Olympia Middle School

Fam Tip 5: Choose a Variety of Sources Show kids how you get news & information from different places, & explain how you make your choices. Use words like "credible," "trustworthy," "respected," and "fair." As kids get older, introduce the ideas of bias, satire, and clickbait.

Have you been keeping up with our News and Media Literacy suggestions? Here are some questions that you could use as discussion prompts to see how things are sinking in! bit.ly/OlyNMQ

When we get news from our social media feeds, it often only tells us part of the story. Our friends - and the website's algorithms - tend to feed us perspectives we already agree with. Escape the filter bubble and have your ideas challenged! https://youtu.be/mh1dLvGe06Y

Thank you to the St. Joseph Ogden Spartans for teaming up with the Olympia Spartans in supporting the Olympia to Peoria St. Jude Run. #SpartansLoveSt.Jude @SJOBoysHoops, @OLYMBB

Family Tip 4: Discuss Fact vs. Opinion! Play with ideas and decide which are facts and which are opinions. Ask: How tall are you? What's the best food in the world? Do you like dogs? Point out that both fact and opinion show up in the news, but opinion is usually(!) labeled.

Due to slick roads and dense fog, Olympia schools will have a one hour late start today (Friday, Jan. 24, 2020)

Fearless Fact Finding! Check out this list of trustworthy resources to help you learning what's true (and what is not!) on the web. You can even use one of them to look back in time and what was on a website in the past!

Wikipedia.org is where millions of people stop first for information. Tools like it are what make the internet so valuable. But they also teach an important lesson, one you can start teaching your kids now: don’t believe everything you read. Family Tip Sheet: bit.ly/OlyNMFR2

Congratulations to Dr. Ben Lee on defending his dissertation! Way to go! #SpartanNation

Don't forget your St. Jude shirt orders are due at noon on Monday, January 20th! https://forms.gle/qpLQBJyV2pQmw2ew8

The FFA Silent Auction is cancelled for tonight, 1/17. It will be rescheduled for Tuesday, January 28th during the Boys Basketball Games vs. Bloomington Central Catholic.

Fam. Tip 3: Explore Different Sides of a Story! Use real-life examples to help kids understand how people can view the same situation with totally different perspectives. Sibling conflict is a great example of how two people can have wildly different opinions on the same event.

If a picture's worth a thousand words, do the words always tell a true story? One way to find out is through a reverse image search. Search with an image instead of a keyword and see what you discover!

Link: http://bit.ly/OLYNMLr Common Sense has released a brand new News & Media Literacy Resource Center with TONS of resources around this topic. Check out this new web series from Crash Course! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8dPuuaLjXtN07XYqqWSKpPrtNDiCHTzU

Link: http://bit.ly/OLYNMLr Common Sense has recently released a brand new News & Media Literacy Resource Center with TONS of resources around this topic. Particularly neat is a new web series by Crash Course...check it out! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8dPuuaLjXtN07XYqqWSKpPrtNDiCHTzU

Another win for 7th and 8th grade volleyball teams tonight at Midwest Central! Way to go Lady Spartans!! 💙🏐💙

OMS Lady Spartans pick up a 7th and 8th grade win tonight in their volleyball matches at Ridgeview. Way to go, ladies! 💙🏐💙

Family Tip 2: Play "Spot the Ad"! When you see media, ask your kids to figure out what the ad is selling. Sometimes it's obvious, and sometimes it's not. Help them explore why certain pictures, sounds, and words are used to sell certain products.

Fake news is nothing new. Check out this timeline to learn about some ways it has been utilized throughout history to influence society. Ask your family about other examples that you know of and why they were used!

bit.ly/OlyNMV2 All media comes with an author and an agenda. Help kids think critically about any media they view with critical questions that dig below the surface. And to really empower kids, have them create their own media with these same questions in mind.