Media Literacy & Critical Thinking for Prevention

Media Literacy Resources. The California Department of Education provides a collection of media literacy resources designed to help educators, teacher-librarians, and administrators teach students how to access, analyze, evaluate, and use media and information responsibly and critically. These materials—including curriculum examples, lesson plans, media production tools, and professional development opportunities—are aligned with the California Model School Library Standards and support integrating media literacy and digital citizenship into classroom instruction. The resources aim to build students’ critical thinking skills around media and information in a way that’s relevant to their lives and learning.

Media Literacy for Critical Thinking and Democracy: This Facing History & Ourselves unit introduces students to fundamental concepts and skills related to media literacy. Students learn what mass media is, practice analyzing pieces of media content, explore ways information can be false or manipulative, and consider the connections between media literacy skills and the strength of democracies.