Beyond Screens: Teaching Kids to Think Critically in a Digital World Classroom Kit
Our newest free Classroom Kit is here: Beyond Screens: Teaching Kids to Think Critically in a Digital World. With kids spending 4–6 hours online every day, this year’s kit tackles media literacy head-on, giving educators, parents, and librarians the tools to help students spot misinformation, question what they see, and think critically about the content they consume. Inside you’ll find 18 curated children’s books on media literacy and fake news, free fact-checking tools, hands-on games, ready-to-use lesson plans, and three Dorktales Storytime podcast episodes complete with SEL guides and printable worksheets, a screen-free way to build the same critical-thinking skills.
Beyond Screens: Teaching Kids to Think Critically in a Digital World
This kit was made possible by an incredible group of contributors: illustrator Steph Littlebird, an enrolled member of Oregon’s Grand Ronde Confederated Tribes and 2024 Carter G. Woodson Book Award winner, who brought the kit’s poster to life visually; Language Lizard, whose free bilingual lesson plans and activities support kindness and healthy habits in the classroom; Jodi Murphy of Dorktales Storytime, whose award-winning podcast episodes anchor the kit’s screen-free learning component; and Maritza M. Mejía of LuzDelMes Blog, who contributed a featured essay on soft skills and critical thinking. The kit also includes a carefully curated booklist of 18 children’s books on media literacy and fake news, spanning picture books to YA, each paired with a discussion question to spark deeper conversation.
As always, this kit is entirely free. Download it today and bring media literacy into your classroom or home.
Download the Classroom Kit
Together, we can create classrooms and communities where every child feels seen, valued, and celebrated.
This free resource is designed for teachers, librarians, and parents who want to create welcoming spaces where children learn to question what they read, recognize misinformation, and build the confidence to think for themselves in an increasingly digital world.
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