We use critical literacy when we try to make meaning out of and challenge messages we encounter in text and/or other media. We actively analyze and uncover underlying messages. Visit the Critique topic for more on critical literacy techniques.

Asking questions is a great way to deconstruct sources we encounter. Questions you may ask include:

• Is there a one or multiple perspectives? Is there a bias?
• Who is the audience? Are there groups left behind? Will others understand it differently?
• What qualifications does the author have? Are they credible?
• What types of evidence is there? Facts? Statistics? Anecdotes?
• Did the author consider the other side? What points were left out? Was this on purpose?
• Who do you think will benefit from this text? Who would be placed at a disadvantage?
• Do you see any political, religious, social undertones?

Here is a sample student deconstruction of Northrop Frye’s article “Don’t You Think It’s Time to Start Thinking.” The student practises critical literacy by responding to important questions about the text.

The example is based off of this excerpt:

A society like ours doesn’t have very much interest in literacy. It is compulsory to read and write because society must have docile and obedient citizens. We are taught to read so that we can obey the traffic signs and to cypher so that we can make out our income tax, but development of verbal competency is very much left to the individual. (Frye, 1986)

You can read the full article here:

https://search-proquest-com.ezcentennial.ocls.ca/docview/435373839?accountid=39331

Is there a bias?	There is bias in the first sentence. He is assuming that all people aren’t interested in literacy. How does Frye know that the majority of people don’t have an interest in literacy? Did he look at statistics? Is it from personal experience? In this passage, he says we are only taught to read in order to do simple daily tasks. This is not true at all. I personally read because I enjoy it. Reading lets me imagine and explore other countries, time periods, cultures. People go to school to do this professionally. I see a lot of generalizations here. I had some amazing teachers who showed me how to be “verbally competent in high school” and not just basic reading tasks, so he is wrong in saying verbal competency is left to the individual. My parents also always encouraged me to read for fun instead of playing video games. From reading this particular paragraph, I see bias for sure, but I’m going to find out more about the author and read the entire article before I can conclude for sure.
What is the purpose? Who is the audience? How do you know this?	I think he is trying to encourage people to read more, so the audience could be the public … but the language is not every day-type language, so maybe it isn’t the public… It seems like the audience must be someone who understands this type of language and vocabulary … maybe a professor, a teacher, another academic? He uses vocabulary that people don’t use on a daily basis like “docile,” “cypher,” and ”competency.”
Will others understand this reading differently?	I think a sociology researcher with background knowledge will understand it differently. I also think someone from a different society that loves to read and write might understand this reading differently. The perspective seems to be North American because in certain rural communities, there aren’t traffic signs. A teacher might interpret this differently and think “I need to teach my students more about reading.” A politician might look at it differently as well. The politician might think Frye is an anarchist when he says, “Obey the traffic signs.” A politician might think, “We have traffic signs to protect the safety of people, is this meant to be sarcastic?” I also think that my grandma whose first language is not English will understand it very, very differently because the words are a bit difficult. She might not understand the sarcasm. She thinks it is our moral duty to follow laws.
Is the author credible?	I just Googled Frye and came across this on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_Frye I’ll continue to look for more information on other websites. He is actually a literary critic and considered one of the most influential people in the 20th century. I think I should re-read this article again … maybe he has a point? He seems pretty credible to me.
Were there factual resources or evidence present?	I can’t find any statistics.
What points did he leave out? Was it on purpose?	He left out an analysis of other societies and the way they approach literacy. He also left out people who have a love for learning. He didn’t use facts or evidence. I think it was on purpose. I don’t think he found any facts or statistics to support his claim … so maybe his claim isn’t true?
Do you see any political, religious, social undertones?	I see some interesting social and political influences. Like I mentioned before, the fact he is saying “We are taught to read so that we can obey the traffic signs and to cypher so that we can make out our income tax” makes me think that he has a conspiracy theory that we are controlled by the government and only taught to read in school to pay our taxes? Maybe he hates paying taxes? I wonder where he is from or where he grew up? Maybe that gave him a bad taste of governments or even following the rules. I’m going to do more research on this.

Canada’s Key Concepts of Media Literacy (Pungente, 1999)

1. Media is constructed; it is not a 100 percent portrayal of reality. Don’t believe everything you see in media to be true.
2. Media influences our reality to some extent. We use the media to build our understanding of the world. It influences a lot of our attitudes, interpretations, and conclusions about life.
3. We make meaning of the media based on individual context. Our culture, values, morals, and beliefs affect our understanding of media. You might understand something completely differently than your friend.
4. Media has “commercial implications” (Pungente, 1999). In other words, most media productions are businesses making a profit. Therefore, we need to ask: How is the media trying to profit and who is controlling the message (government officials, private for-profit companies, non-profit organizations, educational institutions, etc.)?
5. Media messages have ideologies associated with them; for example, they communicate views on the “nature of the good life and the virtue of consumerism, the role of women, the acceptance of authority, and unquestioning patriotism” (Pungente, 1999).
6. Media messages have social and political influences (positive and negative). For example, social media is being used as a great tool for activism (#BlackLivesMatter, #Climatechange, #MeToo). It keeps us updated on national and global issues.
7. Media messages change in form, display, and content to give different impressions. For example, Twitter has a word limit to create impactful messages. In contrast, Facebook allows for long paragraph-type content.
8. Each medium allows for artistic, creative display (poetry, prose, etc.).

When you encounter media, ask yourself:

1. Who created the message?
2. What is the purpose of the message (entertain, persuade, convince), and who is the audience?
3. Who is paying for it?
4. What techniques are being used to capture our attention?
5. Whose views and values are being included in this message? Who is being left out?

(Adapted from Common Sense Education, 2015)

Fake news is a term that recently became popular and refers to false information spread through media. Click here to find strategies for spotting fake news.

Digital citizenship is when we are respectful, responsible, and safe with our online consumption and use. Being digitally literate is an important skill in the 21^st century.

View the source for an introduction to digital citizenship.

Now let’s look at key elements of digital citizenship and best practices as defined by the Learning Portal (2017).

Review by watching the videos below.

You’ve just learned a lot about literacy. Match the following examples with the type of literacy represented.

See Explore Literacy References