Digital Literacy Curriculum for Middle School Students
Grades 6–8
Give middle school students the skills to navigate AI, social media, misinformation, online privacy, digital conflict, and screen time with confidence.
BAM Digital Media’s digital literacy curriculum for grades 6–8 includes 12 engaging, age-appropriate lessons that can be delivered as a 4-, 8-, or 12-week program. Schools receive structured instruction, student activities, assessments, teacher resources, and measurable outcomes without adding a major planning burden for staff.
A Digital Literacy Curriculum Provider Trusted by NYC Schools
Certified NYC & NYS Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) · Project PIVOT eligible · Title I funded · Built and taught by a full-time digital media educator with 14 years of classroom and industry experience, and backed by ongoing teacher implementation support.Middle schoolers are using AI to write their homework, falling for gaming scams, and spending 5+ hours a day on screens — without a single class that teaches them how any of it actually works. This curriculum gives them the critical thinking skills to navigate the digital world safely, built around one vendor, flexible scheduling, and measurable outcomes.
Tweens ages 8–12 average 5+ hours of daily screen time (Common Sense Media, 2024) · 26.5% of students experienced cyberbullying in the past 30 days, up from 16.7% in 2016 (Cyberbullying Research Center, 2023) · Creative classroom activities produce 82% greater student engagement (Adobe Education, 2024)
What Schools Receive
This is a structured curriculum, not a series of one-off assemblies. Every booking includes the materials and support a school needs to run it with confidence.
12 structured digital literacy lessons, sequenced and ready to teach
Student activities and reflection materials for every lesson
Teacher facilitation resources and a complete instructor guide
Pre- and post-program assessments to track growth
Family communication materials, including consent and info sheets
Implementation planning during your onboarding call
A post-program outcomes report your team can share upward
Every session is delivered by BAM. Ask about school-led delivery options for your building during the planning call if your team prefers to teach the curriculum in-house.
Middle School Digital Literacy Learning Outcomes
By the end of the program, students will be able to:
These outcomes are measured directly against the pre/post assessment included with every booking, giving your team concrete data for reporting and renewal decisions.
Book What Fits Your School
This digital literacy curriculum has 12 lessons total. Schools choose how many weeks to run based on their schedule, budget, and student needs. Every package uses the same high-quality curriculum — more weeks simply means more depth and more lessons covered.
Focused Introduction
Perfect for schools with limited time, a specific topic to address, or who want to pilot the curriculum before committing to a full semester. Choose the 4 lessons most relevant to your students.
- ✓ Pick any 4 lessons from the full curriculum
- ✓ 1 session per week, 45–60 min each
- ✓ Great for after-school or advisory periods
- ✓ Pilot option before a full booking
Core Program
The most popular option. Covers the most critical digital literacy and AI topics with enough time for real discussion, activities, and student reflection without overwhelming the schedule.
- ✓ 8 lessons across safety, AI, citizenship & wellness
- ✓ 1 session per week, 45–60 min each
- ✓ Fits a half-semester block or elective slot
- ✓ Pre/post assessment included
Full Semester
The complete experience. All 12 lessons delivered in sequence — building a full picture of digital literacy, AI, safety, entrepreneurship, and career readiness across an entire semester.
- ✓ All 12 lessons, full curriculum coverage
- ✓ Deepest skill-building and retention
- ✓ Ideal for a dedicated class period or elective
- ✓ Capstone project + post-program report
12 Digital Literacy Lessons for Grades 6–8
Each lesson runs one session (45–60 min). Schools on the 4-week package choose any 4; the 8-week package covers lessons 1–8; the full 12-week program runs all of them in sequence. Full curriculum sent with every proposal.
Smart With Screens
Healthy tech habits, screen time balance, and recognizing when technology is affecting mood, focus, or sleep. Covers the multitasking myth, notification management, and early warning signs of unhealthy tech use.
AI Smarts for Students
Practical AI uses — summaries, brainstorming, studying — alongside ethics, accuracy checks, and when AI should not be used, especially for schoolwork. Students learn to fact-check outputs and think critically.
Guard Your Info Like a Boss
Passwords, 2FA, phishing, and digital trails. Students learn how their online choices affect future opportunities, how to spot suspicious activity, and how to report it confidently.
Being a Good Digital Citizen
Respect, tone, empathy, and responsibility online. Deep dive into group chats, conflict, and permanence of online behavior — plus how to advocate for yourself and support peers being targeted.
Building Your Online Business Brain
Early entrepreneurship — digital products, small services, beginner branding. Students explore how ideas turn into income and how to test simple concepts safely and ethically.
Creative Content With Confidence
Safe self-expression online — videos, photos, writing — while protecting privacy and mental health. Content ownership, copyright basics, fair use, and managing social media comparison culture.
Spotting Scams & Digital Tricks
Scams targeting middle schoolers: gaming scams, fake giveaways, impersonation. Red flags, right responses, and how to support friends who may have been targeted — without shame.
