Media Literacy Resources

Overview

Understanding and teaching media literacy is the responsibility of all educators. Media literacy is best learned and practiced when integrated into the school’s curriculum. Classroom teachers are encouraged to work with teacher librarians in exploring this collection of resources to develop media-rich contextual learning activities.

Media Literacy

Media literacy and the concepts surrounding it evolve with changes in technology and society. These definitions, from SB 830 and organizations of experts, provide a foundation through which to understand media literacy and the ideas connected to it.

SB 830 states: Media literacy is the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and use media and encompasses the foundational skills that lead to digital citizenship.

SB 830 further states: Digital citizenship is a diverse set of skills related to current technology and social media, including the norms of appropriate, responsible, and healthy behavior.

These literacies closely relate to information literacy: the ability “to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information” (American Library Association ).

UNESCO states that media and information literacy is a “combination of knowledge, attitudes, skills, and practices required to access, analyze, evaluate, use, produce, and communicate information and knowledge in creative, legal and ethical ways that respect human rights.”

California's MSLS (PDF) organize their standards around concepts of information literacy:

• Students access information
• Students evaluate information
• Students use information
• Students integrate information literacy skills into all areas of learning

What do media literacy skills look like? Here are three sample scenarios:

• Elementary students use a library catalog to locate a book on recycling, which informs their task of photographing examples of recycling in their neighborhoods to share on their class wiki.
  • In this example, students are accessing information through the library catalog, using it to inform their task. They are then using media to share information through photography on their class wiki—this involves production, communication, and following norms of online behavior with digital citizenship.
• Middle schoolers use a spreadsheet to organize data they collect about pets’ exercise habits, which they will analyze for a science fair project.
  • In this example, students are using technology to use information effectively. They are then analyzing that information to arrive at conclusions for a project—that project will involve further skills in communication of that information to a particular audience.
• High schoolers locate articles in a database about data privacy, which is the basis for the students’ video production that gives recommendations for teens to protect personal information.
  • In this example, students are accessing information through the database, and then analyzing that information to produce a video, involving communication skills. The topic is data privacy, which includes elements of digital citizenship.

These example scenarios give only a small view into what students might be doing within the classroom that includes media and information literacy skills. View the resources located in the other tabs to see more examples of lessons to incorporate media and information literacy in all classrooms.

Legislation

This collection of resources, including links to professional learning opportunities, was compiled in conjunction with the CSLA and KQED in fulfillment of the requirements set forth in Senate Bill 830 (2018) :

"...to ensure that young adults are prepared with media literacy skills necessary to safely, responsibly, and critically consume and use social media and other forms of media."

Assembly Bill 873 (2023) is legislation that requires the Instructional Quality Commission (IQC) to consider incorporating the MSLS and guidance around media literacy into certain curriculum frameworks when they are next revised. 

Assembly Bill 2876 (2024) adds the following to Education Code 33548: the IQC shall consider including the MSLS and media literacy content in its criteria for evaluating instructional materials. Furthermore, the IQC shall consider incorporating Artificial Intelligence literacy content into curriculum frameworks when next revised, and into the criteria for evaluating instructional materials. Existing curriculum frameworks have incorporated select guidance from the MSLS, adopted in 2010, to support instruction that provides students with the skills to effectively access, evaluate, use, and integrate information into their lives. For example, the MSLS are incorporated throughout the 2014 English Language Arts/English Language Development Framework, particularly in Chapter 10: Learning in the 21st Century.

Curriculum

The following resources are ready-made curricula, usually consisting of scope and sequence learning outcomes and activities, for media and information literacy as well as digital citizenship:

