My future grade range is anywhere from kindergarten to grade five. With this variety, it’s important for me to know how to educate each grade on digital literacy. I think with these ages I would introduce the topic by having them find the problem or odd one out. In the younger grades (maybe like K-3), I would have them figure out the element that doesn’t belong with the rest.

For the example above, I would have students try and decide which piece doesn’t belong out of the four. As students look at the button, donut, sandwich, and orange slice and decide the odd one out, the answers could vary. The sandwich OR button could potentially be in the “wrong” in the image. Some students will see the sandwich for its different shape, and others the button because it isn’t a food (probably older grades). This is a good example of perspective but also how easy it can be to be wrong when looking at the web. I think this image especially is super helpful in this case by having a mixture of foods and materials rather than just different food types to really expand the activity.

For the older grades, I would start with that activity, then get them to look at websites and find the fake. Speaking of which, Find the Fake and Break the Fake are two resources that I think would work well for grades 4 and 5. With these quizzes, students can find out how well they are able to decipher if something is real or fake news. Along with those two tools, EdCan Network suggests bringing “real-world fake news examples that we encounter every day” into the classroom. This can include catfishers, bots, and trolls—which you could possibly make a social media activity for middle years and older to see what accounts are real versus not. The New York Times Weekly Student Quiz is also a tool you can use during the course of the school year to keep students fresh. * I got a score of 9/10 on the one I linked if it encourages anyone to try 😉 * With this age range, I would also introduce The National Council of Teachers of English (NTCE) definition statement of “Determine how and to what extent texts and tools amplify one’s own and others’ narratives as well as counter unproductive narratives.” As children are entering the tech world, it’s important to know where they stand.

“Teachers therefore play a crucial role in ensuring that their students develop the skills to decipher the many streams of information available to them.”