Chapter 29: Exercises — Media Literacy Frameworks

Section A: Conceptual Understanding

Exercise 1: Defining Media Literacy Across Frameworks

Write a one-paragraph definition of "media literacy" as it would be articulated by each of the following organizations or scholars. Identify at least one distinctive element emphasized by each:

a. NAMLE (National Association for Media Literacy Education) b. UNESCO's MIL framework c. The ACRL Framework d. Douglas Kellner and Jeff Share's critical media literacy

Compare your definitions. Where do they agree? Where do they diverge most significantly?

Exercise 2: Tracing the Historical Development

Create a timeline of major developments in media literacy education from 1930 to the present. Your timeline should include: - At least 10 distinct events, publications, or policy milestones - Identification of the primary medium being addressed at each stage (film, television, internet, social media) - Notation of whether each development reflects an inoculationist or empowerment philosophy

Write a brief (200-word) analysis of the patterns you see in your timeline.

Exercise 3: Comparing NAMLE's Six Competencies

For each of NAMLE's six competency areas (Access, Analyze, Evaluate, Create, Reflect, Act), provide:

a. A brief definition in your own words b. A concrete example of what this competency looks like in practice for a high school student c. One assessment strategy a teacher could use to measure this competency d. One challenge or limitation in developing this competency

Present your responses in a table format.

Exercise 4: UNESCO's Five Laws of MIL — Application

Select three of UNESCO's Five Laws of Media and Information Literacy. For each:

a. Explain the law in your own words b. Identify a real-world scenario in which the law's application would make a meaningful difference c. Identify a potential objection to or complication with the law d. Explain how the law connects to democratic values

Exercise 5: ACRL Framework — Frame Analysis

Choose one of the ACRL Framework's six frames (e.g., "Authority Is Constructed and Contextual" or "Scholarship as Conversation"). Write a 500-word essay that:

a. Explains the core insight of the frame b. Connects it to a specific research scenario in your field of study c. Identifies a "threshold concept" — a transformative understanding — embedded in the frame d. Proposes two learning activities that would help undergraduates develop the dispositions associated with the frame

Section B: Comparative Analysis

Exercise 6: Media Literacy vs. Information Literacy vs. News Literacy

Draw a three-circle Venn diagram showing the relationships among media literacy, information literacy, and news literacy. In each section:

• Identify 3–4 competencies unique to each concept
• Identify 2–3 competencies shared by any two (but not all three)
• Identify 1–2 competencies shared by all three

Write a 300-word explanation of why these distinctions matter for curriculum design.

Exercise 7: Framework Comparison Matrix

Create a comparison matrix for four frameworks (NAMLE, UNESCO MIL, ACRL, Common Sense Media's Digital Citizenship) along the following dimensions:

Write a 250-word synthesis discussing which framework you find most applicable to your own educational context and why.

Exercise 8: Critical Media Literacy vs. Competency-Based Approaches

Write a structured comparison (500–700 words) of:

a. A competency-based approach to media literacy education (e.g., NAMLE) b. Kellner and Share's critical media literacy framework

Address: - Their different assumptions about the purpose of education - Their different understandings of what "critical" thinking means - Their different relationships to questions of ideology and politics - The practical implications for curriculum design and classroom practice

Conclude with your own assessment: which approach is more appropriate for K–12 education? For higher education? Why?

Section C: Applied Skills

Exercise 9: Source Evaluation Practice

Locate the following types of sources on a topic of your choice. Apply an appropriate evaluation framework to each, explaining your assessment:

a. A Wikipedia article b. A news report from a major national outlet c. A news report from a local outlet d. A social media post from a public figure e. A blog post f. A peer-reviewed academic article g. A press release from an advocacy organization h. A government statistical database

For each source, rate its credibility on a 1–5 scale and justify your rating using specific criteria.

