Journal 10: Alligators in the Sewers? Really?

This article focused on building media literacy with English Language Learners. Media literacy refers to the ability not only to understand what you read, hear and see but also to evaluate and make good decisions about what various media presents. To become more media literate, teachers and students need to practice critical thinking skills, i.e. analysis, inference, evaluation, etc. English Language Learners have difficulty with gaining media literacy because of lack of exposure, misunderstandings about the veracity of Internet-based information, a lack of markers stating if something is meant as a joke or farce, and cultural backgrounds make it difficult for ELLs to understand what they have read.

This article discussed how teachers can build media literacy using critical thinking skills by using urban legends found on the Internet. The example that was used in the article was the urban legend about alligators in the sewers. The purpose of an urban legend lesson would be for students to a. judge the credibility of sources b. identify judgement, reasons, assumptions c. judge the quality of an argument d. develop and defend a position on an issue e. ask appropriate clarifying questions.

Question #1? What age/grade level can this type of lesson be used? I would recommend using this type of lesson for middle school students. In middle school they are beginning to explore the credibility of sources and I believe this type of lesson would be fun and interesting for the students.

Question #2: How can a teacher model critical thinking skills and media literacy? Teachers can perform think alouds while searching for resources and deciding how credible/truthful they might be, and ask essential questions.

Egbert, Joy (2009, May). Alligators in the Sewers? Really?. Learning and Leading, Retrieved 05/04/2009, from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/200905/