In modern society, there is a large drug and addiction issue which affects a multitude of individuals. To add on to this issue, it seems that the individuals affected the most are from the younger generations, causing them to come into contact with drugs and have addiction issues from an early age. It is extremely important that we begin to educate all individuals, and especially kids and teens, on the dangers of drugs, the consequences and symptoms, and even how to become media literate when it comes to the exposure of drug culture on social media platforms, television shows, and music. As educators, we have a responsibility to educate our students on these critical issues and can do so with the help of online resources and lesson plans.

Stanford Medicine Lesson Plan (Link)

One specific example of a lesson plan to help address this issue is Stanford Medicine’s lesson plan titled “Media Literacy: Understanding the Portrayal of Drugs”. The purpose of this lesson is to teach students what media literacy means and entails, how to identify relevant information that contains creditable resources, and how to use media responsibly as a tool to stay informed and safe (Safety First). The lesson works to both provide students with a general understanding of media literacy and its importance while also tying in why it is important to be media literate while encountering online drug culture. 

The lesson begins by first asking students to think about why social media is used, the benefits they experience and also to think about what they do not like about social media apps. Then, the lesson delves into how not all the information shared on social media is trustworthy, and what it means to have media literacy and its importance. Students then explore possible sources of misinformation, and begin to practice applying media literacy to the examples provided to learn how to tell which sources are credible and which ones are not. Students are instructed to always look at the source of the message, how it may work to grab their attention, the trustworthiness of the message, and the possible interpretations of the message. At the end of the lesson, students are provided with the “CRAAP Test”, a framework which allows them to determine the credibility of the source (Safety First). It is broken down as:

• Currency: the timeliness of the information
• Relevance: the importance of the information
• Authority: the source of the information
• Accuracy: the reliability, truthfulness and correctness of the information
• Purpose: the reason the content exists

Students then undergo scaffolded instruction with this framework, going over examples with the educator before applying this to examples on their own. 

Critique: The Strengths and Weaknesses

Overall, the lesson does an excellent job addressing this serious issue and providing frameworks which will help students become media literate in their day to day lives. It addresses how engaging in media literacy is important on a general level, then progressing to showcase how and why this topic is tied into drug or substance abuse ideas which may circulate or arise through social media and media overall. The lesson has a clear objective which the students can understand and work towards throughout the duration of the lesson. The lesson also includes multiple opportunities for collaboration, with think-pair-shares and general class discussions which promote student engagement. There is also a great use of scaffolding included, which follows the “I do, we do, you do” model and encourages students to master media literacy skills. Finally, this lesson can definitely be expanded and used to include other critical issues we have previously discussed, such as cyberbullying. When it comes to cyberbullying, having media literacy skills will allow students to make positive choices when engaging with others online, knowing which accounts to avoid and being aware of their online footprint. 

Some weaknesses in this lesson, personally, include the general structure of the presentation. The slides would go from talking about general media literacy to then speaking specifically on media literacy when it comes to drug use portrayal, and perhaps that can be confusing for the students. I think it would be more beneficial to first speak generally on the idea and importance of media literacy, then delve completely into its importance when it comes to drug use. Additionally, I think there can be more clear cut examples of misinformation regarding drugs and substance issues, to help fully clarify this issue for students. Lastly, there were some minor grammatical errors in the presentation, which did not take away from the lesson but should be looked over regardless. 

Some suggestions I would implement in this lesson if I were to use it in my classroom would be to, again, tie it into other critical issues, to explain how media literacy is a topic which is all encompassing and should be applied to all our online interactions and research. Furthermore, the lesson encourages students to find their own pieces of media to analyze using the “CRAAP Test”, however, this is only done at the end of the lesson as an exit ticket. I think it would be more beneficial to incorporate this as a partnered or group activity towards the middle of the lesson, allowing students more time to navigate, come to understand this framework, and find resources to fully assess.

In closing, the lesson discussed is incredibly vital to present to and discuss with students, as it is important when navigating social media and when coming across drug culture. As educators, we have a responsibility to educate our students not only on academic subjects, but on these critical social issues which they will come to encounter as they grow up and become involved in this digital space.

Resources:

Safety First – Lesson 11. Halpern-Felsher REACH Lab. (n.d.). Safety First – Lesson 11 | Halpern-Felsher REACH Lab | Stanford Medicine