National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) is proud to partner with the National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE) on its 3rd Annual U.S. Media Literacy Week, Nov. 6-10. This multi-site week-long event is designed to bring attention and visibility to media literacy education in the United States by showcasing the work of media literacy educators and organizations nationwide, and driving conversation that creates positive social change and increases civic engagement. A schedule of the week-long event is available here.

"What an opportunity to collaborate with NAMLE in supporting the importance of media literacy.  One of our six conference sub-themes at this year's NCSS conference in San Francisco is Media Literacy. Integrating media literacy creates better informed and critical-thinking students that can better distinguish fact from fiction," said Terry Cherry, President, NCSS.

“NCSS considers media literacy - the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, communicate and create information - an essential ingredient in educating young people today,” said Dr. Lawrence Paska, NCSS Executive Director. “NCSS strongly supports media literacy as part of a well-rounded social studies education.”   

NCSS has a long history of support for media literacy in education. In 2016, it released a Media Literacy position statement that emphasizes the urgent need for educators to prepare their students beyond being print literate to being media literate. This position statement provides guidance on how social studies educators can provide media literacy instruction by teaching essential critical thinking skills: the ability to ask key questions, compare competing claims, assess credibility, and reflect on their process of reasoning. On July 24-26, 2017, NCSS conducted a media literacy institute with Project Look Sharp that was hosted by the Newseum in Washington, DC, Constructivist Media Decoding:​ ​Media Literacy and Critical Thinking in Social Studies. Participants shared key concepts for media analysis and provided media decoding constructivist strategies.

NAMLE especially invites the San Francisco area community to attend the Friday, Nov. 10 event that will be hosted by Twitter at their San Francisco headquarters and will conclude the 3rd Annual U.S. Media Literacy Week. This day-long event will bring together local organizations, educators, and students to highlight the importance of media literacy education and to share resources that support media literacy in the classroom. Space is limited, so please contact medialiteracyweek@namle.net if you are interested in attending. Please note all attendees must be 13 or older.

Organizations, schools, educators and Media Literacy Week partners from all over the country are working with NAMLE to participate in events including #MediaLitWk, classroom lessons, virtual events, online chats, screenings, PSA’s, panel discussions and more. Partners include: KQED, Common Sense Media, California Film Institute, #icanhelp, Connect Safely, The Alliance for Media Arts + Culture, 14 Black Poppies, United Playaz, San Francisco Public Library and more.

In addition, NCSS invites classroom teachers, teacher educators, researchers, and the media to continue exploring media literacy topics and resources at the several workshops,  sessions, power sessions and poster sessions that will be offered at the NCSS 97th Annual Conference Nov. 17-19, Moscone West, San Francisco. Register for the NCSS Annual Conference here.

The NCSS Annual Conference is the largest and most comprehensive social studies professional development conference in the United States, where social studies educators share, interact, develop ideas, and enhance their skills. This year’s theme, “Expanding Visions/Bridging Traditions,” will offer more than 900 content-rich sessions covering all subjects and grade levels, a lineup of renowned speakers and education experts, and numerous exhibiting organizations displaying the latest in educational resources. For more information visit: https://www.socialstudies.org/conference.

Founded in 1921, National Council for the Social Studies is the largest professional association in the country devoted solely to social studies education. The mission of National Council for the Social Studies is to provide leadership, service, and support for all social studies educators. The NCSS membership represents K-12 classroom teachers, college and university faculty members, curriculum designers and specialists, social studies supervisors, and leaders in the various disciplines that constitute the social studies.

NCSS regards social studies as the integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence. Within the school program, social studies provides coordinated, systematic study drawing upon such disciplines as anthropology, archaeology, economics, geography, history, law, philosophy, political science, psychology, religion, and sociology, as well as appropriate content from the humanities, mathematics, and natural sciences. The primary purpose of social studies is to help young people develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world.