When we list types of media, we seldom include maps. But maps, as mass produced representations, are ideal for deeper explorations of media "constructedness" – for example, that mediated messages contain both truths and distortions, that choices of what to include and exclude can have political and social consequences, and that media cloaked in a scientific "aura of credibility" are seldom questioned. Through uncovering the bias and subjectivity inherent in maps, students puncture the false assumption that maps (or any media) are ever truly "objective."

Download lesson plan # 1E

NOTE: This lesson plan is one of 25 cornerstone lesson plans for media literacy education available in Five Key Questions that Can Change the World, published by the Center for Media Literacy. To access the full collection, click here