Presenter: Name: Melinda Gallagher

Title: Library Media Specialist
Organization/School: Owasso High School

Program Description
Students are bombarded with information each day from many sources, including news apps, social media, and content created using AI to deceive and manipulate them. Equipping students with the skills to discern credible information from misinformation is more critical than ever. This session provides an overview of news literacy education and introduces practical strategies for integrating news literacy into your teaching. Join Melinda Gallagher, teacher librarian at Owasso High School in Owasso, Oklahoma, in discussing news and media literacy. Melinda has taught news literacy over the past several years, using many resources, including the free resources from the News Literacy Project. Hannah Covington, Senior Director of Education Content at News Literacy Project, will share these free resources and how they “work with educators and journalists to give students the skills they need to discern fact from fiction.”

We’ll explore key concepts, skills, and dispositions that students need to effectively and responsibly navigate the information environment. Discover how to engage students in learning essential skills for identifying credible information, recognizing misinformation and its impact on society, evaluating media bias, and understanding the role of a free press in democracy. Learn about innovative lesson ideas, interactive activities, and practical tools that align with AASL National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries. Standards for learners will include fostering critical thinking skills for informed decision-making, learning to curate and create responsible content, and understanding the importance of information in a democratic society. Standards for School Librarians will include how to promote curiosity and critical thinking skills in the evaluation of news sources, facilitate the ethical sharing of information, and develop skills to promote news literacy and its importance to our democratic society.

This session is for K-12 educators and school librarians who are dedicated to developing their students’ critical thinking and information literacy skills. It will support those who are just starting to teach news literacy skills, as well as those who are looking to enhance their existing strategies. You will walk away with useful ideas, ready-to-use resources, and a better understanding of the importance of news literacy in your library and classroom, equipping students to navigate the complex information landscape. Whether you're a seasoned librarian or just beginning to teach news literacy, this session will inspire and equip you to make a meaningful difference in your students' lives.

Learning Objectives
Teacher librarians who attend this session will enhance their ability to develop students’ information literacy skills, a skill that is of critical importance to their academic, social, career, and civic success. This is a crucial role for educators in our increasingly complex digital world. It is vitally important that we address information challenges that come with the overwhelming amount of information in our daily lives. Throughout this session, you will be introduced to the News Literacy Project’s framework and five core standards. You will also see how these core standards are taught in the library and classroom. The three main learning objectives for this session include the following:

1. Acquire knowledge and tools to identify credible information: We will discuss ways to teach our students to distinguish between news and other types of information and to recognize those types of information. Through explicit instruction, our students can learn to apply critical verification skills to assess the credibility of sources. This objective aligns with the AASL “think” domain.

2. Understand Media’s Role in Citizenship: Educators will learn ways to teach students about the importance of the free press, the First Amendment, and the role of journalism in supporting an informed democratic society. The session will provide tools that encourage students to engage with current events and understand their role as informed citizens. This objective aligns with the AASL “grow” domain.

3. Expand and develop critical evaluation skills of news: Participants will gain strategies to help students become more active consumers of news and information, including strategies to detect misinformation, evaluate media bias, and make informed decisions. Attendees will gain tools to teach students about responsible creation and sharing of information. This objective aligns with the AASL “create” objective.

Program Outline
This session will provide background information as well as practical application of teaching news literacy. We will allow time for the audience to interact and ask questions.

Empowering Informed Students: Teaching News Literacy—Where Do I Start?"
I. Introduction (5 minutes)
A. Welcome and presenter introductions (Melinda)
B. Overview of session objectives and relevance to AASL standards (Melinda)
II. The Importance of News Literacy (5 minutes)
A. Current information landscape challenges (Hannah)
B. Impact on students and society (Melinda)
C. Connection to AASL standards and 21st-century skills (Melinda)
D. Understanding the Role of Journalism in Democracy (Hannah)
III. Key news literacy concepts with practical strategies and resources (30 minutes)
A. Distinguishing news from other types of information (10 minutes)
a. Overview and resources (Hannah Covington)
B. Evaluating source credibility (10 minutes)
a. Overview (Hannah Covington)
b. Fact-checking exercises (Melinda Gallagher)
C. Recognizing bias and misinformation (10 minutes)
a. Overview (Hannah Covington)
b. Media bias analysis (Melinda Gallagher)
IV. Implementation and Integration (5 minutes)
A. Aligning news literacy with existing curriculum (Melinda)
B. Collaboration opportunities with teachers (Melinda)
C. Other free NLP resources (Sift newsletter, Checkology, and RumorGuard) (Hannah)
V. Q&A and Conclusion (5 minutes)
A. Addressing audience questions
B. Key takeaways and call to action
Empowering Informed Students: Teaching News Literacy-Where Do I Start?

Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

Session Strand: Teaching & Learning

Presenter
Melinda Gallagher

Melinda is a library media specialist at Owasso High School in Owasso, Oklahoma. She is in her 20th year as a teacher librarian and has been teaching news and media literacy for several years. Melinda is in her 2nd year as chair of the Oklahoma School Library Association and was awarded the 2024 Polly Clarke Award for school librarian of the year in Oklahoma.

Hannah Covington

Hannah Covington is the Senior Director of Education Content at the News Literacy Project. She helps oversee the development of NLP’s resource offerings, from Checkology lessons to email newsletters and the educational fact-checking platform RumorGuard. Prior to joining NLP, Hannah worked as a journalist at the Minnesota Star Tribune, the state’s largest newspaper. She has also taught high school and undergraduate students as an adjunct instructor at Tulsa Community College and the University of Tulsa. In 2024, Hannah helped launch a community newspaper at a women's prison in Oklahoma, where she now serves as a newsroom advisor.


Description: Students are bombarded with information from many sources, including news apps, social media, and content created using AI. Equipping students with the skills to discern credible information from misinformation is more critical than ever. This session provides an overview of news literacy education and introduces practical strategies for integrating news literacy into your teaching. Join Melinda Gallagher, Teacher Librarian at Owasso High School in Oklahoma, and Hannah Covington, Senior Director of Education Content at News Literacy Project. Melinda has taught news literacy over the past several years, using many resources, including the free resources from the News Literacy Project. Hannah will share these resources and how they “work with educators and journalists to give students the skills they need to discern fact from fiction.” Whether you're a seasoned librarian or just beginning to teach news literacy, this session will equip you to make a meaningful difference in your students' lives.