For library day this month, 6th grade practiced their skills with citing sources - a skill they that ties to the research they've been working on in class. First, students imagined various scenarios in which their hard work might have been plagiarized and how they would feel about it. Then, we discussed why we cite sources, and finally how. At this grade level, we are most concerned that students know why they need to cite and the basics of how to create a citation; we use MLA format, but we won't worry about picky formatting details until later grades.
7th graders focused on media and news literacy skills - being able to be an effective user of information. We focused on determining if information presented as news is actually news, or something else by categorizing examples into one of 6 InfoZones: News, Opinion, Entertainment, Advertising, Propaganda, or Raw Information. Learn more about the InfoZones on Checkology. All of our examples were about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce - a very polarizing topic, apparently!
8th graders dove into the fascinating world of Conspiracy Theories- what they are and why people are so likely to believe in them. We talked about teenage brain development, the amygdala, and how humans using our "system one" thinking instead of "system two" thinking can lead us to falling victim to confirmation bias. We learned how Conspiracy theories tend to prey on the human need for connection, a sense of control, and self-worth, and that they offer compelling stories and simplified explanations in a complex world. A 2021 study showed that age 14 is when many people begin to believe in conspiratorial ideas. Of course, we also discussed ways to be on the look out! Always check your sources and stop and think before sharing!
Want to stay on top of News Literacy skills yourself so you can help guide your children? Subscribe to the Get Smart About News and the Rumor Guard newsletter by the nonpartisan News Literacy Project to stay current on news literacy skills, viral misinformation, conspiracy theories, and more!
Returning Library Books
Holliday breaks are a great time to clean out under beds and other places library books might hide!
Students are encouraged to return library books as soon as they finish them - there is a book return inside the library, another one outside the library, and most Language Arts/Literacy teachers have a book return in their rooms as well.
Students may also return books from the school library to the public library, and books from the public library to the school library! If you find books from your child's previous elementary school, those can also be returned to SEMS and we'll get them back where they go!
Not sure what books your child has checked out?
Students can login to their Destiny account from anywhere- just head over to iccsd.follettdestiny.com, choose Southeast Middle School, and then click the login button in the upper right corner. Click sign in with Google, and then My Stuff to see checkouts.
Beware the Algorithm!
As students learned about media literacy and conspiracy theories, it is important that families stay up to date with how children and teens are using - and being used by - the internet and social media.
Social media sites like YouTube and TikTok use a computer program called an algorithm to suggest videos to users based on their clicks and the clicks of other people. This can be great for finding content you want to see - but it does have a downside.
In 2018, a study of YouTube showed that the algorithm quickly routes users from relatively "normal" searches such as the lunar eclipse, to recommendations with more extreme or conspiratorial ideas like the earth being flat. In 2021, another study showed that issues with the recommendation engine still continue.
Gaming sites such as Roblox have recently been in the news for similarly allowing extreme content to be accessed by young users. Parental controls are available, but often under utilized. Learn more about updated settings and controls released by Roblox this month here.
It is important that parents and families are aware of what content may be promoted by social media or shared amongst friends. Talk to your kids about internet and gaming safety, keeping personal information private, and what to do when they come across ideas or content that is controversial or uncomfortable.
For other internet safety tips, check out Common Sense Media's advice for parents.