Exercise 10: Propaganda Technique Identification

Collect five examples of clearly persuasive communication (advertisements, political communications, advocacy campaigns — not fake news). For each, identify:

a. The propaganda or persuasion technique(s) being used (from a list: appeal to emotion, bandwagon, glittering generalities, name-calling, transfer, testimonial, plain folks, card stacking, fear appeal, scarcity) b. The intended audience c. The values or assumptions the message appeals to d. Whether the technique is legitimate persuasion or manipulative misinformation

Write a 200-word reflection on the distinction between persuasion and manipulation.

Exercise 11: Media Representation Analysis

Select a media text of your choice (a television episode, film, advertisement, news report, or social media campaign). Conduct a representation analysis using the critical media literacy framework:

a. Identify the social groups represented (by race, gender, class, age, ability, sexuality, nationality) b. Describe how each group is portrayed — what roles, characteristics, and narrative functions c. Identify any stereotyping or over-simplification d. Identify whose perspective structures the narrative e. Identify what groups or perspectives are absent or marginal f. Explain what ideological work the text performs — what social arrangements does it naturalize?

Your analysis should be 600–800 words.

Exercise 12: Political Economy of Media

Research the ownership structure of one major media conglomerate (e.g., News Corp, Comcast/NBCUniversal, The Walt Disney Company, iHeartMedia). Document:

a. Which media properties the conglomerate owns b. Who are the major shareholders c. What other business interests the conglomerate has beyond media d. Any documented cases of ownership influencing content e. How the conglomerate's business model (advertising, subscription, licensing) affects its content decisions

Present your findings as a 500-word profile with an organizational chart showing the ownership structure.

Exercise 13: News Literacy in Practice

Apply the News Literacy Project's "Is It Legit?" framework to evaluate three news articles on the same topic from different outlets. For each article, assess:

a. Is this a news report, analysis, opinion, or something else? b. Who produced it and what do you know about that outlet? c. What sources and evidence are cited? d. Are claims independently verifiable? e. What is the overall quality of the journalism?

Write a comparative analysis (400 words) of how the three outlets covered the topic.

Section D: Curriculum Design

Exercise 14: Designing a Media Literacy Unit

Design a 5-lesson media literacy unit for a specific grade level of your choice. For each lesson, specify:

• Learning objective(s) aligned to NAMLE competencies
• Media text(s) or technology tool(s) to be used
• Key instructional activities
• Assessment strategy
• Estimated time

Include a unit overview that explains the coherent narrative connecting the five lessons.

Exercise 15: Age-Appropriate Sequencing

You are a media literacy curriculum director developing a K–12 scope and sequence. Create a table showing which specific concepts and skills should be introduced at which grade levels (K–2, 3–5, 6–8, 9–12). Draw on your knowledge of cognitive and social development to justify your sequencing decisions. (Why introduce concept X at grade 6 rather than grade 4? Why delay concept Y until high school?)

Exercise 16: Assessment Design

Design two assessment instruments for a media literacy learning objective of your choice:

a. A traditional assessment (quiz or test question) that measures lower-order thinking (knowledge, comprehension) b. An authentic performance assessment that measures higher-order thinking (analysis, evaluation, creation)

For the performance assessment, write a complete rubric with four performance levels for each criterion.

Exercise 17: Addressing the Transfer Problem

The "transfer problem" in media literacy education refers to the difficulty of getting students to apply classroom-learned skills in their real-world media consumption. Design a 3-week "transfer promotion" curriculum component that specifically addresses this challenge. Your design should:

a. Use authentic media examples from students' actual media environments b. Build habits rather than just knowledge c. Create opportunities for practice in near-transfer (slightly different) and far-transfer (very different) contexts d. Include metacognitive reflection components

Section E: Critical Evaluation

Exercise 18: Evaluating a Published Curriculum

Locate a publicly available media literacy curriculum (options include Checkology by the News Literacy Project, Common Sense Media's Digital Citizenship curriculum, or MediaWise from the Poynter Institute). Evaluate the curriculum using the following criteria:

a. Clarity and measurability of learning objectives b. Alignment between objectives, activities, and assessments c. Developmental appropriateness d. Evidence of effectiveness (does the curriculum cite research evidence?) e. Attention to equity and cultural diversity f. Handling of politically controversial content

Write a 600-word evaluative report with specific recommendations for improvement.

