MediaWise

Media literacy resource

MediaWise is a FREE media literacy resource, designed by primary school teachers and industry experts, to help children make sense of the digital world and develop life-long media literacy skills. Teaching kids critical thinking skills will help them navigate media, marketing, and advertising.

With the MediaWise teaching pack, primary school children of all ages will:

Be able to explain what the media is,
Gain an understanding of advertising and targeting,
Understand persuasive text, celebrity endorsements and stereotypes,
Develop critical thinking skills to identify misleading content or misinformation,
Make more informed choices based on their evaluations of media messages.

This resource is fully available online, but limited print packs are available here.

What is the media?

An introduction to the many forms of media and advertising, and why media literacy and advertising awareness are important.

Junior & Senior Infants

1st & 2nd Class

3rd & 4th Class

5th & 6th Class

The message & emotion behind the media

An exercise in identifying different types and elements of media, and the ways receiving media messages can influence our emotions.

Junior & Senior Infants

1st & 2nd Class

3rd & 4th Class

5th & 6th Class

Who is the
target?

Show how marketing relies on targeting, appeals, and assumptions, and how the media makes money.

Junior & Senior Infants

1st & 2nd Class

3rd & 4th Class

5th & 6th Class

Media’s
influence on
us

Develop an understanding of how media and marketers shape our views in a positive or negative sense, provide us with information, allow us to share and deliver our own messages, and help us stay in touch with what’s happening in the world.

Junior & Senior Infants

1st & 2nd Class

3rd & 4th Class

5th & 6th Class

Why teach media literacy?

Media literacy describes the ability to identify different types of media and understand the messages they circulate. The one common denominator of all media is that it was created for a reason, be it with positive or negative intentions. Understanding that reason will help kids become smart consumers of products and information.

Research shows that children as young as three see thousands of ads for unhealthy foods each year, not to mention the hundreds of media messages they see, hear and read every day. Media literacy and critical thinking skills will help them navigate these messages to make more informed choices as they grow up.

Because of this, we think that media literacy is an important element of the primary school curricula and offer this free education resource to help further media awareness in your class. Information about the lessons, activities, methodologies, and resources required are provided in each Lesson Plan, available for all age ranges from junior and senior infants to 5th and 6th class students.

View First Lesson

Acknowledgements

MediaWise is based on the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland’s core competency framework for media literacy.

The resource was developed in collaboration with the SPHE, dedicated primary school teachers, curriculum advisors, and advertising experts to support the personal development and health of primary school children.

Acknowledgements