About This Lesson
Thinkalong.org is a free, evidence-based interactive tool for students to develop media literacy skills by applying the 5 Key Questions of Media Literacy to public media content. Importantly, the tool does not require registration for teachers or students, abides by student privacy laws, and is advised by a board of both youth and educators.
Each module consists of:
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a compelling and timely question;
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related current and age-appropriate public media content including audio, video, and text;
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extension resources for advanced or highly-interested students;
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student graphic organizers;
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a simple debate tool;
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a teacher's guide to the module;
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and a guide to the 5 Key Questions of Media Literacy.
This Teacher's Guide supports the Should the federal government require healthy school lunches? module on thinkalong.org. Here is the full module and below is a summary.
During the last presidential administration, former First Lady Michelle Obama made her primary focus fighting childhood obesity thorough the implementation of healthier lunch options for public school kids. Mrs. Obama emphasized the value of proper nutrition and exercise, but her programs were not without her detractors – who argued that such programs were not appealing to students or cost-efficient for school administrators. President Trump has stated his intention to roll back these school lunch regulations for similar reasons. Should the government be involved in regulating school lunches? If not, who should decide what children in schools eat?
To use this module with learners in any setting, we recommend using one of the structured discussion formats outlined at thinkalong.org/structuring-discussions. You can find options for a small or large group, so that all students or just a few participate, and examples of some discussion formats.