• California MSLS (PDF) —K–12 information literacy outcomes
• Assignment: Media Literacy —K–12 history-social science, language arts, and health curricula to teach media literacy as a critical consumer
• Critical Media Project —High school media literacy video-based curriculum focusing on topics like age, class, disability, gender, race/ethnicity, religion, etc.
• International Society for Technology in Education Technology Standards —kindergarten through adult digital literacy outcomes
• Common Sense Media —K–12 digital citizenship curriculum, including PD
• Teaching Tolerance Digital and Civic Literacy Skills —K–12 specific history-social science digital citizenship framework with lessons
• Be Internet Citizens —High school digital citizenship curriculum
• MediaWise: Navigating Digital Information (Video; 5:11)—Subject-neutral middle and high school 10-part video series by John Green
• Civic Online Reasoning Curriculum —free lessons and assessments that help educators teach students to evaluate online information that affects them, their communities, and the world.
• Media Literacy Now Resource Database —a curated database of media literacy curriculum resources that help teach media literacy concepts supporting physical and mental health and safety in the digital age.
• Media Literacy K–12 Curriculum —a continually updated bibliography produced by the CSLA Committee for Standards Integration providing links to media literacy standards as well as activities broken down by age/grade and subject.

Resources/Lessons

COMPASS: K–12 School Library Resources

California offers, at no cost to local schools, districts, or students, online resources from the California State Library for use by every kindergarten through grade 12 (K–12) school and student in the state. They are available through COMPASS , a State Library partnership with the Riverside County Office of Education. 

Sometimes referred to as the K–12 Online Resources project (the original name of the program), COMPASS began offering access statewide in fall 2018 to various resources. During the 2026-27 school year, resources from Britannica Education, ProQuest, Alexander Street multimedia (from ProQuest), STEAM resources from Gale (part of Cengage), TeachingBooks (part of Overdrive), and PebbleGo Science (from Capstone) are available.  

COMPASS has provided hundreds of professional development opportunities and on-demand webinars since launched in 2018. Local education agencies can access the resources at no cost until July 2027. 

These content resources, commonly referred to as "library databases," provide teachers, school librarians, and students with essentially an online library: encyclopedic content, research resources, e-books, early literacy content and resources, STEAM content and classroom exercise suggestions, newspaper articles, documentaries, photos, videos and more—all aligned with the curriculum that California has created for its schools. 

To sign up to receive information and resources from these online content providers, visit the COMPASS program from the California State Library and sign up for the COMPASS newsletter . 

COMPASS Resources by Provider 

Britannica Education with Britannica School and Britannica Escolar has tools that support varying reading abilities, languages, and academic vocabulary development. All of California has access to Britannica School and Britannica Escolar (written by fluent Spanish speakers/writers) and makes information accessible to every student. Britannica School and Britannica Escolar content is derived from subject area and media experts, a team of fact-checkers, and is a prevailing trusted source for factual information, anchored in authority, depth, and relevancy. A teacher companion website, Teach Britannica , provides tools and resources like lesson plans, bell ringers and exit tickets, instructional strategies, and graphic organizers in media and information literacy. This is available to any California IP address. 

ProQuest (a Clarivate company) is a prevailing informational resource company used by researchers and librarians around the world at the university level, with multiple resources appropriate for K–12. Their content collection encompasses tens of thousands of authoritative sources, over six billion digital pages, and spans six centuries. The ProQuest resources for California have collections on culture, general educational content, scholarly journals, general reference material, eBooks, and more – with specific resources for different age groups to scaffold the complexity of the research process.  

Upper elementary students can start with ProQuest’s CultureGrams to explore the world (a resource utilized up to grade 12) and SIRS Discoverer for first research reports, while middle and high school students can utilize the guided interfaces in SIRS Issues Researcher and eLibrary for more content and complexity. ProQuest Central Student is an academic database similar to the university level resource, and the video instruction modules in Research Companion can help guide students to be college ready before they start their first university courses. ProQuest requires single-sign-on integration, California local library card, or shared credentials for schools/districts. 

Alexander Street multimedia resource (from ProQuest) includes documentaries (including a PBS collection , environmental programs like Blue Planet and documentaries from CNN ) and primary-source video information (like American History in Video ). These are in addition to performing arts collections in music, theatre, and dance that include interviews and documentaries as well. The Alexander Street collections also include thousands of stage drama texts (including culturally specific collections like Black Drama ) that can be paired with interviews and articles in ProQuest databases for a look at the impact of culture on history. Like the ProQuest resources, Alexander Street requires single-sign-on integration, California local library card, or shared credentials for schools/districts. 

