: An Integrated Science and ELA Approach to Recognizing Scientific Validity in the Media


 * Authors **: William Gillespie and Katie LaFrance, Mary Nellenback and Erik Untiedt of **Auburn Enlarged City Schools**
 * Subject and Grade Level: 6th Grade ELA and Science **
 * Time Needed ****:4 - 6 42 minute class periods**

For additional free online lessons integrating media literacy and critical thinking into the curriculum, go to www.projectlooksharp.org


 * Summary: **

**SWBA to determine the reliability of the author or sponsor of any media message.s.** **SWBA to determine the author's purpose for any media messages.** **SWBA to identify the intended audience for any media messgaes.**
 * Objectives ****: SWBA to use the Scientific Checklist from Berkeley to determine the scientific validity of any form of media.**


 * Vocabulary ****:** (optional)


 * Materials ****: Will vary according to current events**

Lesson Steps: Proposed Activities: Grade 6: Introductory Lessons 1 - 4:

Lesson 1  -  Identifying author, author’s purpose, and intended audience.  This lesson will be delivered through ELA classes, during Unit on Expository Reading. Students will be using a variety of expository text and media to identify author, author’s purpose, and intended audience. These sources will vary according to current events and topics being covered in Science and Social Studies classes. Repetition is needed for the development of this skill.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Bold','serif'; font-size: 13pt;">Lesson 2 <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13pt;"> - <span style="font-family: 'Arial Bold','serif'; font-size: 13pt;">Fact vs. Opinion <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13pt;">, also delivered through ELA classes, during Unit on Expository Reading. Students will be using a variety of expository text and media to identify the difference between factual text and opinion pieces. These sources will vary according to current events and topics being covered in Science and Social Studies classes. Repetition is needed for the development of this skill.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Bold','serif'; font-size: 13pt;">Lesson 3 <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13pt;"> - <span style="font-family: 'Arial Bold','serif'; font-size: 13pt;">Looking for proof of scientific credibility in Expository text. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13pt;"> This lesson will be delivered through Science classes during the unit on Geology and Geological Events. The topic for the lesson will be Hydraulic Fracturing (Hydrofracking). Students will work in pairs. Each pair will be asked to examine a website for scientific validity (Berkeley Checklist) for the position presented at that web location. They will use their analysis of the website to decide if the author has stated an opinion OR proven a hypothesis. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 19pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Site 1: Position: Hydrofracking is a safe way to get to a huge supply of natural gas, which will be a good thing for the USA.

<span style="color: #000099; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 19pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">[]

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 19pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Site 2: Position: Hydrofracking is dangerous because waste water from the process could contaminate our drinking water. <span style="color: #000099; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 19pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">[]

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 19pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">While analyzing the website, students will be asked to identify: <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 19pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The author or sponsor of the website? <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 19pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The purpose of that author for creating the website? <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 19pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The intended website audience? <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 19pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The evidence found in website details that show scientific information? <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 19pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The website details that show proof for a stated hypothesis? OR <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 19pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The website details that show the position is an opinion of the author?

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Bold','serif'; font-size: 13pt;">Lesson 4 <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13pt;">- <span style="font-family: 'Arial Bold','serif'; font-size: 13pt;"> Examining implied messages for scientific validity. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13pt;"> This lesson will be delivered through Science classes as a review of scientific method before final exams. Students will view the Project LookSharp “Science Bugs” ad clip. There will be three viewings of the video: <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 19pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Viewing One - students will be instructed before viewing to be watching to try to identify the author, the authors purpose, and the intended audience for the advertisement. Discussion will follow. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 19pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Viewing Two - students will be instructed before viewing that they are going to be asked to, based on the information in the advertisement, state an hypothesis about: Girls, Boys, Girls who study science, Boys who study science, Studying Science. Discussion will follow. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 19pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Viewing Three - students will be instructed to look for evidence for their hypothesis within the video clip.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Bold','serif'; font-size: 18pt;">Grade 7: Reinforcing Lessons <span style="font-family: 'Arial Bold','serif'; font-size: 13pt;"> - Identifying author, author’s purpose, intended audience, and fact vs. opinion. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13pt;">Students will be using a variety of expository text and media in all content areas to identify author, author’s purpose, and intended audience. These sources will vary according to current events and topics being covered in Science and Social Studies classes. Repetition is needed for the development of this skill.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial Bold','serif'; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 19pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Looking for proof of scientific credibility in Expository text - Reinforcing Lesson to be delivered through 7th grade Life Science. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 19pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">This lesson will be part of the Life Science unit on disease. Students will be asked to compare three websites and evaluate them to answer the following question: What scientific evidence is presented at each web site to recommend it as a source to a person suffering from skin cancer ? <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 19pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Students will base their recommendation on the following criteris: <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 19pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Reliable author? <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 19pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Author’s purpose? <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 19pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Intended audience? <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 19pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Evidence of scientific and biological information <span style="color: #000099; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13pt;">[|http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/skin-cancer/DS00190/DSECTION=treatments%2Dand%2Ddrugs] <span style="color: #000099; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 19pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">[] <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 19pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> [|http://www.enzogenol.co.uk] /

<span style="color: #001445; font-family: 'Arial Bold','serif'; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 19pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Grade 8: Mastery Lessons

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial Bold','serif'; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 19pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Evaluating the validity of a specific source ("website") claims through a checklist (see Berkely toolkit list) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial Bold','serif'; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 19pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">To introduce the year and the 8th grade curriculum. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial Bold','serif'; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 19pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">See specific APP for LSTA 2010

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial Bold','serif'; font-size: 13pt;">Mastery then reinforced through both 8th grade science and through the 8th grade Health curriculum, where students are given strategies to use for the rest of their lives to help them be better consumers of health related information.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">**Additional Resources/Background Information**


 * Email contact **<span style="font-family: Optima,Times New Roman; font-size: 13px;">**:** (optional)

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"> **This lesson was produced during 2011- 2011 as part of a collaboration between Project Look Sharp (PLS) at Ithaca College and four NY State BOCES School Library Systems. The initiative brought together pairs of secondary science teachers and school librarians to develop models for integrating critical thinking and media literacy into secondary science content. The project was supported by federal LSTA funds awarded to the NY State Library by the Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services. To view additional lessons from this series go to: **www.projectloksharp.org.** **