Your Future in a Digital World
Tech-related careers and certifications students can prepare for now. Students build a personal roadmap connecting current strengths to real digital career paths — no pressure, just possibilities.
Algorithms, Attention & You
How recommendation algorithms are designed to capture attention — and how to reclaim it. Students learn why they can’t stop scrolling, how platforms profit from their time, and how to engage intentionally.
Truth, Lies & Everything In Between
Misinformation, deepfakes, and AI-generated content. Students practice identifying manipulated media, understand why false information spreads, and develop habits for verifying what they see before sharing.
Mental Health & the Digital Self
The connection between social media use and self-esteem, body image, and anxiety. Students explore the gap between curated online personas and real life — and build strategies for protecting their mental health online.
Using Tech for Good
Capstone lesson. Students reflect on their digital choices, present their Personal Digital Action Plans, and explore how technology can be a force for community, creativity, and change — not just consumption.
Not sure which package to book? The 8-week Core Program (lessons 1–8) covers the essentials most middle schoolers need. The 4-week intro is ideal for a pilot or after-school setting. The full 12-week semester is the complete experience. We’ll help you choose during the planning call.
Request a Proposal21st Century Skills, Embedded in Every Lesson
This digital literacy curriculum covers the full spectrum of what middle schoolers need: critical thinking for navigating the digital world, plus the ethical grounding to use it well.
Critical Thinking
Fact-checking AI, evaluating scam tactics, analyzing algorithms, and understanding how platforms are designed to manipulate attention.
Ethical Reasoning
AI ethics, academic integrity, content ownership, copyright basics, and responsible decision-making in digital spaces.
Brainstorming & Entrepreneurship
Generating ideas, pitching concepts, exploring digital business models, and understanding how skills become income.
Collaboration & Empathy
Upstander practice, peer support, and navigating group-chat conflict with respect and self-advocacy.
Foresight
Career roadmapping, digital footprint awareness, and understanding how today’s choices shape tomorrow’s opportunities.
Personal Branding & Safety
Building a consistent digital identity while protecting privacy — a skill that transfers to college applications, careers, and life.
This Is Also an ELA, College Readiness & Financial Literacy Curriculum
AI ethics is media literacy. Scam detection is financial literacy. Every lesson maps to standards your curriculum team already tracks — making this program easy to fund and justify across departments.
One Day. Every Grade.
BAM can visit your school once a week and serve multiple grade levels — running this digital literacy curriculum at different paces for different grades in the same building on the same day.
Maximum Impact. Minimum Scheduling Overhead.
Different grades can run different lesson sequences or the same curriculum at different pacing. This curriculum can also run alongside the Digital Creators Program for the same class: digital literacy in fall, Digital Creators in spring.
BAM also serves elementary schools (grades 3–5) with Digital Citizens and Create, Design, Publish — making us a single vendor for your entire school building’s digital literacy needs.
Each session is independently differentiated by grade level. Same day, multiple rooms, age-appropriate experiences running in parallel.
📅 Example — Tuesday is BAM Day:
Lesson assignments and pacing are fully customizable based on your school’s priorities.
Schnelle Acevedo
Founder & CEO, BAM Digital Media LLC
Built From the Inside Out
Schnelle Acevedo is the founder and CEO of BAM Digital Media LLC, a Brooklyn-based digital media education company certified by New York City and New York State as a Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE). She holds a BFA in Creative Writing and a Master of Public Administration, and brings 14 years of full-time content creation experience — including campaigns for Disney, Netflix, Amazon, and Procter & Gamble — directly into every lesson she writes and teaches.
Schnelle didn’t build this curriculum from a textbook. She built it from the inside out — mastering the same algorithms, engagement strategies, and digital platforms that students encounter every day, then turning that knowledge into lessons that actually make sense to teenagers, parents, and teachers. She grew Brooklyn Active Mama to over 100,000 monthly readers through consistent content, community, and creative hustle — the same digital landscape this curriculum teaches students to navigate.
Nellie showed me that the life and career I want to build IS possible. She generously shares the ins and outs of running an online business in a way that’s genuine and inspiring.
What This Looks Like at Your School
No surprises. Everything you need to know before you book.
Session Length
45–60 minutes per session, once per week, one session per lesson.
Booking Packages
4, 8, or 12 weeks. Every package uses the same curriculum.
Class Size
15–25 students recommended, maximum 30.
Format
In-person (NYC schools) or virtual via Zoom/Google Meet.
Tech Requirements
Projector and internet required every session. Student devices optional.
Teacher Prep
Under 15 minutes per session. Complete instructor guide provided for every lesson.
Funding
Project PIVOT eligible · Title I funded · NYC & NYS MWBE Certified.
Booking
Monday–Friday, 9 AM–3 PM. 4–6 week lead time recommended.
Answers for Principals & Administrators
The questions we hear most often — answered directly.
Ready to Bring This Curriculum to Your Middle School?
Let’s talk about which package fits your students, your schedule, and your budget.