Gale , part of Cengage Group, provides three resources with original and curated content as well as modern research tools and technology. Gale Presents: National Geographic Kids can be used in elementary and middle school to explore amazing adventures in science, nature, culture, archaeology and space. Gale In Context: Environmental Studies is a research resource that can directly address the standards for environmental literacy and climate change required in California; content centers around understanding environmental issues that affect people globally through topic overviews, journals, news and multimedia content. And Gale Interactive: Science allows students to manipulate 3D interactive models to visualize and understand biology, chemistry, earth, and space science concepts. Gale resources require specialized URLs, integration into single-sign-on systems, or library card authentication. See the Gale COMPASS resource guide page for additional information. 

TeachingBooks for Schools contains a suite of authoritative materials about children's and young adult books. The resource has thousands of author interviews as primary sources for young researchers and provides teachers and parents with the tools to identify culturally relevant books for all content areas, for all grades TK–12. Students can learn directly from an author about why a book was created, and teachers can utilize discussion questions and other materials to dig deeper into a book's meaning. Early literacy tools and guides connected to evidence-based strategies are available as well. TeachingBooks is authenticated for any California IP address or integrated into single-sign-on systems and local library user systems. A parallel interface, TeachingBooks for Libraries , is ideal for parents and family and community engagement activities. 

PebbleGo Science/PebbleGo Ciencia and Capstone eBooks (Capstone) is a research resource in STEAM subjects for our youngest students. PebbleGo is a content hub specifically designed for K–2 students that provides real-voice narration in both English and Spanish (PebbleGo Ciencia) provided by the Capstone educational company. The PebbleGo Science module available for California schools and libraries is packed with informational articles, ready-made activities, citation tools, and literacy supports in STEAM subjects for students of all abilities. Hundreds of STEAM eBooks from Capstone are available in English and Spanish as well. PebbleGo Science is authenticated at the institution level – meaning individual schools and libraries – with shared username/passcode credentials for on campus classroom exploration and at home use with families. Direct single-sign-on access is also available; request information from Capstone for more details. 

Distance Learning Resources

Understanding how to safely access, evaluate, and use information has always been a necessary skill for students and educators. The resources below are focused specifically on supporting media literacy in a distance learning context; however, many of the additional resources on this page can also be adapted for distance learning.

• BBC My World Media
  A free educational platform for students ages eleven through fourteen to increase global media literacy and build skills to evaluate information.

• Common Sense Digital Citizenship Lessons
  Lessons specifically designed to support the transition to virtual learning and help students think critically and compassionately about what they see online, and articles on digital citizenship activities for elementary , middle , and high school students.

• Wide Open Schools
  Distance learning platform featuring lessons on digital citizenship and resources on virtual classroom setup .

• How-to Tutorials for Parents on Online Platforms
  A series of videos for parents learning how to navigate online learning platforms for their children.

• Media Making and Media Literacy for All Educators
  KQED offers free online workshops and webinars to support all educators in developing skills to promote youth voice and civic engagement.

• PBS LearningMedia
  A pre-kindergarten through grade twelve online library of trusted, quality, curated resources from PBS and public media stations. Digital resources include short videos, lessons and interactive games.

• KQED Media Academy for Educators
  Offers a set of four instructor-led, free online professional development courses that prepare educators to effectively and meaningfully analyze, evaluate, and make media with students to support curriculum goals. Courses are designed to support digital media literacy skill development, for educators and students, in both remote and traditional classroom environments.

• KQED Resources for Distance Learning
  A collection of tools and resources for remote teaching and engaging students while they learn at home.

• Cyber Families: Connect, Create, Care
  A collection of family-friendly activities to do on the internet. Aligned with the California MSLS.

• Library of Congress
  The Library of Congress has provided online resources to support educators and families engaging in distance learning.

• Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching (MERLOT)
  MERLOT has curated a set of free online teaching resources, including free online technology services, information about accessibility for all learners, etc

General Resources/Lessons

These collections include many high-quality lessons, units, videos and other learning aids, and supportive material. Several of these collections are searchable by grade or topic.

