MEDIA LITERACY CURRICULUM (For 8th Grade)
Teach Students to Think Critically About Every Message They See
AI can generate a convincing news article, a fake photo, or a deepfake video in seconds. Students need to know how to tell what's real from what's not. Level 3 of Cyber Civics gives 8th graders the skills to critically evaluate and responsibly create media, with lessons on misinformation, AI-generated content, stereotypes, visual literacy, and healthy digital relationships. Includes lesson plans, slides with embedded videos, hands-on activities, parent letters, and full teacher support.
Already enrolled? Sign in
15-min. live tour + free sample lessons
Ready to get started? Low subscription rate is based on number of students.
Builds on the foundation of Levels 1 and 2
Covers AI-generated misinformation, deepfakes, and digital health
Meets state media literacy mandates and educational standards
7 Sequential Units Build Lasting Media Literacy Skills
Creating an AI Code of Conduct
If your school does not already have an AI Code of Conduct, this introductory lesson guides you through building one with your students.
​​
Intro Lesson
.png)
A Participatory Culture
Students evaluate how they use media and discover what it means to live in a participatory culture. Are they makers or takers?
​​
3 Lessons
2 Lessons
Calling on Critical Thinking
By learning a strategy to critically assess online information, including AI-generated content , students build a strong media literacy foundation.
​​
6 Lessons
News and Information Literacy
​
Students learn how misinformation spreads via social media and mainstream news, and how AI and deepfakes are complicating matters.
Media, Bias, and AI
​
Students learn how media can create and perpetuate stereotypes, and how AI-powered ad-targeting and biometric systems are complicating matters.
​​
3 Lessons
6 Lessons
Digital Health & Wellbeing
Healthy relationships, sexting, sextortion, revenge porn, deepfakes, and AI chatbot boundaries are covered in a developmentally appropriate way..
4 Lessons
Visual Literacy
From sophisticated editing tools to AI-generated images, students learn to read, create, and question visual media across every platform they use.
3 Lessons
The Power Is In Your Hands
Students apply everything they've learned across all three levels as they consider their digital future.
Download and Share the Flyer
Share with your admin team or curriculum committee. This one-pager covers what's included, grade alignment, and more.
​Low subscription rate is based on number of students | Special pricing available for small schools and districts.
"I've used Cyber Civics for 6 years and at two school sites. It is an amazing program that is ready to go on day one. The ability to add the lessons into your day with minimal prep is an asset to any teacher regardless of technology background."
-Stephanie Haining
St. Raymond Catholic School, Menlo Park, CA
View a Lesson
Every lesson includes slides with original embedded videos, hands-on activities, and discussion prompts that make media literacy feel relevant, not like a lecture. These aren't passive screen time. They're conversation starters.
“Our alum have spoken to it quite eloquently, comparing how their high school counterparts engage in digital spaces compared to how prepared they feel to be thoughtful, ethical users of the tools available.”
-Joanna Garcia
City of Lakes Waldorf School
Why Media Literacy Is Essential Right Now
​
Misinformation has never been easier to create or harder to spot. AI can generate fake news articles, deepfake videos, and manipulated images in seconds, and students encounter this content every day. Many states now mandate that media literacy be taught in school, and for good reason. Level 3 is the capstone of the Cyber Civics program. Building on the digital citizenship skills from Level 1 and the information literacy skills from Level 2, students learn to critically analyze media messages, recognize stereotypes and manipulation, protect their digital health and wellbeing, and use their voice responsibly. Like the earlier levels, every lesson emphasizes ethical thinking, critical analysis, hands-on projects, and role-play.​
​
Read About Media Literacy Legislation
Download NAMLE's Core Principles of Media Literacy
​
Turnkey and Easy to Teach
​
-
Detailed lesson plans for every session
-
Slides with original embedded videos
-
Hands-on student activities and fillable PDF packets
-
Send-home family activity letters
-
Student pre- and post-assessments
-
Full teacher support and monthly newsletters
We also offer:
​
Digital On-Ramps for Grades 4-5
Level 1 (Digital Citizenship) for Grade 6​
Level 2 (Information Literacy) for Grade 7
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Low subscription rate determined by size of school.
-
Any teacher at subscribing school/organization can open a private account and get access to all materials plus support.
-
Always-current resources are constantly updated.
-
Monthly newsletters announce new lessons and resources.
-
Multiple school/district discounts offered.
- Low small school and home school rates.
-
For online demonstrations or onsite presentations, contact us.
​​
​​
​​Testimonials
​
"Cyber Civics continues to be one of the best investments we make in curriculum. Our scholars are learning how to be respectful and responsible digital citizens."
-Vanessa Baker, Socrates Academy
​​​
"It’s all so easy to navigate, while also being extremely comprehensive... this is without a doubt the piece of the curriculum parents are the most grateful for."
