G7 – [Social Studies Update] Deciphering Media “Filters”: Election Results and Information Literacy

In our Grade 7 Individuals and Societies (I&S) class, we recently held a session to examine how information is constructed through specific perspectives, using the results of the recent general election as our primary resource.
In our current History unit, students are exploring the inquiry question: “How can we assess political reforms and transformations from different perspectives?” To build a foundation for this, we have been studying various historical policies, such as Rakuichi-Rakuza and the Kansei Reforms, focusing on who benefited from these changes and how different stakeholders viewed them.
The results of the recent House of Representatives election also represent a significant “political transformation.” To deepen their understanding of our inquiry question, students compared headlines and editorials from seven different newspapers. By noticing the differences in how the election results were evaluated, they were able to reflect on the underlying perspectives behind each report.
Every piece of information surrounding us is created by someone. Even when the facts remain the same, they reach us as different expressions once they pass through the “filter” of the writer.
We hope our students will develop the habit of reading information critically, always considering the position and context of the author.