Multiple Literacies:

• United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Media & Information Literacy Clearinghouse
  K–12 and university-level subject-neutral media and information literacy resources and organizations
• Kathy Schrock’s Guide to Everything—Literacies for the Digital Age
  K–12 topical resources on information, critical, civic, digital, media, visual, tool, data, and other literacies
• Resources about Fake News
  Middle and high school subject-neutral resources about media, news, visual, digital, and information literacies
• Media Smarts
  Topical media and digital literacy lessons for both K–12 students and adults, searchable by grade; includes PD
• News Literacy Project
  Middle and high school resources, including Checkology , The Sift , Newsroom to Classroom , professional development workshops , and more.

Media Literacy:

• Project Look Sharp
  K–12 specific topical lessons/units integrating media literacy
• Media Literacy Now
  K–12 subject-neutral resources for teaching media literacy principles
• Newseum
  History-social science lessons for both K–12 students and adults, including artifacts and videos on media literacy, and searchable by grade and topic
• New York Times Learning Network
  High school English Language Arts, history-social science, science, technology, engineering, math, and arts media literacy lessons and student-production contests
• Mastering Media
  Lessons that can be integrated into a variety of curricula, covering representation and social justice; music, film, and television; gaming and digital worlds; news and information; and more.

Digital Citizenship:

• International Society for Technology in Education Seal of Alignment
  K–12 subject-neutral student and educator resources on digital literacy and citizenship
• Los Angeles Unified School District Digital Citizenship
  K–12 specific digital citizenship lessons
• KeepSafe
  K–12 subject-neutral resources on digital citizenship, including PD
• Edutopia Digital Citizenship Resources Roundup
  K–12 subject-neutral articles, videos and other resources on digital citizenship and supporting media/digital literacy
• Copyright and Creativity
  K–12 subject-neutral curriculum with lessons and video on digital citizenship concepts of copyright and creativity, including PD
• The Economist: Online Harms
  Lessons exploring online harms, using real-world examples in the news to start thought-provoking classroom discussions.

Information Literacy:

• S.O.S. for Information Literacy
  Searchable information literacy lessons for both K–12 students and adults
• American Library Association Evaluating Information: Information Literacy
  K–12 and university-level resources on information literacy
• KQED Learn featuring Above the Noise videos
  A safe, online space for students (grades 6-12) to practice civic discourse with peers nationwide. Free.
• Teach Information Literacy & Critical Thinking
  Resources on information literacy for high school students and adults

Media Production

An important way to gain media literacy is to produce media: learning by doing. These resources address media production tools and processes.

• University of Notre Dame Remix —Media literacy through multimedia (image, audio, video, data) tutorials, assignments and projects for high school students and adults
• EdTechTeacher Technology Tools for Teachers —Curated list of technology tools organized by academic subject, topic, and learning activity for high school students
• Apple Education —K–12 subject-neutral tools and project guides supporting students in developing and communicating ideas through drawing, photography, music, and video
• Radio Rookies: The Basics of Audio Journalism Curriculum —High school curriculum to help students tell their own stories
• California Student Media Festival —The California Student Media Festival seeks to transform K–12 student learning, recognizing creativity and student agency through the cultivation and celebration of original work.

Professional Development

Several professional organizations address media literacy, providing valuable educational resources as well as PD activities.

Professional organizations that include PD:

• International Society for Technology in Education —Includes standards, model learning websites, publications, networking, and PD
• California School Library Association —Includes online tutorials and networking
• Computer Using Educators —Includes online learning models, networking and PD
• UNESCO Media and Information Literacy —Includes standards, publications, news, and links to related resources
• National Association for Media Literacy Education —Includes standards, publications, networking, and PD
• Cyberwise —Includes curriculum, publications, and PD
• 4Teachers.org —Includes tools, links to resources, and PD
• Media Education Lab —Includes teaching resources such as lesson plans, videos, webinars, as well as offers a Summer Institute for professional development.

Training:

• KQED Teach and PBS Media Literacy Educator certification by KQED—Online, self-paced courses on teaching media literacy and media-making skills and a professional certification. Free.
• UCLA Education 466 —Critical Media Literacy Course-related links to resources
• UNESCO Media and information literacy curriculum for teachers —Book with standards and curriculum
• Media and Information Literacy: A practical guide for trainers —Book with standards and curriculum. Lessons are applicable for high school and adults