Exercise 19: Critiquing Media Literacy Research

Read the abstract and methodology section of a published media literacy effectiveness study (your instructor will provide options). Evaluate the study on the following dimensions:

a. Research design — Is this an RCT, quasi-experiment, or pre/post without control? What are the implications? b. Sample — Who were the participants? How were they selected? What are the generalizability limitations? c. Outcome measures — What was measured? Are these measures valid indicators of media literacy? d. Effect size — How large were the observed effects? Are they practically significant? e. Alternative explanations — What other factors might explain the results?

Write a 500-word critical evaluation.

Exercise 20: Mihailidis and Viotty Response

Mihailidis and Viotty (2017) argue that media literacy education has failed to prevent the "spreadable spectacle" of misinformation in digital culture, and that the field needs to shift toward "civic media literacy" emphasizing care, community, and civic imagination.

Write a 600-word response that: a. Summarizes their argument in your own words b. Identifies the strongest evidence supporting their critique c. Identifies the strongest counterargument to their position d. Takes a position on whether you agree with their diagnosis and prescription

Section F: Real-World Application

Exercise 21: Fact-Checking Practice

Select five claims from your social media feeds or from a fact-checking site's "pending" queue. For each claim:

a. Identify the type of claim (factual, value, predictive, definitional) b. Apply a fact-checking methodology (identify primary sources, check official databases, consult expert sources) c. Render a verdict (true, mostly true, mixed, mostly false, false, satire, lacks context) d. Write a brief fact-check explanation (100 words)

Reflect on what the process taught you about the nature of factual claims and the challenges of fact-checking.

Exercise 22: Algorithm Awareness Exercise

Conduct the following experiment over one week: document and analyze your social media recommendation experience.

a. Day 1–2: Use social media normally, documenting what content you are recommended b. Day 3–4: Deliberately engage with content outside your normal interests; document how recommendations change c. Day 5–7: Return to normal use; document how recommendations shift back

Write a 400-word reflection on what this experiment reveals about algorithmic curation and its implications for media literacy.

Exercise 23: Media Production Project

Create an original media artifact on a topic related to media literacy itself. Options include:

a. A 3-minute explainer video teaching one aspect of media literacy to your peers b. A fact-checking newsletter covering recent viral misinformation c. An infographic illustrating the key principles of one media literacy framework d. A podcast episode interviewing a classmate about their media consumption habits

Accompany your artifact with a 300-word reflection explaining your production choices and what you learned from the process.

Exercise 24: Teaching Controversial Topics — Role Play

In groups of three, conduct the following exercise:

Person A plays a teacher introducing the concept of media bias. Person B plays a student who believes major media has a strong liberal bias. Person C plays a student who believes major media has a strong conservative bias.

Conduct a 10-minute role-play discussion, then debrief: - What strategies did the "teacher" use to facilitate discussion without imposing a view? - Did the discussion help both "students" develop analytical skills, or did it feel like the teacher was taking sides? - What would you do differently?

Write individual 300-word reflections afterward.

Exercise 25: Community Media Literacy Audit

Investigate the media literacy education landscape in your local community:

a. Interview a K–12 teacher or school librarian about how media literacy is taught in local schools b. Research whether your state has media literacy standards or curriculum requirements c. Identify any community organizations offering media literacy programming d. Assess gaps: what media literacy education is NOT available that you think should be?

Write a 700-word "community media literacy audit" with recommendations.

Exercise 26: Synthesis Essay

Drawing on the frameworks, research, and skills developed throughout this chapter, write a 1,000-word essay responding to the following prompt:

"Media literacy education has been proposed as a solution to the misinformation crisis. Based on the evidence, is this a realistic expectation? What can media literacy education realistically achieve, and what are its limits?"

Your essay should: - Engage with at least three specific frameworks discussed in the chapter - Cite specific empirical research on effectiveness - Acknowledge the strongest counterarguments to your position - Conclude with a realistic, evidence-based assessment