Understanding Media Literacy and Political Expression

Miss Morgan provides an overview of the MCAS Civics performance task, focusing on the topic of freedom of the press and media literacy. The video explains the types of questions students will encounter, including political cartoons, op-eds, news articles, graphs, and social media posts. It emphasizes understanding different sources and their information. The video also includes sample questions and discusses the test format, aiming to prepare students for the MCAS test.

What is the main topic of the Civics Performance Task MCAS test?

• Development of the US Constitution

• Environmental issues

• Freedom of the press and news media literacy

• History of the United States

What is the primary purpose of a political cartoon?

• To express an opinion on politics or current events

• To provide factual news

• To advertise products

• To entertain children

How does freedom of the press affect political cartoons?

• It requires government approval for publication

• It makes political cartoons illegal

• It allows a variety of opinions to be published

• It limits the opinions that can be expressed

What is an op-ed?

• A factual news report

• An opinion editorial

• A government document

• A scientific study

What type of information might you find in a graph on the test?

• Opinions of the writer

• Visual representation of data

• Personal stories

• Historical events

What is a public interest group?

• A group that provides entertainment

• A group with a specific viewpoint on an issue

• A group that supports all government policies

• A group that sells products

How might social media posts be used in the test?

• To show personal opinions

• To provide government statistics

• To advertise products

• To display historical documents

What type of question format might you encounter on the test?

• Only true or false

• A mix of multiple choice, drag and drop, and writing questions

• Only essay questions

• Only multiple choice

What tool is available in the test to help with reading sources?

• A thesaurus

• A source expansion tool

• A calculator

• A dictionary

Where can you find practice questions for the MCAS test?

• In the school library

• Online practice tests

• In a science journal

• In a history textbook