Teacher-Created Lessons Advance Media Literacy in K-12 Classrooms

By Sofia Del Fine
​April 13, 2026

Nicole Gilbertson, director of the UCI Teacher Academy, and a group of teacher leaders, working through the Teacher Academy, have developed and implemented media literacy lessons designed for K–12 classrooms. Supported by grant funding, the program enables educators to create instructional materials using resources from the Library of Congress, pilot them in their classrooms, and share them with a broader network to support wider adoption.

This effort addresses a growing need for accessible, high-quality media literacy resources. By developing and sharing classroom-tested lessons, these teacher leaders are helping educators integrate media literacy into everyday instruction while building students’ critical thinking skills for informed civic engagement.