With news and information accessible at the click of a button in a variety of formats, it is very important for students to learn how to analyze and evaluate the available information. Last week, the Library hosted Mr. Supak’s 8th Grade English I Honors students as they expanded their understanding of close reading from literature to nonfiction texts and other media. Students viewed short videos in small groups and participated in a collaborative discussion with the guidance of the librarians, Mrs. Keiren Aucoin and Ms. Lauren Rhodes, to develop their media literacy skills, whether digitally or in print, textual or audiovisual. Utilizing their new vocabulary and questions they developed, the students evaluated the videos and their creators on their credibility, purpose, construction, and content. Students also considered their response to the information and how it may affect their actions and decisions in the future. The students will continue this critical thinking in the classroom and return to the Library later in the fourth quarter to reinforce and expand upon this research experience.
