Global Media & Information Literacy Week

Resource type: Event

Price band: Free

Key stage: KS2, KS3, KS4, KS5

Region(s): All of UK

Global Media and Information Literacy Week is observed from 24th – 31st October every year.

Global Media and Information Literacy Week was set up in 2021 to highlight the importance of helping people around the world become media and information literate citizens by providing them with the skills to:

Search, access and critically evaluate information
Use and contribute content wisely, both on and offline.

Cost: Free.

About UNESCO: UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation. Its aim is to build peace, eradicate poverty and drive sustainable development through international cooperation in the key areas of Education, Science and Culture.

Further resources:

Teaching and Learning

First News in consultation with the Media and Information Literacy Alliance has created free primary and secondary frameworks that outline the five key domains of an effective media and information literacy curriculum. The frameworks are available to download with a free First News account.
Help pupils in Years 3 to 6 develop the skills to access, understand and analyse the news with NewsWise, a free programme of lesson plans, resources and CPD webinars from The Guardian Foundation, the National Literacy Trust and the PSHE Association.
Explore the range of workshops, resources and training from Behind the Headlines, The Guardian Foundation’s award-winning news literacy programme for secondary school pupils.
Encourage pupils aged 10+ to engage with current affairs and develop critical thinking and communication skills with Topical Talk, a year-round programme of free resources from The Economist Educational Foundation.
Read The Female Lead Society’s #DisruptYour Feed research on social media usage among teenage girls and encourage students to follow people that inspire them, help them develop different interests and make them feel empowered with their suggested list of positive role models.
Discuss screen time, online safety, cyber bullying and the dangers of social media with pupils aged 7-13 with the teaching resources created by CLPE to accompany the series of four humorous cautionary tales by the prize-winning partnership of Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross.
Sign up for the First News Teach Kit, a media information literacy curriculum for pupils aged 7-16 that includes fully resourced schemes of work, teaching packs, fortnightly lessons linked to current news stories and training opportunities. Cost £249 + VAT.

Professional development

Sign up for Teaching the News, a free online training course from The Economist Educational Foundation created to help practitioners develop confidence in bringing the news into the classroom. Each module comes with a fully-resourced module to try with your pupils.

Reading recommendations

Books for Topics have put together a selection of books to help open conversations around internet safety with primary-aged children.
Explore LoveReading4Kids’ selection of picture books, fiction and non-fiction books to help children and young people aged 3-14+ use technology responsibly and stay safe online.
Usborne Quicklinks provides links to carefully researched websites that support and enhance the information in Usborne books. Explore the curated links for Usborne’s best-selling Staying Safe Online book.

More to explore