"Children are immersed daily in a dense bath of mass media images and messages. Some teach children about the world around them. Others promote deceptive, partial, stereotypical and sometimes harmful perceptions."

Edunotes, Issue 2 Volume 3
UNICEF Canada

"Media Literacy for Development & Children's Rights" was created by UNICEF Canada to help young people in grades 6 - 8 understand the role played by the media in influencing their attitudes and perceptions about developing nations and development issues. This module contains a series of lessons, exercises and background information to help familiarize students with the issues and challenges surrounding representation of other countries and cultures by the media. The module includes:

• Why Teach About Media Literacy?
• Definitions for Use in Activities
• Activity One: Looking Through the Lenses
• Activity Two: Whose Lenses? How Mass Media Portray Global Development
• Activity Three: Adjusting the Focus

"Media Literacy for Development & Children's Rights" can also be downloaded in PDF format. (You will need PDF Viewer or Acrobat Reader on your computer to do this. The Acrobat Reader, that allows you to view a PDF document can be downloaded free from the Adobe Web site.)

For additional resources on global development issues, visit UNICEF's Global Schoolhouse, at www.unicef.ca.