-Kristi Robinson, Sierra Waldorf School
​
"An excellent resource to teach students how to be safe and wise online. The activities, videos, resources, and support staff are all top-notch."
-Morgan Hensely, Southwestern Middle School
​
"Cyber Civics lays a strong foundation for healthy digital ethics, information and computer literacy so when children face inevitable, difficult choices online, they will make the right decisions."
-Dr. Paul Helfrich, Westside Waldorf School
​
"I love it so much!! The ratio of time commitment to value is fantastic. My own children are in my class and I love that they are getting this curriculum at school."
​
-Elaine Boehme, St. Monica School
​
"Our 6th grade team used Cyber Civics last school year and were impressed with the content and the activities. Very age appropriate and thorough. We are looking forward to expanding it into our 7th grade this coming year."
-Ellie Decker, Westview Middle School
"What is so great about Cyber Civics is that it is scaffolded. One lesson leads to the next one, which makes it easier for classes to see how all these topics are interrelated."
​
-Library Media Curriculum Specialist, Milwaukee Public Schools
"We are grateful for this curriculum and excited about the new content regarding AI!"
-Jodie Bradley, Alabama Waldorf School
"It is the best program! EXCELLENT!"
-Sweekriti Apple, Olympia Waldorf School
"After seeing the Cyber Civics program presentation and learning more about it, I am please to endorse it on behalf of Charters OC as a solution to helping young people learn how to use digital media competently and thoughtfully."
​
-Susan Mas, Executive Director, Charters OC
"Cyber Civics has helped our school bring meaningful conversation to our middle schoolers about technology, its place in the world, and our place online. It is a valuable teaching tool that fosters a thoughtful digital life. Thank you for this program!"
-Janna Stauffer, Chicago Waldorf School
Full Curriculum Overview
​
TEACHER PREP
-
Getting Started Guide for Teachers
-
Syllabus
-
Teaching at Home Guide
-
Student Pre- and Post- Assessments​
​
INTRO LESSON:
CREATING AN AI CODE OF CONDUCT NEW
Working together with your students, you draft an AI Code of Conduct, a living agreement about when AI use makes them better learners, makers, and citizens, and when it doesn't. They'll return to this code throughout the level, revising it as they learn more.​​
​
UNIT 1: A PARTICIPATORY CULTURE
Students evaluate how they use media, and consider whether it may be using them.
​
-
Teacher Guide
-
Home Activities
-
Are You a Maker or a Taker?
-
The Multitasking Myth
-
Your Brain on Tech
UNIT 2: CALLING ON CRITICAL THINKING
This unit, based on research from the Stanford History Education Group (SHEG), teaches students that essential skill and extends it to AI generated information, which now appears nearly everywhere they look.
​
-
Teacher Guide
-
Home Activities
-
Analyzing Online Information
-
Analyzing AI-Generated Information
UNIT 3: NEWS AND INFORMATION LITERACY
This unit helps students become critical consumers of media by showing them how misinformation spreads online and examining the powerful role emerging technologies especially AI—play in amplifying false or misleading content.
​
-
Teacher Guide
-
Home Activities
-
What's News?
-
Understanding Misinformation
-
Don't Click on the Bait
-
When News Breaks NEW
-
AI, Deepfakes, and the News
-
Simon Says It's True
UNIT 4: MEDIA, BIAS, AND AI
This unit helps students recognize how media representations create and perpetuate stereotypes, how the human habit of labeling can harden into unfair assumptions about entire groups of people, and how AI-powered ad targeting and biometric systems can now sort and identify us at a scale no human could match.
​
-
Teacher Guide
-
Home Activities
-
Seeing Stereotypes
-
Don't Label Me!
-
The Ad Who Knows You
-
Biometrics: Your Body As Data NEW
UNIT 5: VISUAL LITERACY
This unit helps students learn how to read and create visual media, and how to become less susceptible to visual manipulations.
​
-
Teacher Guide
-
Home Activities
-
Before There Was Photoshop
-
Every Picture Tells a Story
-
Don't Let That Photo Fool You
-
Performing for an Algorithm NEW
UNIT 6: DIGITAL HEALTH & WELLBEING
This new unit teaches students how to protect themselves from some of the most serious online harms.
​
-
Teacher Guide
-
Home Activities
-
Healthy Relationships, Online and Off
-
Sexting and Online Boundaries
-
Revenge Porn: When Private Becomes Public NEW
-
Spotting and Stopping Sextortion
-
AI-Manipulated Images and You NEW
-
AI Chatbots vs. Real Relationships
UNIT 7: THE POWER IS IN YOUR HANDS
The lessons in this final unit encourage students to apply what they have learned over three levels through several hands-on, collaborative activities in which they consider their place in the digital world, now and in the future.
​
-
Teacher Guide
-
Home Activities
-
The Environmental Impact of AI NEW
-
How Will You Participate?
-
Are You a Maker or a Taker Now? ​​