Ontario pupils are taught media literacy

Re Teach elementary students how to resist evil of branding, Letter, June 14 Letter writer Della Golland is right in suggesting primary students should be taught about the media and how it can work for or against them. In fact, they are. The Ontario Language Arts Curriculum Grades 1-8 is divided into four strands: oral communication, reading, writing and media literacy. Ontario teachers have been teaching and analyzing with their students media in its many forms. Along with higher-order thinking skills, teachers strive to help students become aware of, and critical of, the constant stream of messages they face daily, urging them to purchase a product, follow a brand, believe an idea or follow a cause. Norah Downey, Midland, Ont.